Storfjord Station
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Storfjord
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|pushpin_map = Greenland
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|coordinates = {{coord|68|10|N|31|50|W|dim:30000_region:GL|display=inline, title}}
| subdivision_type = State
| subdivision_name = Denmark
| subdivision_type1 = Constituent country
| subdivision_name1 = Greenland
| subdivision_type2 = Municipality
| subdivision_name2 = Sermersooq
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|established_title = Built /abandoned
|established_date = 1931 - 1933
|population_as_of = 2019
|population_total = 0
|timezone = UTC-01
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File:Norwegian territorial claims in E Greenland 1931 - 1933.png
Storfjord was a Norwegian hunting, meteorological and radio station ("Storfjord/LMR")'[http://www.jankrogh.com/kystradio/stasjonshistorie.htm Kystradio - Stasjonshistorie] located in King Christian IX Land, Eastern Greenland.{{cite web|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/polar-record/article/norwegian-polar-year-and-radio-stations-in-east-greenland-193233/E4DFA87C49F9D464CFAE2B0F96453981|title=Norwegian Polar Year and Radio Stations in East Greenland, 1932–33|work=Polar Record - Vol 1|accessdate=10 September 2019}}
Administratively the area were the hut stood belongs now to the Sermersooq municipality.
The station was built on the shore of Kangerlussuaq Fjord, also known as Storfjord. The anchorage near the station was difficult owing to the deep waters of the fjord and the very strong currents.Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute, p. 109
History
In 1931 Norway sent two expeditions to establish hunting and radio stations in Southeast Greenland. Led by Ole Mortensen, one of the expeditions went to Kangerlussuaq Fjord on ship Signalhorn and built a hut there, Storfjord Station. Since hunting there was poor, Mortensen moved with his men south to Lindenow Fjord, where a Norwegian radio and meteorological station named Moreton was built {{convert|7|km|abbr=on}} from the mouth of the fjord in 1932. Meanwhile another Norwegian station was built in Thorland and named Finnsbu.[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/polar-record/article/norwegian-expedition-to-southeast-greenland-1932/0AB0733AA8E0DABDB735444D911AB5D6 Norwegian Expedition to South-East Greenland, 1932]
In the same year Norway staked sovereignty claims in Southeast Greenland between 60°30'N —just north of Nanuuseq, and 63°40'N —just south of Odinland.Spencer Apollonio, Lands That Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland, 2008, pp. 188-189 As a result, another expedition was sent by the Norwegian government led by Gunnar Horn on ship Veslemari and the Storfjord Station was reestablished. Together with Finnsbu and Torgilsbu further south, as well as Jonsbu in the far north, Storfjord became part of the Norwegian contribution to the International Polar Year 1932–33.William James Mills, Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia, p. 321
Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen, whose 1932 Søkongen Expedition station was in the more protected Uttental Sound branch of the fjord, wondered about the choice of the site for a meteorological station by the Norwegians. According to him the Norwegian building was in a dangerous location, totally exposed to violent winds blowing from the head of Kangerlussuaq Fjord.Spencer Apollonio, Lands That Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland, 2008, p. 223
After the 1933 resolution of the Permanent Court of International Justice rejecting Norway's claims in Greenland, the stations at Storfjord and Finnsbu were closed, but Torgilsbu continued operation for a few years under Danish jurisdiction and restrictions.Spencer Apollonio, Lands That Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland, 2008, p. 192
In 1935, during the British East Greenland Expedition, geologist Lawrence Wager visited the area of Kangerlussuaq Fjord and noted that the Storfjord hut was completely destroyed, even though it had a concrete foundation and {{convert|1.5|m|abbr=on}} thick turf walls. Wager concluded that it had been razed to the ground by the persistent, hurricane-force winds of the fjord.Spencer Apollonio, Lands That Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland, 2008, p. 245
Bibliography
- Spencer Apollonio, Lands That Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland, 2008
- Susan Barr & Cornelia Lüdecke eds. The History of the International Polar Years (IPYs). 2010
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/polar-record/article/norwegian-polar-year-and-radio-stations-in-east-greenland-193233/E4DFA87C49F9D464CFAE2B0F96453981 Norwegian Polar Year and Radio Stations in East Greenland, 1932–33]
- [https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Torgilsbu-1933-34%3A-dagbok-f%C3%B8rt-av-radiostasjonens-Feyling/510664ac1d6d63dceff7f1f894485adbecccdc8e Anders Christian Feyling, Torgilsbu 1933-34: dagbok ført av radiostasjonens bestyrer]
- [http://www.schudak.de/timelines/greenland1721-1953.html The World at War - Greenland 1721 - 1953]
Category:1932 establishments in Norway
Category:1933 disestablishments in Norway
Category:Meteorological stations
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