First Italian Expedition to Antarctica, 1975–76

• Published in: Polar Record
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1977
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Antarctic; The Antarctic; King George Island; Ross Island; Admiralty Bay; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Record
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s003224740000067x; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S003224740000067X

The 15-man expedition did not get off to a good start. The ship originally chartered for the Antarctic voyage, the Repunte , was impounded in a Uruguayan shipyard and vital supplies were sequestered by the Uruguayan customs authorities. It was in a Norwegian vessel, the Rig Mate , that the party eventually landed at Admiralty Bay, on King George Island. The original intention had been to set up a permanent base on Ross Island, but the delay in Montevideo called for a change of plan. So the first Italian base in the Antarctic was established at Admiralty Bay, at a spot named ‘Conca Italia’ by the expedition. The base is well suited for eight people, with an area of 80 m 2 instead of the planned 130 m 2 .