On February 6, 1947, within the framework of the first Chilean Antarctic Expedition composed of the Frigate “Iquique” and the Transport “Angamos”, Commodore Federico Guesalaga Toro inaugurated the first national base in the Chilean Antarctic Territory.
This marked a fundamental milestone in our history, materialized in the Telegraphic and Meteorological Radio Station “Soberanía” under the command of First Lieutenant Boris Kopaitic, being renamed a year later as the Antarctic Naval Base “Captain Arturo Prat” with the presence of President Gabriel González Videla.
That first crew was made up of 6 sailors, who for a year carried out different tasks of recording meteorological data, geographic and glaciological studies, in addition to facing the extreme conditions of the white continent during an effective isolation not without difficulties, from whose experience different lessons were drawn for future expeditions to the Chilean Antarctic Territory.
78 years after that fundamental milestone in our history, that base is still operating, with a crew of 11 Sailors who were deployed in November 2024 after a year of preparation, including specialists in Meteorology, Coastal, Mechanics, Naval Health, and Navigation, among others, who make up a cohesive team to carry out important tasks on the white continent.
The Commander of the Antarctic Naval Base “Arturo Prat”, Lieutenant Commander Alfredo Carrasco, highlighted that “we carry out maritime traffic control functions, provide security to navigation and human life at sea, in addition to supporting national and international scientific activity, providing logistical support, both in infrastructure and operational, to the scientists of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), supporting maritime signaling work in the area around the base, as well as issuing meteorological and glaciological reports.”
The base records various rescue records, visits by heads of state, renowned scientists and international figures, and the Civil Service Office, Chilean Post Office and the Maritime Subdelegation, currently the Soberanía Port Authority, were in operation for several years.
After 78 years of its foundation, its history is still being written in the midst of the eternal ice of Antarctica, and its current crew are the heirs of a fundamental legacy for our country.