33-500: Thatcher Peninsula ( 54°17′S 36°32′W / 54.283°S 36.533°W / -54.283; -36.533 ) is a mountainous peninsula in north-central South Georgia . Its total area is approximately 5,640 hectares (13,900 acres), with roughly 1,620 ha (4,000 acres) covered in vegetation. It terminates to the north in Mai Point, rising between Cumberland West Bay to the west, and Cumberland East Bay and Moraine Fjord to
66-475: A 1907 map by A. Szielasko , but this name was supplanted by "Mount Hodges", which appears to have been applied some years later and is now well established. It was probably named for Captain M.H. Hodges , Royal Navy , of the Sappho , who visited and mapped portions of Cumberland Bay in 1906. Several freshwater lakes and ponds are located along the east and southeast shores of Maiviken, all named by UK-APC. Løken Pond
99-459: A British possession, naming it "Isle of Georgia" after King George III . Through its history , it served as a whaling and seal hunting base, with intermittent population scattered in several whaling bases, the most important historically being Grytviken . The main settlement and the capital today is King Edward Point near Grytviken, a British Antarctic Survey research station, with a population of about 20 people. The island of South Georgia
132-539: A convoy carrying troops from Canada to England and north of Orkney later that month. Sappho continued on patrol duties, and was placed in charge of four Armed Boarding Steamers , which were tasked with patrolling to the north-west of the Hebrides , to stop merchant ships suspected of carrying contraband bound for Germany. In May 1918, Sappho was ordered to be scuttled in the mouth of Ostend harbour in Belgium following
165-469: A pest, damaging the island's flora and wider ecosystem. Karl Erik Kilander, the project manager, said the culled reindeer were frozen and taken to the Falkland Islands where they were sold to local residents and cruise ship operators. In 2018, after a multiyear extermination effort, the island was declared free of invasive rodents and the number of South Georgia pipits had clearly increased. In
198-428: A stepped sequence of flat surfaces interpreted as wave-cut platforms formed when sea level was higher relative to the island. At sea level strandflats have been described. In 2013, teams of Norwegian government shooters and Sámi reindeer herders culled all 3,500 reindeer on the island. The animals had been introduced by Norwegian whalers in the early 20th century for food and sport hunting, but were later seen as
231-623: A troop ship during the Second Boer War , but in June 1901 she went aground while crossing the Durban Bar and had to leave for repairs in the United Kingdom. She was escorted from Las Palmas by HMS Furious and arrived at Sheerness on 21 August 1901, proceeding to Chatham for repairs the following day. She was paid off at Chatham 18 September 1901. On the night of 19 June 1909 Sappho
264-658: Is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands . It lies around 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) east of the Falkland Islands . Stretching in the east–west direction, South Georgia is around 170 kilometres (106 mi) long and has a maximum width of 35 kilometres (22 mi). The terrain is mountainous, with
297-424: Is buried in the cemetery at Grytviken alongside Frank Wild . Commercial sealing was conducted on the island between 1786 and 1913. During that period 131 sealing visits are recorded, eight of which ended when the vessel was wrecked. Modern industrial sealing associated with whaling stations was carried out between 1909 and 1964. Sealing era relics include iron try pots , hut ruins, graves and inscriptions, and
330-485: Is found to the southwest of it. Lancetes Lake has a rich benthic flora of algae and mosses, which support a large population of the only water beetle seen in the sub-Antarctic, Lancetes clausii , from which the feature takes its name. Brown rats are considered an invasive species on Thatcher Peninsula. They threaten the survival of native species such as the South Georgia pipit . From approximately 2011 to 2014,
363-403: Is the northernmost of these, found east of Burnet Cove. It was named after Reverend Kristen Løken , a Norwegian Lutheran minister from Lillehammer , the first appointed pastor of South Georgia. Arch Pond, named for a nearby natural arch, lies slightly south, between Burnet and Poa coves. East of Arch Pond is shallow Humic Lake, named for the dark-stained water caused by humic acid derived from
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#1732855697060396-564: The Argentine flag on the island. On 3 April, the second day of the Falklands War , Argentine naval forces occupied the island. South Georgia was retaken by British forces on 25 April during Operation Paraquet . The island's climate is classified as an ET or polar tundra climate on the Köppen-Geiger classification system . It has no tree cover, and there is generally snow on the island during
