Welcome to my Web site containing photographs taken in the Falkland Islands, images of the wildlife and whaling stations of Grytviken, Stromness and Leith Harbour in South Georgia, pictures taken in the Antarctic from HMS Endurance and photographs of the British Antarctic Survey ships Bransfield and John Biscoe at Grytviken There is also a brief history of the McLaren Clan.

M.V. Oil Mariner at Stromness Bay South Georgia

"Lands doomed by Nature to perpetual frigidness, never to feel the warmth of the Sun's rays, whose horrible and savage aspect I have not words to describe".
Captain James Cook, after visiting South Georgia in 1775.

One year after the Falklands conflict in 1982, Oil Mariner left the UK to work in the waters around the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The vessel had seen many a bitter storm in the deep South Atlantic and weathered them well. Inside are a few photographs taken over a period of years, showing some of the many different types of tasks undertaken by this Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessel. (AHTSV)

The Falkland Islands and especially South Georgia are also rich in a wide variety of wild life. From Elephant Seals to many types of Penguin, also Eurasian Reindeer (pictured above) some of which I was lucky enough to photograph in my eleven years with Oil Mariner.

There are pages of photographs of HMS Endurance in the Antarctic, photographs of "The Ice" and a Leopard Seal, from Barry Scott's collection. Kevin Galsworthy has also kindly supplied photographs taken around South Georgia in 1982. John Kilroy has allowed me to use some of his superb photographs taken in South Georgia between 1971 and 1973.

There are also links to a very concise history of South Georgia, Southern Hemisphere narrow gauge railways and a company profile for the whaling stations.

This site is dedicated to the memory of my father Jim McLaren 18th March 1921 to 31st March 1999

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