Tijuca

The whaling station of Grytviken with the Church to the bottom right and the re-supply ship "Tijuca" alongside the stores jetty (centre). The photograph is taken later than 1913, (the year the church was dedicated) and before the "Louise" was beached in the late 1920s. Tim and Pauline Carr have dated the photographs in the album to possibly 1926, and I am indebted to them for pointing out a few pictures that had been marked incorrectly.

The album was found by Larry Linn among some household items that were donated to “The People of Progress”, (a non-profit organization). Melinda Brown, Executive Director,  kindly sent me a CD of the images contained in the album and the original album is now in the South Georgia Museum for safekeeping.

The album would appear to have belonged to a crewman on the sailing ship "Tijuca" which carried supplies to the island and gives another view of the whaling community at the turn of the century. I have seen very little of the re-supply side of the industry and these photographs must be a very rare find. The pictures are left in their original order, as found in the album.

For a detailed and in depth (illustrated) account of of the founding whaling company, Ian B Hart's book "PESCA - A history of the Pioneer Whaling Company in the Antarctic" is recommended.

There are the thirty seven images in the order that they were in the album, complete with the captions.

They can be viewed individually, or played as a slideshow.

In image number 3, the wreck has been marked in the album as the Gudrun, but no reference has been found for a whale catcher of this name. Judging by the location it appears to be the Fortuna which was lost in 1916.
(Tim and Pauline Carr.)