The 15-man expedition did not get off to a good start. The ship originally chartered for the Antarctic voyage, the Repunte, was impounded in a Uruguayan shipyard and vital supplies were sequestered by the Uruguayan customs authorities. It was in a Norwegian vessel, the Rig Mate, that the party eventually landed at Admiralty Bay, on King George Island. The original intention had been to set up a permanent base on Ross Island, but the delay in Montevideo called for a change of plan. So the first Italian base in the Antarctic was established at Admiralty Bay, at a spot named ‘Conca Italia’ by the expedition. The base is well suited for eight people, with an area of 80 m2 instead of the planned 130 m2.