Image by Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps

The golden age of discovery and exploration may be over, but the relics of heroic adventures stretch to the most remote corners of the world.  There they remain, largely cut off from human interference, victims only of time and the elements.  Here are five amazing places that our ancestors visited, and in some instances remained.

The Stilt Village of Ukivok

Images by Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps

The abandoned village of Ukivok clings precariously to the edge of a cliff in one of the most bleak and inhospitable corners of the world.  Located on King Island in the Bering Sea, Ukivok became abandoned around 1970 when the last settlers moved to the Alaskan mainland.  The island, forty miles west of Cape Douglas, was once the winter home of around 200 Inupiat people.

Image courtesy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

King Island was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1778.  In 2005 and 2006 the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded a research project enabling some King Island natives to return home, many for the first time in 50 years.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation lists King Island as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, with efforts being made the protect the historic settlements against the tumultuous weather conditions of the region.  Read our full feature on the stilt village of Ukivok.

Punuk Islands: “The Graveyard of the Bering Sea”

There’s something thoroughly chilling about an island which is also a natural “graveyard” – especially when washed-up articles include human remains.  The Punuk Islands were charted using their Yupik name, obtained by Captain M. D. Tebenkov of the Imperial Russian Navy in 1849.  They are also known by the names “Pinik Islands” and “Poongook Islands”.  Home to seabirds and walruses, the islands also host native Tundra Voles, part of an endemic subspecies, in addition to the gristly remains.

Images by Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps; Bottom image via Google Earth

The Punuk Islands include three small islets located east of St Lawrence Island (inset, above).  The strong currents of the Bering Sea have transported all manner of debris there – including bones, hence the eerie nickname.  Once upon a time, the broken human skulls (above) belonged to real people, but who they were and how they died will forever remain a mystery.  It is intriguing that two skulls should appear side by side on more than one occasion (assuming they remained untouched).  Could the fate of these individuals be somehow intertwined?  Read more in our Punuk Islands feature.

Deception Island

Images by wili_hybrid

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wili/ / CC BY 2.0

Deception Island lies among the South Shetland Islands off the Antarctic Peninsula (below). It has one of the safest harbours in Antarctica, Whalers Bay, serving as a welcome refuge from storms and icebergs since the early 19th century.  During that time the island was used by sealers, whose huts and rusting oil tanks are still extant today.  The Norwegian-Chilean Whaling Company began using Whalers Bay as a base for factory ships and had 13 vessels based there by 1914.  The site was abandoned in 1931 after the Great Depression crushed the whale oil market.

Images via Google Earth and Lyubomir Ivanov

(Images licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

A former British base with a derelict hangar stands nearby. Until 2004, the a De Havilland Canada Otter aircraft rested outside the hangar, its markings still visible after 40 years of abandonment. Now in Grimsby, UK, it will become the centre-piece of an exhibition celebrating the world-class scientific achievements of the British Antarctic Survey. The British scientific station building, Biscoe House, was severely damaged by mudflows after the eruptions of 1967 and 1969, which hampered any chance of establishing a permanent base on the island.

Image via U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

As of 2000, the only two scientific stations still in use (summer only) belonged to Spain and Argentina.  The only humans still permanently located here are the 45 residents of the Norwegian-Chilean station’s cemetery, which was buried in the eruption of 1969 (pictured before the event). The only signs pointing the way to their nearby graves are the rusting tanks and boilers the survivors left behind.  Read more in our feature article on Deception Island.

South Georgia Island

Image by Hannes Grobe

(Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic)

South Georgia Island, a British Overseas Territory, emerges from the ocean just north of Antarctica.  With no native population, it’s little wonder the island’s abandoned settlements and ships remain as they were when the last whalers moved out.  In 1775 explorer Captain James Cook circumnavigated the island, naming it “the Isle of Georgia” in honour of King George III.  To this day, the only inhabitants are the British Government Officer, Deputy Postmaster, scientists and support staff from the British Antarctic Survey.

Images by 'christopher'

The old Norwegian whaling station at Grytviken, operated under leases granted by the British Govenor of the Falkland Islands, was founded in 1904 and finally abandoned in 1965.  The station today is essentially unchanged, with its original whale oil tanks and docked fishing vessels rusting beneath the elusive Antarctic sun.  More great photographs here.

Image by wili_hybrid

The grave of legendary British explorer Ernest Shackleton can be found at Grytviken.  Fate caught up with Shackleton in January 1922, after his successful Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1916.  He died onboard ship near South Georgia.  His body was taken ashore by his crew and buried in this distant corner of the world – a fitting end for the celebrated adventurer.  Find out more in our article covering South Georgia Island.

Scott’s Hut, Ross Island

Images by elisfanclub

Named after the legendary “Scott of the Antarctic”, Scott’s Hut is located on the north shore of Cape Evans on Ross Island in Antarctica.  It was built in 1911 by the British Antarctic Expedition of 1910–1913 (Terra Nova Expedition) led by Robert Falcon Scott.  Insulation for the 50 feet long hut was provided by seaweed sewn into a quilt, placed between double-planked inner and outer walls.  Ironically, Terra Nova expeditioners described the hut as being warm to the point of uncomfortable.  During the winter of 1911, 25 men lived in the hut, from where Scott set out on his fatal trek to the South Pole.

Images by lin padgham

The hut was reused from 1915-1917 by several of Ernest Shackleton’s Ross Sea party who had become marooned.  In January 1917, after the survivors were rescued, the hut was vacated and remained untouched until 1956 when U.S. expeditioners dug it out of the ice.  The hut and its contents are remarkably well preserved today.  It’s incredible to think that much of what still remains inside was used by the great explorers of the early twentieth century, and has remained untouched since Shackleton bolted the door more than 90 years ago.

