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Visiting US Liberty Ships (1943)
During the Second World War, Tristan was commissioned by the Royal Navy as a top-secret naval station code-named Job 9 and later renamed HMS Atlantic Isle. Its role was to monitor U Boats (which were required to maintain radio contact) and shipping in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Vagrant Species Part 3
Tristan da Cunha lies in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the mid-Atlantic ridge, 2,800km from the continental shores South Africa, and 3,360km from South America. It is the most remote island in the world with a resident human population, with St. Helena, the nearest island some 2,400km away. Vagrant species might seem to be a curiosity, but all of the native animals on Tristan arose from individuals that wandered far from their usual haunts.
The Legacy of Jacques Cousteau 1910 - 1997
Jacques Cousteau was a French naval officer, oceanographer, author and filmmaker.
In 1942-3, as a Naval Lieutenant, Cousteau and a French engineer Émile Gagnan invented the Aqua-Lung. Cousteau improved the Aqua-Lung design which led to the first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (or SCUBA). This invention revolutionised underwater diving and was a major factor in the rapid development of recreational and professional scuba diving throughout the world. For Cousteau and Gagnan it allowed them to film and explore the underwater world more easily and to share their discoveries with the world.
Centenary of The Death of Sir Ernest Shackleton
The great polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) rose to fame in 1915 when his vessel, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and sank. Against all the odds, Shackleton succeeded in getting all his men back to safety, a tale of resolve and selfless leadership that is celebrated as one of the greatest stories of human endeavour from an era that has come to be known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Fittingly the Shackleton family's motto reads 'Fortitudine vincimus'. By endurance we conquer.
40th Anniversary of Falklands Liberation
This special issue from Tristan depicts 3 of the Tugs that were among the "Ships Taken Up from Trade" to assist the Task Force. They each visited Tristan immediately before heading south to the Falklands and South Georgia. The 3 Tugs were all part of the TRALA group. North east of the Total Exclusion Zone (TEZ) that the British government had declared around the Falkland Islands, the Royal Navy designated a Tug, Repair and Logistics Area (TRALA) where ships could receive and transfer supplies, and conduct repairs of battle damage under the protection of the carrier battle group.