Cryolite Mine Ivittuut

Ivittuut (formely Ivigtut) is an abandoned mining town, one of the few naturally occurring sources the mineral Cryolite in the world. Cryolite was discovered by British miners in 1799 who were searching for silver bearing material. Danish engineers were granted a monopoly on its extraction in 1864. In 1884 the Hall-Heroult process used the rare Cryolite to greatly improve the extraction of aluminium from bauxite ore.

Greenland was governed by Denmark and with Denmark being occupied by Nazi Germany in April 1940 the Allies and America feared for the major source of Cryolite for the production of aluminium in the aircraft industry. Both Britain and Canada were considering occupying Greenland to safeguard the asset. America, whilst being neutral at the time, sent two US Coast Guard vessels, Comanche and Campbell, to Greenland, arriving in Ivigtut on 20 May 1940. To maintain Americas neutrality, 15 men resigned from the US Coast Guard guard and were employed by the local mining firm as security guards (reportedly at twice the pay). Three inch naval guns were unloaded from the Campbell and another CG vessel, the Northland brought machine guns, rifle and ammunition. America continued to protect Greenland under an extension of the Monroe Doctrine using the Danish ambassador, Henrik Kauffman, until America declared war on Japan and Germany, therefore bringing Greenland into WW2.

Cryolite continued to be supplied to Britain, Canada and America through ought the war, local history even suggesting that the Battle of Britain might not have won without it. Such was the secrecy of the occupation that #no photographs or letter were allowed out of the town during its 'occupation'
It was a open cast mine more than 70 meters deep and has been flooded to prevent people falling in.

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Source

• Text: Sharky Ward
• Photos: Anthony (Sharky) Ward (1, 2, 3, 4), Yoka donation, via Wikimedia Commons (5)