Voyage of the Scotia 1902-04

People of the Expedition

The Scotia party prospecting

While the 1902-1904 Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, organised and led by the Scottish scientist and explorer William S Bruce, wintered in the South Orkney Islands, the opportunity was taken of surveying Laurie Island. It was here that the expedition's base camp, Omond House, and meteorological station were situated.

These islands had been discovered in 1821 by the sealers George Powell (English) and Nathaniel Palmer (American). The main island was then called Coronation Island, commemorating the accession of George IV to the British throne.

In 1823 the Scottish sealer James Weddell mapped the islands, but a comparison of his map with those of Bruce and later cartographers reveals that his survey was rather inaccurate. Weddell also renamed many of the features, but Bruce reverted to Powell's nomenclature.