South Atlantic Islands

In the South Atlantic Ocean there are a number of islands which are possessions of the United Kingdom.  Among those are the South Sandwich Islands and the Island of South Georgia.  Farther to the west and about 450 miles southeast of Argentina are the Falkland Islands.  These islands have been a possession of the United Kingdom for hundreds of years.  South Georgia was originally used as a whaling station when whales were hunted for their oil and bones.  Now it’s mostly tourism that locals support.  

The South Sandwich Islands are another matter.   The three most northerly of the islands had supported whaling along with South Georgia through the 18^th century, but even the hardy whaler crews couldn’t accept the weather and left to hunt their whales elsewhere.  The islands are surrounded by pack ice for eight to twelve months of the year and are subjected to extreme temperatures and winds for most of the year.   Penguins and seals are permanent residents, but suffer from the pounding waves which drive them against the shaggy cliffs literally beating them to death.

Off to the west 450 miles from the coast of Argentina, are the Falkland Islands.  Living conditions are more acceptable in the Falklands and Britain has had a sizable population on the islands for many years raising mostly sheep for their wool and mutton.  But always in the background was the Argentine claim that the islands were properly theirs.  Before 1982 these claims were always in the form of an attempt by Argentina to negotiate a treaty between the British and the Argentines, but the British would have none of it which undoubtedly irritated Argentina. 

In 1982 the pot boiled over and Argentina invaded and took possession of the Falkland Islands.  It is easy to speculate that the thousands of miles of ocean between the Falklands and the British Isles entered into the decision as well as the fact that British sea power had deteriorated significantly since World War-II.  Never-the-less, Britain organized a battle fleet which sailed for Ascension Island where it split into two smaller fleets:  The first, the battle fleet, continued toward the Falklands; the second, the support fleet, changed course toward South Georgia with instructions to establish a support base.

Unknown to Argentina, the British requested the assistance of the United States in a logistics, non-combat role which the United States agreed to furnish.  While the British fleet approached the Falklands, the United States rearranged its satellites and moved one to monitor the activities of the Argentine Army and Navy.  Specialty, non-combat aircraft supported by tanker aircraft provided information in real-time to the British fleet. 

When the battle fleet arrived at the islands, landing parties entered the strait between the East and West Falkland Islands and landed in force on the East Falkland Island where it successfully engaged the resident Argentine army. Both the British and Argentine fleets conducted some maneuvering which ended when an Argentine plane fired two French Exocet missiles at a destroyer, the HMS Sheffield.  One missile missed and the second struck the vessel amidships, but did not explode. However, it did sever some fuel lines which caused a severe fire, eventually causing the ship to sink.. 

HMS Sheffield

Concurrently, the Argentine Navy moved their flagship, a heavy cruiser named Belgrado, from its home port in Argentina to an area west of the Falklands.  Dual reports were made on its location by a British submarine and an American satellite.  The submarine was authorized to attack and sank the Belgrado  by torpedoes with heavy loss of life.  In post-war discussions, Argentina repeatedly claimed that Britain had agreed the Belgrado free passage in the waters west of the islands without fear of attack.  The British deny any such agreement.

Belgtado

The British support fleet reached South Georgia, but before any shore installations of substance were completed, the war was over.

If you were to look for a word that would best describe South Georgia, “contrast” would be a good beginning.  This magnificent South Atlantic island is certainly full of odd comparisons. 

South Georgia is one of the most isolated inhabited places in the world.  It’s 800 miles from the Falkland Islands, east of Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost tip of South America.  On occasion it is blocked off by ice.  In 1982, however, it took part in a very nasty little war.

The island has some of the world’s most spectacular mountain and glacier scenery, and is home to huge numbers of animals.  Yet one writer sadly described it as a “slum of the South Atlantic” because of the squalor in which its whaler inhabitants lived.  There’s no contrast about the island of South Georgia itself.  It’s a wilderness of precipitous mountains and snowfields that can rise to over 8,000 feet within a few miles of the fjord-indented coastline.  Its deceptively small – about 85 miles long by about 10-15 miles wide – but so rugged that only a few souls have ever crossed it.  There’s only enough flat land to accommodate the occasional whaling station.  An airstrip has never been built because of the lack of suitable space.

 The land abounds with colonies of fur seals.  Walk through one of these herds, and you’d be well advised to carry an oar or long pole for protection.  Penguins (Kings, Gentoos, rockhoppers and other species) are found by the hundreds of thousands.  The waters off South Georgia were once one of the great whaling grounds.  It was the playground of blue, sperm and fin whales.  Only a few of these creatures remain today.

Because of its location, South Georgia was unknown to the early Spanish and English explorers.  It was first seen in 1675.  The first exploration was made by Captain James Cook in 1775. 

