Stromness Bay

At the entrance of Stromness Bay, on the southern side, is an extraordinary geological feature at Busen point. Rock strata has been forced up into a folded shape. In 1916 Sir Earnest Shackleton noticed this feature. While standing on Wind Break Ridge, above Fortuna Bay, in the distance across a ridge, Sir Earnest recognized the extra-ordinary z-shaped strata at the mouth of the Stromness bay. He asked Worsley the time; it was 6.55 am."We'll listen for the seven am whaling station whistle" Sure enough, through the still air came the shrill sound of the whistle, the first sound of civilization for 18 months. ""Never did music sound so sweet to our ears as that whistle".

Three old whaling stations lie deteriorating in Stromness Bay. To the south is Husvik station that remained in operation until 1960 and was leased to the Albion Star (South Georgia) Ltd. The station was partly dismantled and its freezer plant was moved to Grytviken. The whaler "Karrakatta" remains on the slipway on the beach where she was used as a boiler to drive an engineering workshop. The Managers Villa has been maintained and is used by Scientists and other expeditions.

Stromness station was used as a ship repair yard from 1945. The Manager's villa will be always associated with Sir Earnest Shackleton's remarkable journey from Elephant Island. He arrived at the villa on the 20th May 1916 with his two companions after crossing South Georgia from King Haakon Bay. He had last seen human dwellings on 5 December 1914.

From the 1920s Leith Harbour was used to service the floating factory ships. Coranda Quay, the main jetty, with deep water was used for the floating factory ships. A separate quay was used for the whale catchers for re-fuelling and repair. Machine shops, plate and boiler shops, and a foundry provided support as needed. Handling heavy stores, such as harpoons and coal was done on a rudimentary railway line with wagons being pushed by hand. A hulk called Jericho was used as a coaling hulk before oil-fired vessels and boilers where used. Water was drawn from the reservoir just above the cemetery at the back of the station. The station was the last to close in 1965 when the Japanese company Nippon Suisha Kaisha left.

All whaling stations are now closed to visitors as they pose a severe risk, not only because of airborne asbestos being blown from deteriorating buildings, but also from sheets of metal being blown about or buildings collapsing.