Speedwell Island
Encyclopedia
Speedwell Island is one of the Falkland Islands
, lying in the Falkland Sound
, southwest of Lafonia
, East Falkland
.
The island has an area of 51.5 square kilometres (19.9 sq mi) square miles (51.5 km2). It is about 11 miles (17.5 km) from north to south and is 3 miles (5 km) wide at its central part. It is generally low lying and has been used as a sheep farm for more than a hundred years. It is separated from Lafonia
by the Eagle Passage
, which takes its name from Speedwell Island's old name. Speedwell Island is the largest of the Speedwell Island group, which includes George Island, Barren Island and Annie Island.
-free, and thus a haven for penguin
s including the Magellanic Penguin
, which is the southernmost distributed species of the Spheniscids. Various other nesting seabird
s are found on Speedwell Island. The island is operated as a sheep farm.
ship Isabella, captained by George Higton, was shipwrecked off "Eagle Island" (as it was then) Most of the crew were rescued by the American
sealer
Nanina, commanded by Captain Charles Barnard
. However, realising that they would require more provisions for the expanded number of passengers, Barnard and a few others went out in a party to retrieve more food. During his absence the Nanina was taken over by the British crew and left them on the island. Barnard and his party were finally rescued in November of 1814. In 1829 Barnard wrote A Narrative of the Sufferings and Adventures of Capt. Charles Barnard detailing the happenings.
The 1837 survey of the Falkland Islands under Lowcay noted that there were wild pigs on the island.
In 1929, Alexander Dugas, a Frenchman employed on Sealion Island committed suicide and his companions felt it necessary to inform the authorities. But the lack of harbors meant that no boat of any size could be kept on the island and so a determined individual called Benny Davis constructed a make-shift craft from wooden barrels and launched it into the surf. The remarkable sailor set out just before dark, and arrived at Speedwell Island some twelve hours later. He explained that he had simply headed west and then taken his direction from the smell of the cormorants on Annie Island http://www.ladatco.com/fk-sli.htm.
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 in the Falkland Sound
Falkland Sound
The Falkland Sound is a sea strait in the Falkland Islands. Running south west - north east, it separates West and East Falkland.-Name:The sound was named by John Strong in 1690 for Viscount Falkland, the name only later being applied to the archipelago and its two largest islands...
, southwest of Lafonia
Lafonia
Lafonia is a peninsula forming the southern part of East Falkland, the largest of the Falkland Islands.-Geography and geology:Shaped like the letter "E", it is joined to the northern part of the island by a 1.5-mile narrow isthmus; were this isthmus to be severed, Lafonia would be the third...
, East Falkland
East Falkland
East Falkland the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of and a coastline long. Most of the population of the Falklands live in East Falkland, almost all of them living in the northern half of the island...
.
The island has an area of 51.5 square kilometres (19.9 sq mi) square miles (51.5 km2). It is about 11 miles (17.5 km) from north to south and is 3 miles (5 km) wide at its central part. It is generally low lying and has been used as a sheep farm for more than a hundred years. It is separated from Lafonia
Lafonia
Lafonia is a peninsula forming the southern part of East Falkland, the largest of the Falkland Islands.-Geography and geology:Shaped like the letter "E", it is joined to the northern part of the island by a 1.5-mile narrow isthmus; were this isthmus to be severed, Lafonia would be the third...
by the Eagle Passage
Eagle Passage
The Eagle Passage is a strait in the Falkland Islands, between Lafonia in the south west of East Falkland, and the smaller islands of Speedwell, Barren and George Island...
, which takes its name from Speedwell Island's old name. Speedwell Island is the largest of the Speedwell Island group, which includes George Island, Barren Island and Annie Island.
Ecology
The island is rodentRodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
-free, and thus a haven for 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 including the Magellanic Penguin
Magellanic Penguin
The Magellanic Penguin, Spheniscus magellanicus, is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil where they are occasionally seen as far north as Rio de Janeiro. It is the most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins. Its nearest...
, which is the southernmost distributed species of the Spheniscids. Various other nesting seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s are found on Speedwell Island. The island is operated as a sheep farm.
History
In 1812 the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ship Isabella, captained by George Higton, was shipwrecked off "Eagle Island" (as it was then) Most of the crew were rescued by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sealer
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
Nanina, commanded by Captain Charles Barnard
Charles Barnard
Captain Charles Barnard was a famous castaway.In 1812, the British ship Isabella, captained by George Higton, was shipwrecked off Eagle Island . Most of the crew were rescued by the American sealer Nanina, commanded by Captain Charles Barnard...
. However, realising that they would require more provisions for the expanded number of passengers, Barnard and a few others went out in a party to retrieve more food. During his absence the Nanina was taken over by the British crew and left them on the island. Barnard and his party were finally rescued in November of 1814. In 1829 Barnard wrote A Narrative of the Sufferings and Adventures of Capt. Charles Barnard detailing the happenings.
The 1837 survey of the Falkland Islands under Lowcay noted that there were wild pigs on the island.
In 1929, Alexander Dugas, a Frenchman employed on Sealion Island committed suicide and his companions felt it necessary to inform the authorities. But the lack of harbors meant that no boat of any size could be kept on the island and so a determined individual called Benny Davis constructed a make-shift craft from wooden barrels and launched it into the surf. The remarkable sailor set out just before dark, and arrived at Speedwell Island some twelve hours later. He explained that he had simply headed west and then taken his direction from the smell of the cormorants on Annie Island http://www.ladatco.com/fk-sli.htm.