Carcass Island
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Carcass Island (Spanish: Isla del Rosario) is one of the Falkland Islands, lying north west of West Falkland and south east of the Jason Islands.
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[edit] History
The island's grim sounding name comes from the ship HMS Carcass, which surveyed the island in 1766. Its accompanying vessel, HMS Jason, gave its name to the nearby Jason Islands, and its captain, John McBride, gave his name to MacBride Head.
It is currently run as a sheep farm by Rob McGill. Its small settlement, lying on Port Patterson on the south west coast, is also known for its gardens, and has a small shop/grocery. It has been settled continuously for over a hundred years.
Carcass Island was considered as one of the potential sites for a British amphibious landing during the Falklands War[1] but, in the event, the British landings took place on San Carlos Water in the west of East Falkland, on Falkland Sound. The plan would have been for a "stone aircraft carrier". The main objections to this plan were, a) Carcass Island, being in the west of the archipelago was nearest to continental Argentine bases, b) its proximity to the airbase on Pebble Island, and c) its remoteness from Stanley, as it was furthest from the main objectives, and West Falkland was ultimately bypassed in the war.
[edit] Geography
The highest points of the island are Stanley Hill, and Mount Bing (304 metres). There are also stretches of duneland. Leopard Beach is often used as a landing point.
[edit] Wildlife and gardens
The island has no rats or cats, and as a result has a wide variety of birdlife including Black-crowned Night Herons, known in the Falkland Islands as "quarks", as well as seals and penguins. Tussock grass also grows here.
The island contains one of the few substantial stands of trees in the Falklands. There is however, a true wood at Hill Cove. None of the species are endemic, but they include such exoticisms as Monterey cypress trees, and New Zealand cabbage palms. The night herons nest within these trees. The gardens also include other introduced plants such as fuchsias, lupins, and dog roses.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Bicheno, Hugh (2006) Razor's Edge: The Unofficial History of the Falklands War. London. Weidenfield & Nicholson. ISBN-13 978-0-7538-2186-2
- ^ Wigglesworth, Angela. (1992) Falkland People. Pub. Peter Owen. ISBN 0-7206-0850-3
[edit] External links
- Carcass Island
- http://www.ladatco.com/fk-crs.htm
- Wildlife shots of Carcass island
- Carcass Island of the Falkland Islands
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