To discover more amazing historic sites around the world, check out Atlas Obscura, a compendium of the world’s wonders, curiosities and esoterica.

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Abandoned whaling station at Grytviken (image by Hannes Grobe, Alfred Wegener Institute)

(Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic)

South Georgia Island emerges from the ocean just north of Antarctica, making it one of the most isolated and inhospitable places on Earth.  With no native population whatsoever, it’s little wonder the island’s abandoned settlements and ships remain as they were when the last whalers moved out – albeit rusting and slightly mysterious versions of their former selves.

South Georgia Island (image via Google Earth)

Rusting hull of Petrel (image by 'christopher')

South Georgia is a British overseas territory.  In 1775 explorer Captain James Cook circumnavigated the island, naming it “the Isle of Georgia” in honour of King George III.  To this day, the only inhabitants are the British Government Officer, Deputy Postmaster, scientists and support staff from the British Antarctic Survey – perhaps more of a punishment than a scientific outpost…

Image via 'christopher'

Image via 'christopher'

Near to the capital, King Edward Point, is the old Norwegian whaling station at Grytviken, operated under leases granted by the British Govenor of the Falkland Islands.  Founded in 1904 and operating until 1965, the station remains essentially unchanged today, with it’s original whale oil tanks and docked fishing vessels rusting away – an eerie and enigmatic sight beneath the Antarctic sun.

Abandoned oil tanks (image by wili hybrid)

Image by Graham Racher

In April 1916, legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton‘s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition became stranded on Elephant Island, 800 miles south west of South Georgia. Shackleton and five companions ventured out in a small boat in search of help, and on May 10, after an epic voyage, they landed at King Haakon Bay on South Georgia’s south coast.

Three remained at the coast while Shacketon and other two covered 22 miles overland to reach help at Stromness whaling station. The remaining 22 members of the expedition, who had stayed on Elephant Island, were all subsequently rescued. During a later expedition in January 1922, fate finally caught up with Shackleton who died onboard ship near South Georgia. His body was taken ashore, and his grave (below) can be found at Grytviken – a fitting end for a celebrated adventurer.

And if anyone fancies pulling on their Antarctic exploration boots, check out this opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the intrepid explorers and join the next South Georgia expedition.

Ernest Shackleton's grave (image by Lexaxis7)

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Rusting old storage tanks (image by wili hybrid)

What do you get when volcanic eruptions almost completely decimate one of the most exposed outposts on the planet? The answer can be found on Deception Island, which brings a whole new meaning to the term “winter wonderland”.

Deception Island lies amongst the South Shetland Islands off the Antarctic Peninsula. It has one of the safest harbours in Antarctica, serving as a welcome refuge from the storms and icebergs of the region since the early 19th century. Samuel Taylor Coleridge called it “the land of mist and snow” in his epic poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. But little did he know about the volcano that would one day destroy the British military base and Norwegian-Chilean whaling operation.

Sealers' hut from the turn of the 20th century (image by wili hybrid)

The island was originally used by sealers during the 19th century, whose dilapidated huts still cling to life there today. The Norwegian-Chilean Whaling Company began using Whalers Bay as a base for factory ships and by 1914 had 13 vessels based there. The blubber was processed on the ships, while the whale carcasses were boiled down using large iron boilers. The precious oil extracted was then stored in iron tanks.

Today these tanks and boilers (see images) can be found largely intact and almost untouched in this isolated corner of the world. Their ornate iron casting immediately dates them to a previous era, but in a strange way their seemingly out of place appearance amid this icy landscape almost make them look like the shattered remnants of a post-apocalyptic world.

The bottom fell out of the whale oil market during the Great Depression and by 1931 the site was abandoned. Advances in the technology onboard factory ships rendered shore stations surplus to requirements and the station was never reoccupied once the economy recovered.

Abandoned hangar with aircraft (image by Lyubomir Ivanov)

(Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Destroyed British base (image by Lyubomir Ivanov)

(Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

An abandoned British base lies nearby on Whalers Bay and includes a derelict aircraft hangar. Until 2004, a stripped-out old aircraft (pictured) stood forlornly outside the hangar, it’s RAF roundels still visible after 40 years of dereliction. The plane, a De Havilland Canada Otter, registration VP-FAK, is now in Grimsby, UK, and will soon become the centre-piece of an exhibition celebrating the world-class scientific achievements of the British Antarctic Survey. Close by, the British scientific station building – Biscoe House (pictured) – stands silently, severely damaged by mudflows following the eruptions of 1967 and 1969, after which the site was given over to the elements one last time.

More old school storage tanks (image by Jerzy Strzelecki)

(Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Unported)

Old pipeline looking like a scene from Star Wars (image by wili hybrid)

The violent volcanic eruption of 1969 completely demolished the Chilean stations Pedro Aguirre Cerda and Gutierrez Vargas, the former originally inaugerated in 1955. Since then, the volcano has also put pay to other attempts to maintain permanent facilities on Deception Island. As of 2000, the only two scientific stations still in use (summer only) belonged to Spain and Argentina.

Ice reflecting water (image by 23am.com)

It is as if the island is trying to warn scientists and explorers that they are not welcome here. At least two centuries after humans began coming to this remote corner of the planet, it seems Deception Island’s name has finally come of age! The only known humans still permanently located here are the 45 residents of the Norwegian-Chilean station’s cemetery, which was buried in the eruption of 1969 (pictured here before the event). Today, the only signs pointing the way to their nearby graves are the rusting tanks and boilers the survivors left behind.

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