Cape Burks

Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star launch a remote operated vehicle into the water to inspect the disabled fishing vessel Antarctic Chieftain, beset by ice near Cape Burks

Cape Burks is a prominent exposed-rock cape on the northwestern seaward extension of McDonald Heights, marking the east side of the entrance of Hull Bay on the coast of Westarctica.

Discovery and name

The cape was sighted and mapped from the USS Glacier, 31 January 1962, and was named for Lieutenant Commander Ernest Burks, U.S. Navy, senior helicopter pilot on the Glacier and the first person to set foot on the cape.

Human settlement

Russkaya Station was established on Cape Burks by the Soviet Union in 1980 and later mothballed in 1991 after the fall of communism.

Animals

There is an Adélie penguin colony at Cape Burks.

Protection by the government

The area had been identified as a candidate for protection under the Westarctican Parks Service.