NARRATIVE OF HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY 

 OPERATIONS IN SOUTH GEORGIA AND 

 THE SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS, 1926-1930 



By Lieut. -Commander J. M. Chaplin, r.n. 

 (Plates XL-XLIV; Charts 1-4; text-figs. 1-2) 



SURVEY OPERATIONS IN R.R.S. 'DISCOVERY', 



1926-7 



IN drawing up the plan of operations for the conduct of the investigations, the Discovery 

 Committee recognized that the coasts of the Dependencies of the Falkland Islands 

 were for the most part very poorly charted, and that every effort should be made to 

 improve our knowledge in this direction. But it was realized that there would be 

 difiiculties in carrying on this work in conjunction with the scientific investigation of 

 numerous problems connected with whaling. These difiiculties were very apparent 

 during the commission of the R.R.S. ' Discovery'; but none the less every opportunity 

 has been taken to extend our knowledge of the coast-line, and comparison of the charts 

 issued with this report with those previously issued by the Admiralty will indicate the 

 measure of success which has been attained. 



Our knowledge of the coast-line of South Georgia is still very deficient; and at the 

 time when work began the only harbours which had been properly surveyed were King 

 Edward Cove in West Cumberland Bay (Chart i) and Royal Bay. 



Since 1904, when whaling operations began, the Norwegians have succeeded in 

 obtaining a great deal of local knowledge regarding other harbours in the island, but 

 most of this work is unpublished. The method of navigation which they employ in 

 uncharted waters is to send catchers in advance to find out the dangers — a system of 

 trial and error — and it is a remarkable tribute to their seamanship that so few serious 

 casualties have occurred in the course of these dangerous operations. 



In commencing survey operations it was first of all necessary to decide where a start 

 should be made, and since the position of the island itself was not beyond suspicion two 

 harbours were selected at the extreme ends of the island, Undine Harbour in the north- 

 west and Larsen Harbour in the south-east. By this selection it was hoped that the two 

 extremities of the island could be fixed. Both harbours, though small, are extensively 

 used by vessels of the whaling fleet. 



A pram and full camp equipment was taken, and at Undine Harbour (Plate XLII, 

 fig. 3) where the survey party was at work from March 22 to March 29, 1926, and from 

 December 9 to December 17, 1927, fairly good camping ground was found; but the 

 weather throughout was bad, the proportion of cloudy to clear days being as 6 to i. 

 None the less it was found possible to fix positions astronomically and the harbour was 

 sounded and full materials obtained for a plan (Chart 3) . At Larsen Harbour (Plate XLIV, 

 fig. i), which we visited from January 6 to January 13, 1927, the weather was throughout 



