Part 55Antarctic specially protected area No. 155

Part 55 Antarctic specially protected area No. 155

  Cape Evans, Ross Island.

  7738 S Latitude, 16624 E longitude.

  The significant historic value of this Area was formally recognised when it was listed as Historic Site and Monument Nos 16 and 17 in Recommendation 9 (1972). An area containing both sites was designated as Specially Protected Area No. 25 in Measure 2 (1997) and redesignated as Antarctic Specially Protected Area 155 in Decision 1 (2002).

  The Terra Nova hut (Historic Site and Monument No. 16) is the largest of the historic huts in the Ross Sea region. It was built in January 1911 by the British Antarctic Terra Nova Expedition of 1910–1913, led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott, RN. It was subsequently used as a base by the Ross Sea party of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917.

  Historic Site and Monument No. 17 contains the Cross on Wind Vane Hill, (erected in the memory of three members of Shackleton’s Ross Sea party who died in 1916). In addition to this, the anchors of the ship Aurora from the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, an instrument shelter, several supply dumps and dog kennels, and numerous artefacts are distributed around the site.

  Some of the earliest advances in the study of earth sciences, meteorology, flora and fauna are associated with the Terra Nova Expedition based at this site. The data collected can provide a bench mark against which to compare current measurements. The history of these activities and the contribution they have made to the understanding and awareness of Antarctica therefore contribute to both the historic and scientific value of the site.

  The Cape Evans site is one of the principal sites of early human activity in Antarctica. It is an important symbol of the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration, and as such, has considerable historical significance.

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