Vernadsky Research Base (Ukrainian: Академік Вернадський; Akademik Vernadsky) is a Ukrainian Antarctic Station at Marina Point on Galindez Island in the Argentine Islands, Antarctica.
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The station was established by the British Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey as Base F [1] or "Argentine Islands" on Winter Island in 1947. The main hut, built on the site of an earlier British Graham Land Expedition hut, was named "Wordie House" after Sir James Wordie, a member of Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition who visited during its construction.[2]
Wordie House has been restored and is designated as Historic Site and Monument No. 62.[3] The base moved to the present site on adjacent Galindez Island in May 1954 where the main building was named "Coronation House".
The base was renamed Faraday Station in August 1977 in honour of British scientist Michael Faraday.[4]
Ukraine took over the operation of the base in February 1996 [4], which was sold by the UK for a symbolic one pound. The cost of disassembling the base with good environmental practices and standards would be too costly. The Ukrainian Antarctic Center continues a programme of meteorology, upper atmospheric physics, geomagnetism, ozone, seismology, glaciology, ecology, biology and physiology research.[5]
The station consists of nine buildings standing on rock foundations. A 1961 extension at the east end of the hut provided living quarters for 15 people. Major alterations in 1980 updated the living and working accommodation. A two-storey extension provides sleeping accommodation for 24 people, a clothing store, boiler room and reverse osmosis plant on the ground floor. Upstairs are a lounge, library, dining room, gift store and kitchen. The lounge is considered the southernmost public bar in the world, where visitors can purchase $3 shots of vodka (made on the premises). The old part of the building is now mostly laboratories and work rooms, together with the surgery and washrooms. The generator shed was erected in 1978-79, with the old one now used as a frozen food store and a carpenter's workshop. Other buildings include two non-magnetic buildings, a balloon launching shed (now skidoo garage), and a general store.[2]
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