429-553: The Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) in 1951. All three were named by UK-APC for plant genera common in their vicinity; Poa for the grass genus Poa , Burnet for the common name of genus Acaena , and Tortula for the moss genus Tortula . Mai Point marks the eastern side of Maiviken, as well as the northernmost extent of the peninsula as a whole. Its name was given by SAE personnel in association with Maiviken. East of Mai Point, Sappho Point marks
462-589: The Royal Geographical Society , after Margaret Thatcher , British prime minister , 1979–90. She was described by Sir Vivian Fuchs , chair of the Foreign Office 's Antarctic Place Names Committee, as 'a major figure in the history of South Georgia', for her role in the Falklands War . Thatcher was, according to friends, "flattered and amused" by the honour. Many features on the coast of the peninsula have been individually charted and named. Features on
495-533: The South Georgia Museum was established on the island in 1992. The island was surveyed by explorer Duncan Carse . He organised and led the South Georgia Survey of 1951–1957, surveying much of the interior of the island. Mount Carse and Carse Point are named after him. In 1961 he lived as a hermit in a remote part of South Georgia. Carse built a house at Ducloz Head on the southern coast of
528-455: The central north coast, five years after poisoning the rats, the populations of snowy sheathbills , South Georgia pintails and Wilson's storm petrels had grown. The island lies in the path of large icebergs drifting northward from Antarctica. Iceberg A-38 grounded off the island in 2004, resulting in indirect but severe effects on local wildlife by disturbing life on the seafloor and blocking foraging routes of seals and penguins. In 2020,
561-528: The central ridge rising to 2,935 metres (9,629 ft) at Mount Paget . The northern coast is indented with numerous bays and fjords, serving as good harbours . Discovered by Europeans in 1675, South Georgia had no indigenous population due to its harsh climate and remoteness. Captain James Cook in HMS ; Resolution made the first landing, survey and mapping of the island, and on 17 January 1775 he claimed it
594-502: The colossal 4,200-square-kilometre (1,600 sq mi) Iceberg A-68 , similar in size to the island itself, was initially believed to be on a similar collision course but broke apart before collision with the island. HMS Sappho (1891) HMS Sappho was an Apollo -class cruiser of the British Royal Navy which served from 1892 to 1918 in various colonial posts as well as around Britain. From 1900 she served as
627-558: The east. It is bounded to the southwest and south by Lyell Glacier and Hamberg Glacier . King Edward Cove on the east side of the peninsula is the site of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Grytviken station and the disused whaling station of the same name. Thatcher Peninsula was named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1991, at the suggestion of members of
660-478: The failed First Ostend Raid . The Second Ostend Raid operation (of which Sappho was a part) was intended to block the harbour mouth and prevent the transit of German U-boats and other raiding craft from Bruges to the North Sea . Whilst travelling from Dunkirk to Ostend on the day of the attack however, Sappho suffered severe engine damage in a minor boiler explosion and was forced to retire, taking no part in
693-515: The first landing, survey and mapping of South Georgia. As mandated by the Admiralty , on 17 January 1775 he took possession for Britain and renamed the island 'Isle of Georgia' for King George III . After making a foot crossing of the island with Tom Crean and Frank Worsley , Ernest Shackleton organised the rescue of his party from Elephant Island following the disaster that befell the 1916 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition , which he led. He
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#1732855697060726-530: The government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands undertook efforts to eradicate them by air-dropping brodifacoum pellets. Follow-up monitoring a year after the project indicated that the eradication had been a success, with little evidence of rats found. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from "Thatcher Peninsula" . Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . [REDACTED] South Georgia Island South Georgia
