In 1928–29, Hubert Wilkins, sponsored by Randolph Hearst, made the first powered flights in Antarctica. (Balloon flights had been made elsewhere in Antarctica by both the Discovery expedition and Erik Drygalski with Gauss in 1902.)
In October 1934, Lincoln Ellsworth, collaborating with Hubert Wilkins, was based at Deception Island. They later took off from Dundee Island at the tip of the Peninsula and flew (on a wing and a prayer) across the continent, stopping twice and landing within a few miles of Richard Byrd's Little America, where he managed to get picked up.
Another flying event took place here in 1973, when Jacques Cousteau and Calypso visited and used a helicopter to support their work. Tragically, one of his team was killed by the tail rotor of the helicopter.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Deception Island base became the center of FIDS and its successor, BAS (British Antarctic Survey), flying operations in the Peninsula region. The current aircraft hangar was built in 1962. The base and airstrip were abandoned in 1969 due to a combination of eruptions, improved aircraft range, and the new airstrip at Adelaide Island (later Rothera).
There was a single-engined Otter aircraft behind the hangar. BAS removed it in 2003 after hearing that a US aircraft enthusiast was thinking of helping himself to it, aided by the Argentine Navy. Although it looked intact from the outside, most of the plane's engine and internal workings were missing.
Dating of sediment and eruptions is poor for Deception Island. The polarity of the subaerial rocks is normal—in other words, they were formed less than 750,000 years ago. Other dates provided for sediments include 150,000 years using isotope analysis, but this date is probably too old. A carbon-14 dating result of 36,000 years has also been obtained. Ice layer stratigraphy has revealed ash from eruptions regularly dating back to about 1780.
All that can definitely be stated is that Deception Island cannot be older than 750,000 years, and that it has erupted at regular intervals since the caldera was formed. The eruptions tend to be pyroclastic surges, caused by the interaction of groundwater and seawater with magma. These are explosive eruptions that produce large amounts of ash, similar to those of Mount St. Helens.
Historically, eruptions are known to have occurred in 1839 and 1842. In the 1930s, the floor of Port Foster dropped by 4.6 meters. In the 1960s, there were eruptions on the following dates:
- 4th and 7th December 1967: Destroyed the Chilean base in Pendulum Cove; eruption also occurred in Telefon Bay.
- 21st February 1969: A lahar (volcanic mudflow) destroyed the British base. The personnel were evacuated, returned on 23rd February 1969 to collect their possessions, after which the base was abandoned.
- 13th August or 13th December 1970 (the report is contradictory): An eruption in Telefon Bay destroyed features created by the 1967 eruption.
BAS report recommendation (2002): "If ships are present within Port Foster when an eruption occurs, they should depart the island immediately, ideally after uplifting all people ashore."
Spanish and Chilean bases on the island currently monitor seismic activity.
The French explorer Jean Baptiste Charcot called in during his expeditions and had the Pourquoi Pas? (1907–09) examined by a diver in Whalers Bay after hitting rocks off the Antarctic Peninsula. The Français, the ship of his first Antarctic expedition (1903–05), was also damaged as a result of grounding and was examined at Port Lockroy. Ernest Shackleton considered trying to reach Deception Island after Endurance was abandoned in 1915. Materials left after the whaling station closed were later taken by the British Graham Land Expedition (1934–37) and used to build their base further down the Peninsula.
In 1944, the British Government established its first stations in the Antarctic as part of the wartime expedition known as Operation Tabarin. These bases were located at the old whaling station on Deception Island, at Port Lockroy, and at Hope Bay. Tabarin's objectives were to deter access to anchorages by enemy ships and to strengthen Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands Dependencies. This had been challenged by an Argentine territorial claim in 1943, and the placement of Argentine markers at former whaling sites during the same year. Operation Tabarin was a joint undertaking by the Admiralty and the Colonial Office. In 1945, it was renamed the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), and all control passed to the Colonial Office.
Deception Island was the scene of one of the “incidents” prior to the Antarctic Treaty that raised the temperature of Anglo-Argentine Antarctic relations. When the British returned one spring to reopen their base after the winter, they discovered that the Argentine military had committed the ultimate crime: they had erected a concrete blockhouse in the center of the British base’s football pitch. There is considerable footballing rivalry and history between England and Argentina.
Biscoe House, a former whaling station dormitory, was used as the main accommodation building for the base.
Current Status
The base site was cleaned up by BAS in 1990–91 and 1991–92. In 1996, the whaling station and research station were declared Historic Site 71 under the Antarctic Treaty. Much of the whaling station was cleared up in 1996 under the Environmental Protocol.
Deception Island's geology offers a glimpse into the dynamic geological processes at work in Antarctica and serves as an important research site for understanding volcanic activity and its impacts on polar environments.
Deception Island is an active volcanic island, formed from a volcanic caldera. The caldera was created through several volcanic eruptions and collapses over time. The island's distinctive horseshoe shape is the result of the collapse of the volcanic cone after a major eruption. The collapsed part of the cone is now flooded by the sea, forming a natural harbor known as Port Foster.
Apart from volcanic features, Deception Island also showcases other geological formations such as beaches, cliffs, and lava flows. These formations provide insights into the island's geological history and the processes that have shaped it. Due to its volcanic activity and the potential for eruptions, as well as the presence of geothermal areas, Deception Island is closely monitored for environmental and safety reasons—especially given its location within the Antarctic Treaty System.
Sealers
Following William Smith and Edward Bransfield's discovery and survey of the islands in 1819–20, Deception Island was regularly used by sealers.
The caldera, known as Port Foster, is the best harbour in this region—though with the "minor" disadvantage that it is a dormant volcano. Captain Foster, aboard HIMS Chanticleer in 1829–30, surveyed the area and conducted magnetic experiments in Pendulum Cove. Neptune's Bellows was originally named Dragon's Mouth, after Andrew MacFarlane's vessel Dragon, which was sealing there in the 1820–21 season. Another early user of Port Foster was Nathaniel Brown Palmer, who later spent considerable time trying to assert his discovery of the Antarctic Peninsula. His sighting came about 10 months after that made by Smith and Bransfield.
Whaling
From 1906, the Norwegian–Chilean floating factory Gobernador Bories operated at Deception Island. The peak production year was 1912–13, with 12 factory ships, 27 whale catchers, and 200 workers based on the island. After several seasons of ship-based whaling, the Norwegian whaling company Aktieselskapet Hektor applied to establish a shore station in 1911 and signed a 21-year lease with the Falkland Islands government. The lease was not renewed due to the global depression, overproduction of whale oil during the late 1920s, and the limited practicality of operating only during summer.
During the whaling era, a fin or large sperm whale could be fully flensed in around 45 minutes, and a station operating at full capacity might take 24 hours before it could process more whales. During World War I, license revenues from Deception Island constituted 25% of the Falkland Islands' revenue.
A graveyard was established and used mainly during the whaling era. It was destroyed by mudflows during volcanic eruptions. One member of FIDS, A. I. Farrant, was buried there on 17 November 1953. The site of the cemetery is marked by a plaque and some replacement grave markers.
Southern Hunter, a Norwegian whale catcher, ran aground, damaged its propeller, and drifted ashore. Its remains may still be seen at the entrance to Port Foster on the southwest side of Neptune's Bellows.
Biscoe House in Whalers Bay was severely damaged by the lahar (mudflow) that swept through the middle of the building and deposited the lounge on the beach on 21 February 1969. Following this event, and the 1967 eruptions, both Chilean and British personnel were evacuated aboard a Chilean vessel.