 Once the island’s animal attractions were known, the hunters soon followed.  The sealers came first, followed in the late 1800s by the first whalers.  In the early 1900s it became economically feasible to establish shore-whaling stations where crews could live year-round.  These primitive, foul-smelling charnel houses housed over a thousand men at times.  Most of the men were Norwegians: the companies that employed them were Norwegian, Scottish, English or even Argentine.  There were very few women; they were nurses, or the wives of whaling company owners or Falkland’s government officials.

The stations were established at sheltered spots among the fjords.  They were called Prince Olaf Harbor, Leith Harbor, Grytviken, Stromness and Husvik, to name the major sites.  Huge factory ships such as Southern Venturer, Southern Harvester, Sir James Clark Ross and many others hunted the ocean around the island, using fleets of small, fast whale-catchers.  The whale carcasses would be dragged aboard the ships or taken to the stations.  Once on great open platforms, they were butchered.  The meat was considered a delicacy in Japan, and the oil was of very fine quality.

By 1909 enough whalers spent the summer ashore to justify the opening of a post office.  The site of the office was on a sand spit named King Edward Point, within walking distance of the whaling station at Grytviken.  This also became the government headquarters, with several buildings housing officials and their families.

 Providing postal service (or getting it) was no easy task on South Georgia.  There was only the single post office at King Edward Point.  Whalemen from Grytviken could reach it, but only rough tracks or the occasional vessel connected the other stations.

The whaling stations had postboxes where mail could be placed pending dispatch.  Sometimes trekkers or ship captains would take the mail; occasionally, the postmaster would visit the stations.  Once dispatched, the mail was carried to the Falkland Islands, then on to South America or Europe.  Occasionally, a factory ship would head directly to Europe.  There were times when it was easier to send a letter to Europe than to the Falklands.  Of course, such delivery was much less common during the southern winter.  It was common for whalers to write many letters and number them, never knowing for sure which letter would reach home first or when.

By the early 1960s, whaling was finished and the shore stations were abandoned.  A small group of scientists lived at Shackleton House at King Edward Point, but the whale-men were no more. During this period, the population rarely exceeded 20 to 30 scientists.  Besides Shackleton house, there was a small base at Bird Island, as well as occasional field parties.  There were several expeditions from other countries, and increasing visits from tourist vessels.  

In 1980 there was yet another name change – back again to Falkland Islands Dependencies.  This time, however, the F.I.D. referred to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.  The reason for the latter region’s inclusion is rather strange.  Britain maintains a claim to those islands, but has never operated a base there.  Since there is no postal service, the use of the South Sandwich name must be attributed to the British desire that other nations recognize their land claim. 

Argentina has long maintained a claim to South Georgia.  On April 3, 1982,when Argentina military forces attacked the Falkland Islands, they also attacked a small British unit at King Edward Point.  During the hostilities the postmaster, Robert Headland, dumped many postal effects into the bay to avoid them being captured.  After being captured himself, he was able to secretly transport a small number of letters back to England when he was released.   

The Argentine occupation was brief.  By April 25, 1982, British forces retook the island.   

South Georgia has seen many changes since 1982.  In addition to the civilians, a military garrison was established, usually numbering several hundred.  Because of South Georgia’s harsh climate, troops are rotated three or four times a year.

Officers of these units often performed multiple duties while stationed in South Georgia.  In 1987, for example, Major G. Howard of the Royal Irish Rangers was Officer Commanding Troops South Georgia, Magistrate, Deputy Postmaster, Customs and Immigration Officer and Queens Harbour Master.  

Ernest Shackleton’s epic journey from Elephant Island in the South Shetlands, across the Scotia Sea, then overland across South Georgia, has been immortalized in two sets of stamps from 1972 showing Shackleton and his route including the trek across the mountains and illustrations of his companions. 

Territorial claims have sometimes played a role in the issuance of South Georgia stamps.  The Falkland Islands Dependencies definitives of 1946 show maps of all the areas claimed by Britain.  The claim on the South Sandwich Islands has been bolstered by several stamps in the F.I.D. 1980 set.  

 

 It is doubtful that South Georgia will ever have the population it once had.  That’s probably a good thing, considering the island’s growing value as a wildlife preserve and tourist destination.  As long as Britain thinks it is strategically important to maintain a presence in the far South Atlantic, stamps will continue to be issued.  

References

Pendleton, Steve.  Excerpts from an article prepared for the Scott Stamp Monthly, July 2004 issue.

The Record newspaper reports on the Falklands War, 1982.

Historical records of the Shackleton Expedition rescue from Elephant Island.  Excerpts.  Date? 

<www.falklands.govfk/pb/home.htm> 

Photos are from the Internet.

July 2004/December 2014

LFC