South Georgia Heritage Trust

Want to send a truly unique Christmas card? This year, why not send a card from the remote and breathtaking South Georgia? For a £50 donation, our South Georgia Museum team will handwrite your personalised message on a card of your choice and send it directly from the post office on island. Your donation helps protect wildlife, preserve history, and ensure a sustainable future for this incredible island. Order your card now: https://bit.ly/403YItz #ChristmasCard #SouthGeorgia #WildlifeConservation #Unique #Gift #Fundraiser

Don't miss your chance to see ENDURANCE on the big screen! There are only a couple of days left to catch National Geographic's incredible documentary film, Endurance, in UK cinemas! Tickets are selling out fast across the country. Find screenings near you for the next few days: https://lnkd.in/gZB72J28 It's your last chance to see it on the big screen as all cinema screenings end on 30th October. The movie will then be available to view on Sunday 3rd November at 9pm on National Geographic UK. Don't miss this epic tale of exploration and survival! #EnduranceMovie #NationalGeographic #UKcinema #Endurance #Shackleton @dogwoof

On this day in 1915, the iconic 𝐸𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 was abandoned after being trapped in the Antarctic ice for over nine months. Ernest Shackleton wrote in his diary “she was doomed, no ship built by human hands could have withstood the strain”. Shackleton ordered each of the 27 men to leave all but two pounds of personal possessions, however, exceptions are made for Frank Hurley's photographs and Leonard Hussey's banjo. Shackleton's leadership during this time was nothing short of extraordinary. He rallied his men, he led them to safety, and they established Ocean Camp on 1 November 1915, a mile and a half away from the ship. On 21 November, 𝐸𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 finally sank below the ice into the Weddell Sea. 📷 The 𝐸𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 frozen in 76/35 South, 1915 photographed by Frank Hurley / Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales #Endurance #Antarctica #History #Exploration #Survival #Shackleton

Do you need a unique present for somebody you love? Give the gift of adventure this Christmas! 🎁 By donating £50 to the South Georgia Heritage Trust, you can make that dream a reality. Our museum team will handwrite your personalised message onto a postcard which will have South Georgia stamps on. Your donation will support our vital work to protect this island's unique wildlife and preserve its rich heritage. Give a gift that truly stands out this festive season. Postcards need to be on the mail boat by 1 November, get them here: #ChristmasGift #UniqueGift #SouthGeorgia #Conservation #Donation #HolidaySeason

Why did whaling in South Georgia stop? South Georgia was once a hub for the global whaling industry. For over six decades, the waters surrounding the island were the scene of intense whaling with 175,250 whales killed and processed. The first whaling station on South Georgia was established in 1904 by Norwegian Carl Anton Larsen at Grytviken. Over the following decades, several more stations were built along the island's coastline. The industry thrived, with South Georgia becoming the primary centre for water and land-based whaling in the southern hemisphere. However, as the 20th century progressed, the unsustainable practices of whaling began to take a toll on whale populations. Overfishing and the depletion of whale stocks led to a significant decline in the industry's profitability. Additionally, the development of synthetic alternatives for whale products, such as margarine and lubricants, reduced the demand for whale oil. International efforts to protect whales also played a crucial role in the decline of whaling in South Georgia. The International Whaling Commission (IWC), established in 1946, implemented regulations to limit the number of whales that could be hunted. In 1982, the IWC introduced a moratorium on commercial whaling, which further curtailed the industry. The final whaling operations in South Georgia ceased in 1965. Today, South Georgia is a protected territory, and efforts are underway to restore its ecosystems and conserve its wildlife. In 2024, GSGSSI extended the Marine Protected Area around South Georgia. Whilst we may never know for sure how quickly whale populations are recovering, we do know that some species, such as the Humpback, are now flourishing . 📷 A whale catcher Southern Jester, credit: South Georgia Museum #SouthGeorgiaIsland #SouthGeorgiaMuseum #RemoteMuseum #museum #AntarcticLife #SouthGeorgia #Grytviken #SGHT #tourism #travel

We're thrilled to be offering the opportunity to ask the Endurance22 expedition leader and deputy John Shears and Nico Vincent some of your burning questions ahead of their book launch that tells the incredible story of Endurance's discovery. Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about one of the most remarkable maritime discoveries in history. Please submit your questions for the authors in the comments below. We'll share the most interesting questions with John and Nico then share their answers in future posts. You can preorder their book from us here: https://lnkd.in/ecD9fKSj #Endurance #Shackleton #Antarctica #Discovery #History #Adventure #Questions #Endurance22

Preorder your SGHT 2025 calendar today! It will make a great gift for friends and family; but don't forget to get one for yourself too! Each month you can be reminded of a very special part of the world and the wildlife that thrives there. https://bit.ly/3YfZW29

Why aren’t there any lighthouses on South Georgia? During the whaling era, in the early 1900s, the first government Magistrate took the advice from the whaling companies and made several recommendations to install various lights, beacons and a bell buoy to aid navigation around South Georgia. All of these were installed and maintained by the whaling companies, as part of their lease requirements. Lights were placed to aid several navigation issues: 1. Coastal for colliers and transports 2. Guiding into bays 3. Guiding to anchorage Over the years, 8 lights, excluding those inside the harbours, were added - Cape Crewe, Cape Saunders, Jason Island, Sappho Point, King Edward Cove, Long Point (later moved to Right Whale Rocks), Hatten and Penguin Point. Jason Island and Right Whale rocks were still working in 1959 but by 1974 all piers, buoys and other navigational aids were closed. Some remains of lights and beacons erected during the whaling years can still be found as part of the heritage of the island. The remains of a lighthouse and a Direction-Finding Station can still be seen on Jason Island. While lighthouses still act as a secondary guide to seafarers around coastlines of the world, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), nautical charts and smaller lighted navigations aids and buoys guide modern mariners. On South Georgia today, only the navigation lights at King Edward Point now function, guiding ships into the safe harbour of King Edward Cove at night. 📷 Grytviken Harbour Lights - follow the red ones in until the green ones are in line then follow them into the cove. Credit: South Georgia Museum 📷 Lighthouse, possibly 1920s, on Jason Island (off Larsen Point) - not in use but listed as a heritage site. Credit: Hvalfangstmuseets Fotosamling, CC BY-SA 📷 Lighthouse on Jason Point in 2018. Credit: South Georgia Museum #SouthGeorgiaIsland #SouthGeorgiaMuseum #RemoteMuseum #museum #AntarcticLife #SouthGeorgia #Grytviken #SGHT #tourism #travel #lighthouses

𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘭 was built in 1929 at Nylands Verksted in Oslo, Norway. The original blueprints for the whale catcher illustrate the many unique aspects of her design. Particularly notable are the raised bow, which protected the gunner from spray, and the flying walkway, which the gunner used to reach the harpoon gun at the front of the ship. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘭 lies with her bows at the high tide mark at the slipway at Grytviken. Her stern sits under water, no more than one hundred metres from the Museum at Grytviken. She is the best-preserved whale catcher of her time. You can read more about her here: https://lnkd.in/dumf4teB 📷 Blue Prints, South Georgia Museum 📷 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘭, Serge Ouachée, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Send a piece of history from the ends of the Earth this Christmas 🌍 Get your hands on a postcard from South Georgia, sent from one of the world's most remote post offices with South Georgia stamps too. These unique postcards are the perfect way to send a special message to someone you love or a keepsake for yourself. Postcards ordered after 1 November may not arrive before Christmas. Get your postcards now: https://bit.ly/3zW6OK1 #SouthGeorgia #Postcard #LimitedEdition #RemoteIsland #Travel #GiftIdea #Unique