The 24th Antarctic Campaign Bids Farewell to Deception Island

Today, 9th March, the Spanish Flag that flew over military base “Gabriel de Castilla” has been hauled down and ten service personnel and a scientist have boarded a zodiac boat bound for oceanographic research ship “Las Palmas”. These simple actions have ratified the end of the Army’s 24th Antarctic Campaign, before the harsh and inhospitable Antarctic Winter hands over from them.

Yet the mood of those who are departing is not nostalgic; they are returning home, to be near their loved ones, with the pride from a mission fulfilled.  During this campaign great improvements have been undertaken in base infrastructure and machinery; multiple movement supports, both by sea as well as on foot, to gather samples and data; a communications system has been available which has enormously facilitated the work.  This system has allowed them to be closer to their relatives, at a personal level, and at a professional one, to disseminate their work to around thirty primary and secondary schools, universities and other institutions.

They have also strictly complied with the base Environmental Management System, which is certified and conforms to the ISO 14001 Standard.  Achieving these objectives has been possible thanks to the security provided by a qualified and experienced healthcare service and rigorous and meticulous logistic planning.

Support has been given to eleven research projects —9 Spanish, 1 Portuguese and 1 Chilean. Throughout the campaign, 38 scientists have been part of the base and have worked to obtain the data and samples required by their research projects..