Antarctic place names local to Halley research station
by Les Whittamore.
- Halley Bay
- IGY (International Geophysical Year) in 1957 lead to the setting up of four bases around the Weddell sea coasts. The Royal Society Expedition travelled South on the 'Tottan' crossing the Antarctic circle on New Years day 1956 - only the second ship to reach South of 70.00S since 1914. The Argentine icebreaker 'San Martin' having preceeded her by a few weeks. The Expedition had originally hoped to winter at Vahsel Bay but heavy pack at 76.0 S prevented this. Turning back North a South West facing Bay with a good snow ramp provided a landing area and it was named Halley Bay after the Astronomer Royal and secretary of the Royal Society Edmund Halley who in 1699 sailed south to the edge of the packice. The station was run by the Royal Society until 31.12.59 when F.I.D.S. was invited to take over the base in 1959.
- Weddell
- James Weddell, sealer/explorer, reached 74.15S in his 160 Ton sloop 'Jane' in 1820 and named sea 'King George IV' sea, renamed after it's discoverer in 1900.
- Brunt Ice shelf
- James Brunt, secretary of Royal Society in 1956.
- Coats land
- James Coates and Major Andrew Coates, Arctic explorers, sponsers to the 1903 Scottish Expedition under Bruce in the 'Scotia' who sighted land at 74.10S and named it after their sponsers.
- Caird Coast
- Sir James Caird, chief benefactor Shackleton Expedition 1914.
- Stancomb Wills
- Dame Janet Stancomb Wills, benefactor to Shackletons 1914 Expedition
- MacDonald Ice Rumples
- Allan MacDonald, Shackleton Expedition 1915.
- Dalgliesh Icestream
- Surgeon.Commander D.G. Dalgliesh RN, base leader and Medical officer of IGY advance party.
- Dawson - Lambton Glacier
- Dawson Lambton, sponsor to 1914 Shackleton Expedition.
- Dronning Maud land
- Queen Maud, Norway.
- Riiser Larsen
- Pilot of light aircraft during 1926 Survey from a Norwegian Factory whaling ship, likely that he travelled as far south as Stancombe Wills glacier as a report at this time suggest the glacier tongue had broken off.
- Lyddan Island - Lyddan Ice Rise
- Discovered and plotted by W.R.MacDonald on Nov 5 1967 in the course of USN Sqn VXE-6 reconnaisance flight over the coast in LC-130 aircraft. Named by US-ACAN for Robert. H. Lyddan, chief topographic engineer of the USGS, who had been active in the planning and supervison of Antarctic mapping since the 1950's.
- Cabo Rol
- Argentine refugio placed on West tip of Brunt iceshelf in 1961.
- Bob - Pi
- Tractor route through West end of Hinge zone pioneered by Jarman and Lee in 1962, route named after their nicknames.
- Mobster Creek
- Named after a Halley Bay dog team.
- Gin Bottle
- The name given by the Advance party (1956) of the IGY Expedition to the highest central ridge of the MacDonald Ice Rumples. Also name reported by the main party (1956-58) to an isolated small iceberg grounded off the main iceshelf. Reports of the time Aug 1958 states 'Just off the ice front near this point a small iceberg ('Gin Bottle') was grounded and tilted'.
- Filchner Iceshelf
- Named after 1909 German Expedition leader.
- Ronne Iceshelf
- Cmdr Finn Ronne, USNR, leader of RARE 1947 - 1948, discovered and photographed iceshelf during aircraft flights Dec 1947. He named the Iceshelf after his wife Edith.
- Vahsel bay
- Captain of the ship of German 1909 Antarctic Expedition.
- Cape Norvegia
- A prominent cape off the coast of Queen Maud Land which marks the NorthEast extremity of Riiser Larsen Ice shelf. Discovered by Commander Hyalmar Riiser- Larsen Feb 1930 on an aircraft flight from the ship 'Norvegia' in which the expedition was made.