759-564: The island, intending to live there through the winter. However, in May, three months into the experiment, surge waves destroyed his camp. He managed to salvage enough gear to survive the winter until making contact with a ship 116 days later. His knowledge and mapping proved helpful to the British during the Falklands conflicts. On 19 March 1982, a group of Argentinians arrived at Leith Harbour and raised
792-510: The leaching of decaying peat on nearby slopes. Southernmost of this small group is Evans Lake, a comparatively deep lake of irregular shape named after John C. Ellis-Evans , a BAS biologist. South of the head of Maiviken is the lake Maivatn. It is the largest, and at 39 metres (128 ft) deep, also the deepest of the small freshwater lakes in the Maiviken area. The lake was named Maivatn (May lake) in association with Maiviken. Tiny Lancetes Lake
825-485: The valley Maidalen runs north-south down to Lewis Pass. Mount Duse stands 505 metres (1,660 ft) high, approximately 0.86 nmi (1.6 km) south of Spencer Peak surmounting King Edward Point. It was charted in 1902 by Lieutenant S.A. Duse , cartographer of the SAE, for whom it is named. Mount Hodges stands 605 metres (1,985 ft) high, 1 nmi (2 km) west of Mount Duse . It first appears as "Moldaenke Berg" on
858-490: The west coast are detailed as part of Cumberland West Bay , and those on the east coast are detailed as part of Cumberland East Bay . The most prominent feature on the northern coast of the peninsula is Maiviken, a small cove. Maiviken and its surrounding features were first charted by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition (SAE), 1901–04, under Otto Nordenskjold . Maiviken was first entered on May Day , 1902, and
891-475: The west side of Maiviken. It was charted by DI in 1929 and so named because a camp was established on the shore below the peak. Spencer Peak rises to 1,457 ft (444 m) tall southwest of Sappho Point. The name appears to be first used on a 1906 British Admiralty chart and is probably for Lieutenant P. Spencer , who surveyed in Cumberland Bay from HMS Sappho in 1906. Northwest of Spencer Peak,
924-426: The west side of the entrance to Cumberland East Bay , on the north coast of South Georgia . Probably first sighted by the 1775 British expedition under Captain James Cook which explored the north coast of South Georgia. Named for HMS Sappho , a British ship used in charting portions of Cumberland Bay in 1906. On the northern portion of the peninsula, Camp Peak rises to about 1,080 ft (330 m) on
957-476: The winter months (April–November). The terrain is mountainous, with a central ridge and many fjords and bays along the coast. South Georgia is a breeding ground for elephant seals , fur seals , and king penguins . The island is home to the South Georgia pintail and the South Georgia pipit , which are endemic to the island. There are 25 native vascular plants on South Georgia , and 76 non-native species have been recorded. The island's topography includes
990-687: Was paid off at Portsmouth Dockyard for a refit. On the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Sappho was attached to the Grand Fleet . While other ships of the Apollo -class had been converted to minelayers, Sappho was initially deployed on patrol purposes, operating north-east of Shetland in early October 1914 as part of extensive deployments of the Grand Fleet to prevent German interference with
1023-471: Was probably discovered in 1675 by Anthony de la Roché , a London merchant, and was named Roche Island on a number of early maps. It was sighted by a commercial Spanish ship named León operating out of Saint-Malo on 28 or 29 June 1756. According to Argentine historians, it was explored on 29 June 1756, St Peter's Day , hence its Spanish name Isla San Pedro , literally "St Peter's Island". The mariner Captain James Cook in HMS Resolution made
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1056-441: Was rammed by a Wilson Line steamer which collided with Sappho in thick fog off Dungeness . The cruiser was holed below the waterline, flooding her engine room. The cruiser almost sank, but was saved by tugs and was taken to Chatham for repair. Despite the damage, with an 8 by 6 feet (2.4 m × 1.8 m) hole in her hull, the cruiser was repaired and able to return to service within six days. On 30 September 1909 Sappho
1089-477: Was therefore named "Majviken" (May Cove). Over the years, the Norwegian spelling Maiviken has become established for the cove. Poa Cove is a smaller cove that indents the southeast corner of Maiviken. Burnet Cove indents the northeastern coast of Maiviken, southwest of Mai Point. Close south of Mai Point is Tortula Cove. These three smaller coves were resurveyed by Discovery Investigations (DI) personnel in 1929 and
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