Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016C01080:clause:1_2:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016C01080
Segment Type: clause
Provision Reference: sch 1 cl 2 (pt 1/2)
Character Range: 128110–130899

2  Description
  Originally, the historical site of Port‑Martin was designated as Historical Monument No. 46, proposed by France, in Recommendation XIII‑16 (Brussels, 1985).
  The building of a base in Terre Adélie was programmed as Expedition TA21's main task. This expedition left Brest (France) in November 1948 and reached the pack ice on 11 February 1949. Due to unfavourable ice conditions, it was unable to come ashore.
  A new expedition, named TA3, succeeded on 18 January 1950 and on 20 January the final site was selected for the construction of the new base. The site took the name of Port‑Martin as a tribute to J A. Martin, a member of the expedition who died on board. A team of 11 men, under the leadership of André‑Franck Liotard, raised the main building—a pre‑cut wood frame, with oblique relieving posts—and then built several annexes to house mainly scientific activities (magnetism, geodesy, ionospheric sounding, atmospheric optics, biology, etc) as well as meteorology. Radio transmission antennae and wind machine towers were raised in the open spaces in between these buildings, along with an emergency shelter.
  On 6 January 1951, the 17 members of the TA4 relief crew, under the leadership of Michel Barré, came ashore. They enlarged the main building while continuing and developing scientific activities.
  Relief team TA5, under the command of René Garcia, reached Port‑Martin on 14 January 1952, while a reduced crew, led by Mario Marret (four men in total), were building a secondary base on Petrel Island (Pointe Geologie Archipelago).
  During the night of 23–24 January 1952, the main building at the Port‑Martin base was destroyed by fire. The supply boat, which was still nearby, was able to evacuate the men, three of whom joined the original four who were dropped off at Pointe Geologie where they joined Mario Marret's team. During that wintering season, the seven men of this rebuilt team carried out a raid on Port‑Martin to recover various supplies—including the two Weasels (caterpillar tractors)—which had been left there.
  Since then, only limited visits of at most a few hours were made to this base, which is presumed to have been left as it was.
  Today, what remains in Port‑Martin are the ancillary buildings, including the shelter, a weather shelter and the coal and supply sheds. With snow covering the remains of the main station year‑round, it is difficult to say precisely what was left after the fire. An archaeological mission needs to be sent there to inventory what remains of the buildings and the furniture they contained. But the ancillary buildings, witnesses to the organisation of a spatial base in Antarctica in the beginning of the 1950s, by themselves justify special protection.
  In fact, Port‑Martin is the perfect