Last night we began our transit to our next drill site and traversed the notorious Pentland Firth a notorious stretch of water separating the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland. The Firth is well known for the strength of its tides, being among some of the fastest in the world, a speed of 16 knots (30 km/h) being reported west of Pentland Skerries. It can be a dangerous bit of water and the Captain planned the best time to go through - during the passage we did 19 knots!! A record for this ship. It looks very bleak in this part of the world and the visibility changes very very quickly. One minute you can see for miles then the next minute you can only see for a couple of hundred meters. The Islands look inhospitable and very bleak - I don't know how anyone could want to live in a place like that.... although it must appeal to someone.
Had my two units last night before heading off to bed. The next drill site was only 30m so it didn't require me to track the drill rig - however, after traversing the Pentland Firth the weather changed and deployment of the drill became questionable so we continued to head west - heading out into the Atlantic towards Rockall and the beginning of our mission.
Rockall - whoever named it had little (or no) imagination
Rockall is a small uninhabited rocky islet in the North Atlantic. The origin of the name is debatable but it has been suggested that it derives from the Scottish Gaelic Sgeir Rocail which is often translated as "Roaring Rock" although rocail can also be translated as "tearing" or "ripping".
There may also be an etymological link with the old Norse hrukka. The rock is the summit of the eroded core of an extinct volcano and is located at 57°35′48″N, 13°41′19″W, with a diameter of 27 meters, a height of 23 meters .
The Location of Rockall
Rockall is 301.4 kilometres (187.3 statute miles or 162.7 nautical miles) west of the uninhabited island of Soay, St. Kilda, Scotland. The rock is about 25 metres (83 ft) wide at its base and rises sheer to a height of approximately 22 metres (72 ft). It is regularly washed over by large storm waves, particularly in winter. There is a small ledge of 3.5 by 1.3 metres (11 by 4 ft), known as Hall's Ledge, 4 metres (13 ft) from the summit.
On 18 September 1955 at precisely 10.16 am, in what would be the final territorial expansion of the British Empire, the island was officially annexed by the UK when Lieutenant-Commander Desmond Scott RN, Sergeant Brian Peel RM, Corporal AA Fraser RM, and James Fisher (a civilian naturalist and former Royal Marine), were deposited on the island by a Royal Navy helicopter from HMS Vidal (coincidentally named after the man who first charted the island). The team cemented in a brass plaque on Hall's Ledge and hoisted the Union Flag to stake the UK's claim.
The inscription on the plaque reads:
"By authority of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and in accordance with Her Majesty's instructions dated the 14th day of September, 1955, a landing was effected this day upon this island of Rockall from HMS Vidal. The Union flag was hoisted and possession of the island was taken in the name of Her Majesty. [Signed] R H Connell, Captain, HMS Vidal, 18 September 1955."
The initial incentive for the annexation of Rockall had little to do with any territorial claim to rights of exploitation of the seas around the island. It was the test firing of the UK's first guided nuclear weapon, the American-made Corporal missile. The missile was to be launched from South Uist and over the North Atlantic. The Ministry of Defence was concerned that the unclaimed island would provide a unique opportunity for the Soviet Union to spy on the test by placing surveillance equipment on the island; and so in April of 1955 a request was sent to the Admiralty to seize the island, and declare UK sovereignty lest it become an outpost for foreign observers.
The British on Rockall
On 10 February 1972 the Island of Rockall Act received Royal Assent to make the island administratively part of the Isle of Harris (St Kilda being administratively part of Harris), in what was then Inverness-shire, fully incorporating it into the United Kingdom. A navigational beacon was later installed on the island and the UK declared that no ship would be allowed within a 50-mile radius of the rock. In United Kingdom law, it now falls administratively under the Outer Hebrides.
Former SAS member and survival expert Tom McLean lived on the island from 26 May 1985 to 4 July 1985 to affirm the UK's claim to the island.
Waveland and the Greenpeace occupation
In 1997 the environmentalist organisation Greenpeace occupied the islet for a short time, calling it Waveland, to protest against oil exploration under the authority of the British. Greenpeace declared the island to be a “new Global State”, and offered citizenship to anyone willing to take their pledge of allegiance. The British Government's response was simply to give them permission to be there, and otherwise ignore them. Indeed the Home Office when asked, responded that since Rockall was part of the United Kingdom, and since the UK was a free country, Greenpeace were perfectly entitled to be at Rockall.
The project continued until 1999, when the company sponsoring it collapsed and the experiment ended.
Iceland, Ireland, Denmark and the United Kingdom want the area
No one appart from Britain really want the rock or recognise it as territory... However, there are a lot of countries who claim the area as their own (and its natural resources) and ownership will be decided by the UN based on arguments submitted by each nation.......
Throughout today the weather has gradually got worse. The Internet cut off this morning. This happens when the internet dome is moving so much that it cannot work correctly and can no-longer communicate with satellites. Captain issued the order for no-one to go outside. The weather progressively got worse and worse through the afternoon with wind speeds in excess of 50 knots and 30+ foot waves. Went up to the bridge to take some pictures - all 4 of the ships engines were in operation just to keep her in position. Significant pitching of the vessel but not much rolling as we are facing into the waves. It was amazing to see the speed with which the waves were moving and the movement of the vessel as it rode of the waves.
The rock drill on the back deck looked like it was moving a bit so it was necessary for some of the guys to go out on deck and lash it down - I don't envy them!!!
Mad Sea outside my cabin porthole before we had to close the covers (Left) and the sea becomes rough (right)
A picture showing the ship running down a wave into the next one.
