East Base on Stonington Island is the oldest American research station in Antarctica, having been commissioned by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939.

The base was accorded the status of one of the Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica on 7 May 2004.

East Base was built using Army knockdown buildings and a crew of 23 led by Richard Black, after Admiral Byrd had to return to Washington on the USS Bear.

The war time pressures and pack-ice in the bay which prevented ship movement led to the evacuation of the base in 1941 by air.

The expedition crew included Jackie Ronne and Jennie Darlington, who became the first women to spend a winter in Antarctica.