Wiencke Island Antarctica (Port Lockroy)

Wiencke Island is an uninhabited island in Antarctica, with total area 67 km2 (26 ml2), length 26 km (16 mi), width 3-8 km (2-5 mi) and highest elevation (Luigi Peak) 1415 m (4642 ft).

Wiencke is the southernmost island in the Palmer Archipelago, located between the west coast Antarctic Peninsula (mainland Antarctica) and Anvers Island (to the north). The island is rocky and covered by snow, ice and glaciers, with small rocky beaches on the northern and western sides, where moss, grasses and lichens can be found.

In 1944, UK built meteo bases on Wiencke and Deception Island, and another in 1945 at Hope Bay (Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica). Only one of these three bases remains - Port Lockroy, located on Goudier Island, off Jougla Point (Wiencke 's southwestern end).

In 1947, Argentina built a light tower at Py Point (Doumer Island, Peltier Channel's southwest end). In 1957, a refuge hut was built in Dorian Bay (north of Port Lockroy). In 1975, UK built the Damoy Point refuge hut (close to the Argentinean refuge) also serving as a temporary aircraft ice-strip during summer.

Yelcho is a Chilean scientific station (1962-opened) in South Bay (Doumer Island). In 1957, an emergency shelter was constructed in Alice Creek 150 meters south of Goudier Island on the island's east coast, followed 2 years later by a bigger hut, for use while maintaining low-frequency electromagnetic aerial/remote receiving equipment. In 1996, after both huts were derelict, they were removed and Base A (on Goudier Island) was restored.

Wiencke Island Antarctica cruise terminal