Fitzroy, Falkland Islands

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Fitzroy
Fitzroy within the Falkland Islands
Fitzroy River looking upstream from Darwin Road (the road which connects Port Stanley and Mount Pleasant/Lafonia Fitzroy river.jpg
Fitzroy River looking upstream from Darwin Road (the road which connects Port Stanley and Mount Pleasant/Lafonia
A panorama at Fitzroy showing the two memorials to those lost when the RFA ships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristam were attacked during the Falklands Conflict Fitzroy panorama - two memorials.jpg
A panorama at Fitzroy showing the two memorials to those lost when the RFA ships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristam were attacked during the Falklands Conflict

Fitzroy is a settlement on East Falkland.

Settlement

It is divided into Fitzroy North and Fitzroy South by a tidal river called Fitzroy River that is fed from a lake on the east side of Mount Whickham. The river was forded by Charles Darwin when he visited for a second time in 1834. [1]

Contents

It is named after Robert FitzRoy, who commanded HMS Beagle during Darwin's voyages, [2] and later developed a system of weather forecasting for the United Kingdom. [3] Fitzroy is on the inlet known as Port Pleasant.

During the 1982 Falklands War, naval auxiliary ships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram, carrying contingents of The Welsh Guards, were bombed by the Argentine Air Force in the waters off Fitzroy whilst attempting to reinforce soldiers encamped there. A monument on each side of a small cove at Fitzroy commemorates each ship with dedications in English and Welsh on both. [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

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The history of the Falkland Islands goes back at least five hundred years, with active exploration and colonisation only taking place in the 18th century. Nonetheless, the Falkland Islands have been a matter of controversy, as they have been claimed by the French, British, Spaniards and Argentines at various points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falklands War</span> Undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982

The Falklands War was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial dependency, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The conflict began on 2 April 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, followed by the invasion of South Georgia the next day. On 5 April, the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine surrender on 14 June, returning the islands to British control. In total, 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel, and three Falkland Islanders were killed during the hostilities.

HMS <i>Beagle</i> 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy; notably carried Charles Darwin

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Weston</span> Welsh soldier and charity worker

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RFA <i>Sir Galahad</i> (1966) 1966 Round Table class landing ship logistics vessel

RFA Sir Galahad (L3005) was a Round Table-class landing ship logistics vessel belonging to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) of the United Kingdom. The ship saw service in the Falklands War of 1982, where she was bombed and set afire at Fitzroy on 8 June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert FitzRoy</span> Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865)

Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy was an English officer of the Royal Navy, politician and scientist who served as the second governor of New Zealand between 1843 and 1845. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra del Fuego and the Southern Cone.

RFA <i>Sir Tristram</i> Round Table-class landing ship logistics of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Falkland</span> Island in Falkland Islands, Atlantic Ocean

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weddell Island</span> Island in the Falkland Islands

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1833)</span> Re-establishment of British rule on the Falkland Islands in 1833

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluff Cove</span> Bay and settlement in Falkland Islands, UK

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Second voyage of HMS <i>Beagle</i> Scientific survey mission, carrying Charles Darwin (1831–1836)

The second voyage of HMS Beagle, from 27 December 1831 to 2 October 1836, was the second survey expedition of HMS Beagle, made under her newest commander, Robert FitzRoy. FitzRoy had thought of the advantages of having someone onboard who could investigate geology, and sought a naturalist to accompany them as a supernumerary. At the age of 22, the graduate Charles Darwin hoped to see the tropics before becoming a parson, and accepted the opportunity. He was greatly influenced by reading Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology during the voyage. By the end of the expedition, Darwin had made his name as a geologist, and fossil collector, and the publication of his journal gave him wide renown as a writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mare Harbour</span>

Mare Harbour, known colloquially as East Cove Port, is a small settlement on East Falkland, on Choiseul Sound. It is mostly used as a port facility and depot for RAF Mount Pleasant, as well as a deepwater port used by the Royal Navy ships patrolling the South Atlantic and Antarctica, which means that the main harbour of the islands, Stanley Harbour, tends to deal with commercial transport.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the history of the Falkland Islands</span>

The Falkland Islands have a complex history stretching over five hundred years. Active exploration and colonisation began in the 18th century but a self-supporting colony was not established till the latter part of the 19th century. Nonetheless, the islands have been a matter of controversy, as due to their strategic position in the 18th century their sovereignty was claimed by the French, Spaniards, British and Argentines at various points.

RRS <i>Shackleton</i> British Antarctic research vessel

RRS Shackleton was a Royal Research Ship operated by the British scientific research organisations the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in the Antarctic from 1955 to 1983. She was subsequently operated as a seismic survey vessel under the names Geotek Beta, Profiler and finally Sea Profiler before being scrapped in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluff Cove air attacks</span> Aerial bombing of British ships by the Argentine Air Force during the Falklands War (1982)

The Bluff Cove air attacks occurred 8 June 1982, during the Falklands War. British troop transport ships were bombed by Argentine Air Force (FAA) Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fighter bombers at Port Pleasant, off Fitz Roy, while transferring troops to Bluff Cove, with significant damage and casualties.

<i>This Thing of Darkness</i>

This Thing of Darkness was the debut novel of Harry Thompson, published in 2005 only months before his death in November of that year at the age of 45. Set in the period from 1828 to 1865, it is a historical novel telling the fictionalised biography of Robert FitzRoy, who was given command of HMS Beagle halfway through her first voyage. He subsequently captained her during the vessel’s famous second voyage, on which Charles Darwin travelled as his companion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gull Harbour</span> Mountain in the Falkland Islands

Gull Harbour is the 1.3 km wide bay indenting for 2.8 km the east coast of Weddell Island in the Falkland Islands. It is entered north of Gull Point and south of Mark Point, and is centred at 51°53′56″S60°53′20″W. The principal settlement of the island, Weddell Settlement, is situated at the head of the bay. Until the mid-nineteenth century Gull Harbour was known as Great Harbour.

References

  1. Stone, Phil. "CHARLES DARWIN IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, 1833 & 1834" (PDF). nora.nerc.ac.uk. p. 3. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  2. "The Geology of the Falkland Islands" (PDF). nora.nerc.ac.uk. p. 3. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  3. Moore, Peter (30 April 2015). "The birth of the weather forecast". BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  4. "Disaster for British at Bluff Cove". BBC News. 24 June 1982. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  5. "Fitzroy Memorials - Things to Do in the Falkland Islands". www.falklandislands.com. Retrieved 14 May 2018.

51°47′15″S58°13′52″W / 51.7875°S 58.2312°W / -51.7875; -58.2312