Stonington Island

Stonington Island is a small rocky island off the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula in Marguerite Bay, known for surviving mid-20th century Antarctic research stations. It served as a base for both United States and British expeditions.

The island contains a collection of wooden huts, collapsed structures and small memorials from polar-era scientific and exploration activity; these remains are the primary reason most visitors make landings. The site is compact and typically visited from small expedition vessels calling at Marguerite Bay.

The United States Antarctic Service established East Base on the island in 1939 and operated there through 1941, and British Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey teams later occupied the site in the postwar period. Buildings and associated artefacts from those occupations remain and have been documented as part of Antarctica’s historic sites.

Stonington Island sits in Marguerite Bay off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula at the coordinates provided, reachable only by sea or sea-ice travel during seasonal windows.

• Historic stations: Remains of mid-20th century research buildings are protected as historic Antarctic sites and can be seen near the landing area.

What to See #

• East Base (US Antarctic Service): Established by the United States Antarctic Service in 1939 and occupied until 1941; several original wooden huts and structures survive as historic remains.
• British survey station: Used by British survey teams after World War II, with buildings and memorials associated with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey and later British Antarctic Survey activity.