Pebble Island
Encyclopedia
Pebble Island is one of the Falkland Islands
, lying north of West Falkland
.
The island stretches about 19 miles (30 km) from east to west and is about 4.3 miles (7 km) at its widest point, with a total area of 103.36 sqkm square miles (103.36 km2).
It has three high points: First Mountain (277 metres (908.8 ft)), Middle Mountain (214 metres (702.1 ft)) and Marble Mountain (237 metres (777.6 ft)) in the west of the island. The eastern part of the island has large lakes and wetlands and is of high conservation value. It has been a sheep farm since 1846. The island's inhabitants live in Pebble Island Settlement
.
13,500 Corriedale sheep are farmed on the island, along with 240 head of cattle (both beef and dairy).
During the Falklands War
, the island was occupied by Argentine
forces which create the Estación Aeronaval Calderón (naval air station Calderon) protected by elements of 2nd Naval Infantry Battalion but was assaulted successfully by the British SAS
in the "Raid on Pebble Island
". 300 Argentines were based here. HMS Coventry
was sunk off the coast of Pebble Island. According to the inquiry into its loss, the ship sank "10 miles" north of Pebble Island in May 1982 The co-ordinates of the sinking are 51 03.6S, 59 42.2W and this is about 11.5 nautical miles (21.3 km) from the nearest point on Pebble Island. There are memorials on the island to the British destroyer HMS Coventry
and to an Argentinian Lear Jet
, both destroyed during the conflict.
More recently, Pebble Island Settlement
became one of the first in the Falkland Islands to use wind turbine
s to generate most of its electricity.
and wading bird
s, and a hilly west, known for its penguin
s. Penguin species found here include rockhopper
, macaroni
, king
and erect-crested penguin
s. Waterfowl include wild duck, grebe
, and black-necked swan
s, which live on the island's ponds.
The two halves are joined by an isthmus
on which the settlement is located. The island is probably named for the peculiarly spherical pebbles found at its western tip. The western half is dominated by "First Mountain" or "First Mount".
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, lying north of West Falkland
West Falkland
West Falkland is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by Falkland Sound. Its area is and its coastline is long. Including the adjacent small islands the land area is .-Population:The island has fewer than 200...
.
The island stretches about 19 miles (30 km) from east to west and is about 4.3 miles (7 km) at its widest point, with a total area of 103.36 sqkm square miles (103.36 km2).
It has three high points: First Mountain (277 metres (908.8 ft)), Middle Mountain (214 metres (702.1 ft)) and Marble Mountain (237 metres (777.6 ft)) in the west of the island. The eastern part of the island has large lakes and wetlands and is of high conservation value. It has been a sheep farm since 1846. The island's inhabitants live in Pebble Island Settlement
Pebble Island Settlement
Pebble Island Settlement is on Pebble Island in the northwest Falkland Islands, United Kingdom. It is the headquarters of the Pebble Island farm, and is located on the island's isthmus....
.
13,500 Corriedale sheep are farmed on the island, along with 240 head of cattle (both beef and dairy).
History
The current farm was founded in 1846, by an Englishman called John Markham Dean, who bought Pebble Island and three neighbouring islands. Dean's family concern passed on to Dean Brothers Ltd, but it is currently managed locally by Raymond Evans, who is the great nephew of Johnny Evans, who introduced sheep to the island, and who also slaughtered the first feral cattle.During the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, the island was occupied by Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
forces which create the Estación Aeronaval Calderón (naval air station Calderon) protected by elements of 2nd Naval Infantry Battalion but was assaulted successfully by the British SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
in the "Raid on Pebble Island
Raid on Pebble Island
The Raid on Pebble Island took place on 14-15 May 1982 during the Falklands War. Pebble Island is part of the Falkland Islands.-Background:Immediately after the Argentines had seized the Falkland Islands they established a small airbase on Pebble Island using the local airstrip on which were based...
". 300 Argentines were based here. HMS Coventry
HMS Coventry (D118)
HMS Coventry was a Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. Laid down by Cammell Laird and Company, Limited, at Birkenhead on 29 January 1973, she was launched on 21 June 1974 and accepted into service on 20 October 1978 at a cost of £37,900,000.She was sunk by Argentine Air Force A-4 Skyhawks on 25...
was sunk off the coast of Pebble Island. According to the inquiry into its loss, the ship sank "10 miles" north of Pebble Island in May 1982 The co-ordinates of the sinking are 51 03.6S, 59 42.2W and this is about 11.5 nautical miles (21.3 km) from the nearest point on Pebble Island. There are memorials on the island to the British destroyer HMS Coventry
HMS Coventry (D118)
HMS Coventry was a Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. Laid down by Cammell Laird and Company, Limited, at Birkenhead on 29 January 1973, she was launched on 21 June 1974 and accepted into service on 20 October 1978 at a cost of £37,900,000.She was sunk by Argentine Air Force A-4 Skyhawks on 25...
and to an Argentinian Lear Jet
Lear Jet
Learjet is a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use. It was founded in the late 1950s by William Powell Lear as Swiss American Aviation Corporation. Learjet is now a subsidiary of Bombardier and marketed as the "Bombardier Learjet Family".-History:The Learjet started life as an...
, both destroyed during the conflict.
More recently, Pebble Island Settlement
Pebble Island Settlement
Pebble Island Settlement is on Pebble Island in the northwest Falkland Islands, United Kingdom. It is the headquarters of the Pebble Island farm, and is located on the island's isthmus....
became one of the first in the Falkland Islands to use wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s to generate most of its electricity.
Geography and wildlife
The island can be divided into a marshy east, known for its waterfowlWaterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
and wading bird
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s, and a hilly west, known for its penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s. Penguin species found here include rockhopper
Rockhopper penguin
The rockhopper penguins are three closely related taxa of crested penguins that have been traditionally treated as a single species and are sometimes split into two or three species. Not all experts agree on the classification of these penguins...
, macaroni
Macaroni Penguin
The Macaroni Penguin is a species of penguin found from the Subantarctic to the Antarctic Peninsula. One of six species of crested penguin, it is very closely related to the Royal Penguin, and some authorities consider the two to be a single species...
, king
King Penguin
The King Penguin is the second largest species of penguin at about , second only to the Emperor Penguin. There are two subspecies—A. p. patagonicus and A. p...
and erect-crested penguin
Erect-crested Penguin
The Erect-crested Penguin is a penguin from New Zealand. It breeds on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands.This is a small-to-medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, at and weighing . As in all penguin species, the male is slightly larger than the female and the birds weigh the most...
s. Waterfowl include wild duck, grebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
, and black-necked swan
Black-necked Swan
The Black-necked Swan is the largest waterfowl native to South America. Males are and weigh 4.5-6.7 kg ; females are and weigh 3.5-4.4 kg . The wingspan ranges from . The body plumage is white with a black neck, head and greyish bill. It has a red knob near the base of the bill and...
s, which live on the island's ponds.
The two halves are joined by an isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
on which the settlement is located. The island is probably named for the peculiarly spherical pebbles found at its western tip. The western half is dominated by "First Mountain" or "First Mount".