Signy Island, Antarctica Ella Willis, Year 6
Where is Signy Island? 8,200 miles from Shipston to Signy Island Named by the Norwegian captain of a whaling ship Petter Sørlle after his wife Signy Therese Measures 4 miles long x 3.1 miles wide Mostly covered in ice 900km from the closest inhabited island Signy Island is part of the South Orkney Islands (discovered in 1821 and named in 1823 by James Weddell)
Do people live on Signy Island? First occupied in 1947 & occupied year round up to 1996. Since 1995 has been open from April to November each year. Home to a research station for scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. The base has 4 buildings, with accommodation for 8 people.
What is life like on Signy Island? Like Antarctica, Signy is extremely windy; with the strongest wind reaching up to 115 knots – which is the same as 132.34 mph. The highest temperature ever recorded is +18.9oC The lowest ever recorded temperature is -39.3oC The majority of the sunny, bright weather is in November and December This is a picture of the research station there
Penguins, penguins, penguins 16,900 pairs of Adélie 19,500 pairs of Chinstrap 750 pairs of Gentoo
10,000 or 20% of the world population of Southern Giant Petrel live on Signy Island
Great Grandad Gourlay rowing an open boat. My Great Grandad, Ronald George Gourlay sailed to Signy Island and the Atlantic. He was a marine engineer who sailed 6 times aboard the Discovery and Discovery II from 1925 to 1939 as part of the Discovery Investigations. Discovery was the ship used by Captain Scott when he went to the South Pole in 1911/12. He was awarded the Polar Medal in 1942 for services to Antarctic exploration. Great Grandad Gourlay rowing an open boat. This is the medal he won
Gourlay Peninsula, Gourlay Point and Gourlay Hut Pantomime Point Pageant Point Gourlay Point He has part of Signy Island named after him Gourlay Peninsula was first charted in 1933. At the end of Gourlay Peninsula is Gourlay Point.
Gourlay Peninsula, Gourlay Point and Gourlay Hut There are 2 research huts on Gourlay Peninsula for the scientists to use. Living hut (left) – 2 bunks, food supplies, paraffin heater to keep the place warm a stove for making tea and lamp for lighting. It is a cosy place for a night out. Work hut (right) – smells of penguin, where they keep all the penguiny clothing, catching nets, and work gear. It would be a much less pleasant place to spend the night!
Gourlay Peninsula showing the 2 Gourlay huts in the distance & some penguins
Looking down onto Gourlay Peninsula
Things didn’t go very well on his first trip to sea, aged 25 aboard Discovery … Extract from The voyages of discovery, Great Grandad Gourlay would have been 25 …
His ship was called Discovery 2, named after Captain Scott’s ship , Discovery. http://www.discoveryinvestigations.ac.uk/index.php?table_name=Pictures&function=details&where_field=FileName&where_value=DI7055.jpg
Christmas Day 1930 aboard Discovery 2 http://www.discoveryinvestigations.ac.uk/index.php?table_name=Pictures&function=details&where_field=FileName&where_value=DI07009.jpg
http://www. discoveryinvestigations. ac. uk/index. php http://www.discoveryinvestigations.ac.uk/index.php?table_name=Pictures&function=details&where_field=FileName&where_value=DI07015.jpg
Daddy has made contact with Stacey Adlard, a bird scientist working in Signy now She spends masses of time on Gourlay studying penguins She is going to try and send us some photos She has a blog: Stacey in Antarctica She sent us 2 photos of Gourlay