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Southern Thule

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	Topics Southern Thule Topic Home Southern Thule is a collection of the three southernmost islandIsland An island or isle is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.... s in the South Sandwich Islands: BellingshausenBellingshausen Island Bellingshausen Island is one of the most southerly of the South Sandwich Islands, close to Thule Island and Cook Island, and... , CookCook Island, South Sandwich Islands Cook Island is the central island of Southern Thule, in the South Sandwich Islands.... , and Thule (Morrell)Thule Island Thule Island, also called Morrell Island, is one of the southermost of the South Sandwich Islands, part of the groupin... . Southern Thule is BritishUnited Kingdom Overview The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state that lies off the northwest coast... territory, though claimed by ArgentinaArgentina Argentina is a country in southern South America.... . The island group is barren, windswept, bitterly cold, and uninhabited, of no real strategic or economic value. The AdmiraltyFacts About Admiralty The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy.... 's Antarctic Pilot says that Southern Thule is part of an old sunken volcanoVolcano A volcano is a geological landform on the surface of the Earth where magma from the planet's interior erupts to the surfac... , and is covered with ashVolcanic ash Summary Volcanic ash consists of very fine rock and mineral particles less than 2 mm in diameter that are ejected from a volcanic ve... and penguinPenguin Penguins are an order of aquatic, flightless birds living in the Southern Hemisphere.... guanoGuano Guano is the name given to the collected droppings of seabirds and bats.... . There are sealPinniped Pinnipeds are large marine mammals belonging to the former biological suborder Pinnipedia of the order Carnivora.... s, petrelPetrel The petrels are seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes.... s, and a bank of kelpKelp Kelp are large seaweeds, belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales.... just offshore, especially around a small inlet on Morrell called Ferguson BayFerguson Bay Ferguson Bay is a small inlet on the Southern Thule isle of Morrell.... . Southern Thule was given its name because it must have seemed to its discoverers at very much the extreme end of the world (see Ultima Thule). Argentine Occupation 1976-1982 In November 1976 -- a party from the Argentine Air ForceArgentine Air Force The Argentine Air Force is the national aviation branch of the armed forces of Argentina. ... landed on Morrell, and - without informing the British Government - constructed a small military base complete with barracks, and a small concrete helicopter landing pad. They set up a weather station, a radio station, and a flagpole from which the Argentine Flag flew. All this was done at the direction of the Argentine Government in order to back up their territorial claim on the South Sandwich Islands. The base was named Corbeta UruguayCorbeta Uruguay Summary Corbeta Uruguay was the name of an Argentine military outpost established in November 1976 on the British island of Morrell,... . It was not until December 1976 that the British discovered what had happened. The Argentine action, which was nothing less than a military invasion (and occupation) of sovereign British territory, became the subject to a number of official British protests, the first of them on 19 January 1977. Arrangements to legitimize the station were discussed in 1978 but failed. More than a year was to go by before word of the occupation of Southern Thule was to leak out to the public. The then Prime MinisterPrime minister A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system.... , James CallaghanJames Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1... , ruled out sending in the Royal Marines to end the occupation, preferring diplomacy. This unwillingness to project force, plus the British Government's intention to cut back the British military presence in the Antarctic for financial reasons, led the Argentine Government to believe that they could successfully occupy and annex the Falkland IslandsFalkland Islands Summary The Falkland Islands, also called the Malvinas, are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located 300 miles from ... and South Georgia, which they attempted in April 1982, sparking the Falklands WarFalklands War The Falklands War was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands and South Georgia an... . The Argentine presence remained on Southern Thule until six days after the Falklands War had ended. On June 20, 1982, several British warships landed Royal Marines and the Argentine garrison, outnumbered and outgunned, surrendered and handed over their weapons. Aftermath After the surrender, Southern Thule was left deserted, but six months later, a passing British warship noticed that the Union FlagUnion Flag \|}... had been taken down from the flagpole at the deserted base and the flag of ArgentinaFlag of Argentina ... run up in its place. When word of this reached LondonLondon London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom.... , the military was ordered to destroy all buildings on Southern Thule, leaving Corbeta Uruguay unfit for prolonged habitation. By ChristmasChristmas Summary Christmas is a holiday on the Christian calendar, celebrating the birth of Jesus.... 1982, the barrack block, mess room, and meteorological station were reduced to a pile of concrete rubble, leaving only a small hut stocked with emergency supplies and the flagpole, which was last seen flying the Union Flag.