South Georgia’s Whaling Stations and Their History

Castaway in the South Atlantic Ocean, South Georgia Island is a remote British Overseas territory known for its high concentration of wildlife. Each year, travellers worldwide visit the island to admire the vast colonies of king penguins, birds, elephant seals, and fur seals and to see South Georgia’s whaling stations.

Alongside the wildlife in South Georgia, the island also has a captivating history that can be explored on an expedition cruise.

For over 6 decades, South Georgia was used as a base for southern whaling from 1904 to 1965. Over 1,000 workers were employed by South Georgia whaling stations and on whaling ships. South Georgia has seven former old whaling stations that are possible to see:

• Grytviken
• Stromness
• Husvik
• Leith
• Princ Olav
• Ocean Harbour
• Gothul

The remnants of the whaling stations starkly contrast the wild, mountainous landscape. Each tells a story about the island’s human history with its ghostly, derelict presence. Whaling leases were granted at Rosita Harbour and Jason Harbour but these were never used.

It’s worth noting access to larger whaling stations at Husvik, Stromness, Leith, and Prince Olaf Harbour is forbidden due to hazardous materials.

A History Of Whaling In South Georgia

The whaling industry in South Georgia commenced in 1904 when the first whaling station was built at Grytviken. Norwegian whaler and explorer Carl Anton Larsen discovered the sheltered bay on an expedition in 1902.

Word spread fast, and the whaling industry in South Georgia rapidly expanded, with the opening of 6 more whaling stations in the preceding years. What is remarkable is that the largest whaling stations were the size of small towns built on an incredibly remote island.

At the time, whale oil was a sought-after product used as lighting fuel and in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food products. This drove demand for whaling in South Georgia, which was a lucrative business.

South Georgia was the main location for all land-based whaling in the Southern Ocean at the height of its operation.

During the period that whaling was active in South Georgia, an estimated 175,250 whales were processed at the whaling stations on the island between 1904 and 1965.

With the high demand for whale oil, whales in the southern hemisphere were driven to near extinction. It is estimated that 1.6 million whales were killed in the Southern Ocean by 1960.

During the 1920s, offshore whaling ships reduced the reliance on land-based whaling stations. The whales populations suffered a drastic depletion from overexploitation. Gradually, whaling on South Georgia began to decline.

By the 1960s, the whalers abandoned the whaling stations in South Georgia, as overproduction of whale oil led to a crash in whale oil prices and whale stocks plummeted. Whaling stopped in South Georgia in 1965 due to overhunting.

Leith was the last whaling station to close in South Georgia in 1965.

South Georgia’s Whaling Stations

Today, travellers can visit South Georgia on an expedition cruise and see the seven derelict whaling stations. Due to the dangerous nature of the decaying structures, only three can be entered, and the others have a 200-meter safety boundary.

1. Grytviken

Grytviken whaling station is the most well-known in South Georgia due to its historical significance, and it is also the most visited.

Grytviken was home to the first permanent whaling station in South Georgia to commence operations in 1904. Founded by Larsen, Grytviken would become a significant hub for whaling operations in the Southern Ocean until it ceased in 1965.

It’s recorded that 53,769 whales were slaughtered at Grytviken South Georgia, producing a total of 455,000 tones of whale oil. According to the Guinness Book Of World Records the largest blue whale ever caught was landed at Grytviken 1909 measuring 33.57 meters in length.

In 1912, Larsen and his men built a Norweigan church in Grytviken, an iconic site that can still be visited today. Grytviken church is one of the most remote and southernmost churches on Earth.

Thanks to a lengthy and costly clean-up operation in 2003, the dangerous structures and asbestos were removed, making Grytviken safe for visitors to explore. It is the only large whaling station on South Georgia, so it is possible to walk around and get a feel for the colossal size of the operation that took place there.

I enjoy visiting Grytviken as it offers an insight into what life must have been like for the whalers on South Georgia. You can walk around the remains of the gigantic machinery and get a feel for the scale of the whaling with a ghostly feel. Two abandoned whaling ships lay on the shore with their harpoon guns still visible. Whale bones lay on the shore as a stark reminder of what took place there.

The South Georgia Museum is located at Grytviken and offers displays about the island’s past. It also has a replica of the James Caird, the lifeboat Ernest Shackleton used in his recuse mission, sailing between Elephant Island in Antarctica and South Georgia. In 1992, the South Georgia Museum was created to educate visitors about the whaling industry.

Grytviken was the last port of call of the Endurance before its fate in the Weddell Sea. A small cemetery on the edge of Grytviken Harbour holds Sir Ernest Shackleton’s grave, who died in King Edward Cove in 1922. Other sailors are also buried at Grytviken cemetery including Frank Wild, Ernest Shackleton’s right hand man.

It’s possible to visit Grytviken on an expedition cruise that explores the island. The British Antarctic Survey has a base at King Edward Point.

2. Leith Harbour

In its heyday, Leith was the largest whaling station on South Georgia. When you see its ghostly remains today, you can picture an entire town. Leith had extensive infrastructure, including a hospital, cinema, and even a small railway. It has an eerie feel, especially when the mist descends on the surrounding hills.

Leith was founded in 1909 by Christian Salvesen Group LTD of Edinburgh and operated by the South Georgia Company. It was the last whaling station in South Georgia to cease operations in 1966. During its operation, an estimated 50,000 whales were processed at Leith.

During its final years Leith was licencesed to the Japanese whaling company Nippon Suisan Ltd.

The area around Leith was prone to landslides, and the original whaling station had to be moved. Reindeer were introduced at Leith, but unfortunately, they met a grisly end when an avalanche wiped them out in 1918.

