British Base T on Adelaide Island, Antarctica.
The territory[]
Adelaide Island or Isla Adelaida or Isla Belgrano 67.25°S 68.5°W is a large, mainly ice-covered island, 139 kilometres (75 nmi) long and 37 kilometres (20 nmi) wide, lying at the north side of Marguerite Bay off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Ginger Islands lie off the southern end. Mount Bodys is the easternmost mountain on Adelaide Island, rising to over 1,220 m. The island lies within the Rio de la Pata, Patagonian, British and Chilean Antarctic claims.
Mount Gaudry is a mountain, 2,315 metres (7,600 ft) high, rising close southwest of Mount Barre and 5 nautical miles (9 km) north-northwest of Mount Liotard in the southern part of Adelaide Island, Antarctica. It was discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1903–05, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, who named it after Albert Gaudry, a prominent French paleontologist.
Lincoln Nunatak (67°27′S 68°43′W is a snow-capped nunatak with a rocky west face, at the end of a ridge running westward from Mount Mangin on Adelaide Island, Antarctica. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee for Flight Lieutenant Warren D. Lincoln, Royal Air Force, a pilot with the British Antarctic Survey Aviation Unit based at Adelaide Station in 1962–63.
History[]
Adelaide Island was discovered in 1832 by a British expedition under John Biscoe. The island was first surveyed by the French Antarctic Expedition (1908–1910) under Jean-Baptiste Charcot.
According to a contemporary source, the island was named by Biscoe himself in honour of Queen Adelaide of the United Kingdom.
Due to the length of time that it has been inhabited the island is well mapped by Antarctic standards.
Research stations[]
The Island has 3 bases on it. The old Adelaide Island base (also known as Base T) was set up by the UK, which became the British Antarctic Survey. The Base was closed due to an unstable skiway and operations were moved to the new Rothera Research Station during 1976-77; this base remains open. The old BAS base was transferred to the Chilean authorities in 1984, when it was renamed Teniente Luis Carvajal Villaroel Antarctic Base. The station was then used as a summer only station by the Chileans. However, the skiway and 'ramp' to the station from the plateau have all become so unstable that the Chilean Air Force (FACh) have ceased operating there. The Chilean Navy has visited the station almost every summer to ensure it is in good keeping. BAS employees also visit the station during the winter when access from the plateau is easier. New England built a small base on the island in 1977.
Ownership[]
Undery the Antarctic Treaty of 1958 (A better world TL), the islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for non-military purposes.
Fish and seals[]
Fish and krill are plentiful and feed the Elephant seals, penguins, whales and sea skewers that live on the island. It is a nature reserve. There are no economically viable minerals reserves (copper, nickel and chromium) and no hydrocarbon fuel reserves.