- Luitpold Coast
- Discovered by Wilhelm Filchner, leader of German Antarctic Expedition 1911-1912, named after Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria
- Recovery Glacier
- 60mi long, 40mi wide, seen by air by CTAE in 1957. So named because recovery of the expedition vehicles which repeatedly broke through bridged crevasses on the glacier during early stages of the crossing of Antarctica.
- Mt Faraway
- Discovered by CTAE 1956, so named because after days of sledging they never seemed to get any nearer to it.
- Touchdown Hills
- Discovered by CTAE 1957, named becauseone of the expedition members while piloting an aircraft mistook the hills for cloud, hitting them, then bouncing back in to the air undamaged.
- Tottanfjella
- Mountain range located in Norwegian sector 230 miles East of Halley hence name. Named after MV Tottan, ship used by IGY Expedition, first sighted in Oct 1956, overflown by T.A.E. Auster 11th January 1957.
- Heimefront Range
- Discovered by the Norwegian-British-Swedish Expedition 1952 during an aircraft reconnaisane. Named Heimefrontfjella (home front range) because of its proximity to Norway Base.
- Berkner Island
- 200mi long by 85mi wide, heoght 975m. Discovered by US-IGY party at Ellsworth Station under the leadership of Finn Ronne 1957-1958. Named after American physicist Lloyd V Berkner, engineer with Byrd Antarctic Expedition 1928-1930.
Shackleton Mountain Range
Shackleton Mountains Discovered by Commonwealth Trans Antarctic Expedition (CTAE) 1957 Nostoc Lake Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, given generic name of the freshwater alga found in the lake. Mt.Provender Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, so named because members of CTAE established a depot of food and fuel and an aircraft camp on the South side of the mountain to support sledging parties working in the range. Mt Gass Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after Sir Neville Gass, chairman of the British Petroleum Company, a supporter of CTAE. Mt Skidmore Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after Michael J. Skidmore, BAS geologist at the Brunt Ice Shelf 1966-1969 who worked in Shackleton Range 1968-1969. Pratts Peak Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after David L Pratt, engineer and John G. D. Pratt, Gaeophysicist with CTAE. Mt. Weston Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after Sgt Peter D.Weston, RAF air mechanic 1956-58. Lewis Chain Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after Sqn Ldr John. H. Lewis, RAF senior pilot of the RAF contingent CTAE 1956-1958. Slessor Glacier 75mi long, 50mi wide, seen by air and mapped by CTAE in 1956. Named after Sir John Slessor, RAF Marshall and chairman of the expedition commitee. Mt. Sheffield Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after Alfred H Sheffield, chairman of the Radio Communications working group for IGY who was of great assistance to CTAE 1955-1958. Stephensons Bastion Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after Phillip J Stephenson, Australian geologist with CTAE. Read Mountains Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named afterProf.Herbert H Read, chairman of the scientific commitee and member of commitee of management CTAE 1955-1958. Gordon Galcier Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after Gordon P Pirie-Gordon, member of commitee of management and treasurer CTAE 1955-1958. Ram Bow Bluff Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, given descriptive name because of the features resemblance to the ram bow of an old battleship. Mt Rogers Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after Allan F Rogers, Medical Officer and Physiologist with CTAE 1956-1958. Herbert Mountains Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE1957, named after Sir Edwin S Herbert, chairman of finance commitee and member of commitee of management CTAE 1955-1958. Mt Haslop Shackleton Range. Discoverd by CTAE 1957, named after Flt Lt Gordon M Haslop RNZAF 1922-1961 New Zealand 2nd pilot of the RAF contingent CTAE 1956-1958. Cornwall Glacier Shackleton Range. Discovered by CTAE 1957, named after Gen Sir James H Marshall-Cornwall, member of commitee of management CTAE 1955-1958.
[This article from the November 1999 RRS Ernest Shackleton Diary was originally on the BAS website at:
www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/diaries/rrs_ernest_shackleton/antarctic1999_2000/11/index.php#placenames
It is reproduced here courtesy of British Antarctic Survey Archives Service.]
See also articles by Phil Anderson, Lewis Juckes
and Peter Noble.