Royal Navy digs out world's most remote post office after heavy snowfall
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Antarctica: World's most remote post office was rescued from snow by Royal Navy sailors after heavy snowfall. They spent two days digging the Port Lockroy site on Goudier Island to aid four women who work at an Antarctic scientific base.
Clare Ballantyne, Mairi Hilton, Natalie Corbett, and Lucy Bruzzone took the job in October 2022 after being chosen from a record number of applicants. They were preparing for the austral summer (November-February) when snow fell 6-12 feet, reported BBC.
The team from HMS Protector moved several tonnes of snow and did temporary repairs. Engineers said they used traditional methods to stabilise the structure. The rescue team was taken aback by the "sheer amount of snow" because the buildings "had all but disappeared."
Employees had given up running water, flushing toilets, and wifi to work here. They can only speak to the outside world for 10 minutes a week. They can now return to Port Lockroy.
Port Lockroy is on the north-western shore of Wiencke Island in the Palmer Archipelago to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was visited by 20,000 tourists during the summer season. The former whaling station was left unstaffed from 2020-2022 due to the pandemic. The site has historic relevance due to the scientific work done here.