During the Falklands War in 1982, Argentine soldiers posing as scrap metal merchants occupied buildings at Leith.

Due to the dangers posed by decaying buildings and airborne asbestos, a 200-meter perimeter is in place around Leith for safety. Whilst it is not possible to walk up close to the buildings, the station can be viewed at a distance on a Zodiac cruise, offering a glimpse into its past.

3. Stromness

Stromness started as a floating factory in 1907, with the shore station following in 1912. Built by the Sandefjord Whaling Company, it is named after the town of the same name in the Orkney Islands in Scotland.

Stromness was one of the first whaling stations in South Georgia to close in 1931. The site was converted to a ship repair yard servicing the whale catchers in the Southern Ocean. It was finally abandoned in 1961.

Stromness was the first civilisation Shackleton and his men saw after losing their ship, the Endurance, in Antarctica. In great detail, Shackleton documents the encounter of arriving Stromness in his account of the expedition South.

I have had the pleasure of walking the Shackleton Walk from Fortuna to Stromness, the last section of Shackleton’s crossing of South Georgia. As you descend from the mountains above it, you get the first glimpse of civilisation, just as Shackleton did in 1916.

Like Leith, Stromness has a 200-meter perimeter. The abandoned station and many of the buildings are in disrepair, and some have collapsed. Future plans are to clean up Stromness to make it accessible to visitors, but this has yet to happen.

While you can’t walk into the station, you can get a good look at Stromness from the shore or on a Zodiac cruise.

4. Husvik

Husvik is one of three former whaling stations located in Stromness Bay. Like the station at Stromness, Husvik started as a floating whaling station in 1907. By 1910, a whaling station had been built on the land and operated until its closure in 1960.

A path along the beach linked Husvik to Leith and Stromness. Whalers, who didn’t have a cinema of their own, would often visit the cinema at Leith for entertainment.

Work was undertaken to preserve and restore buildings in Husvik. In 2006, the South Georgia Heritage Trust renovated the manager’s villa to help preserve the history.

Like Leith and Stromness, Husvik is considered unsafe and is subject to a 200-meter boundary that came into effect in 2011.

Although it is smaller in size than its neighbour Leith, it is a common landing site for expedition cruises outside the perimeter.

5. Ocean Harbour

Ocean Harbour is one of my top places to visit in South Georgia. The scenic bay is dominated by the wreck of the Bayard ship, which foundered there in 1911 when a gale swept it across the bay.

Ocean Harbour took its name from the Ocean Whaling Company, which operated a whaling station there between 1909 and 1920. The Sandefjord Whaling Company took over the whaling station, and the operation was moved to Stromness.

Whilst little of the former whaling station remains today, it is still an interesting place to visit. The hulk of the Bayard, now heavily rusted with one mast collapsed in the water, is a fascinating sight on a Zodiac cruise.

The oldest grave in South Georgia, sealer Frank Cabrial, dating back to 1820, is in Ocean Harbour.

6. Prince Olav Harbour

Prince Olav Whaling station had a relatively short lifespan, operating between 1912 and 1932. For the first four years of operation, it was a floating whaling station that was built as a shore-based whaling station in 1916.

Prince Olav Harbour was named after Prince Olav V of Norway by the Norwegian whalers. Like the other main whaling stations, it has a perimeter due to the buildings’ hazards.

Prince Olav whaling station is best observed from a Zodiac cruise along the shore, where it is possible to see the ghostly remains. The wreck of the Brutus is visible, half submerged in the harbour. The former coal hulk ship was beached on purpose at Prince Olav Harbour to act as a coal filling station.

7. Godthul

The small whaling station at Godthul had a short lifespan between 1908-1929. The infrastructure on the shore was basic and designed to support factory ships in the Southern Ocean.

The site is a popular stopover for expedition cruises. Visitors can visit the former whaling station and see the remnants of the depot building, rusting barrels, and the hulls of several small wooden boats.

The landing site is home to a large colony of Gentoo penguins, seen in the tussock grass surrounding the station. Godthul also offers some great hiking options. It’s the perfect place to take in the island’s whaling history and connect with nature.

How To Visit South Georgia’s Abandoned Whaling Stations

The best way to visit South Georgia’s whaling stations is on an expedition cruise along the island. Expedition cruises visit many different wildlife landing sites and whaling stations by Zodiac Landingcraft. Grytviken is the most common whaling station to visit, but you will likely also see one of the others.

Often expedition cruises to South Georgia island island often visit the Falkland Islands, the South Sandwich Islands, the Antarctic Circle and the Antarctic Peninsula.

Alongside the history South Georgia is home to a diverse array of wildlife including 4 penguin species, albatrosses, Antarctic terns, fur seals, Antarctic Prions and elephant seals.

Safety

When visiting South Georgia’s whaling stations, please remember:

• Always follow the expedition team’s instructions.
• Never enter the 200-meter perimeter, as these have been set up for your safety.
• Pay close attention not to disturb wildlife. If penguins block your route, choose another.
• Never enter a structure as these are in a dilapidated state and unsafe to do so.
• Do not take or disturb historical artefacts from any site.
• Follow the advice the South Georgia Government laid out in its visitor guide.

Plan your visit to South Georgia

From my personal experience, South Georgia truly is a hidden wonder. Its storied history, abundance of wildlife, and scenery make it one of my favourite places in the polar regions to visit.

At Polar Escapes, we are experts in visiting South Georgia, and our team has made over 20 visits there. Please see our South Georgia cruises to search for the largest selection of expeditions.

To find out more about planning a visit to South Georgia, please see our guide to How To Visit South Georgia.