Rockall

Rockall is a small, rocky islet in the North Atlantic but is probably better known as one of the British Sea Areas named in the Shipping Forecast broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The status of the surrounding ocean floor is disputed between the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Denmark (for the Faroe Islands), and Iceland.

History and conflicting claims

British claims to the island

Rockall is 461.5 km (286.7 miles) from Ardnamurchan Point on the Scottish mainland and is 301.4 km (187.3 miles) from St Kilda, St Kilda being 100 miles west of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. Also, Rockall is 367.0 km (228.0 statute miles) (198.1 nautical miles) from Aird An Runair on the inhabited island of North Uist, Western Isles, Scotland. Ord Srvy GB, British Grid NF 68694, 70525. In 1997 the UK ratified the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In doing so the United Kingdom relinquished its right to claim an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles extending from the rock, as the agreement states that "Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf". However, as Rockall lies within 200 nautical miles of St Kilda and North Uist, the island itself remains within the EEZ of the United Kingdom and as such, under international law the UK can claim "..the sovereignty of the coastal state in relation to the exploitation, conservation and management of natural and living resources fishery and mineral resources" of the rock. Furthermore, the United Kingdom and Ireland have signed a boundary agreement which includes Rockall in the United Kingdom area.

Related Topics:
Km - Mile - Ardnamurchan Point - Harris - Outer Hebrides - 1997 - 1982 - United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - Exclusive economic zone

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The earliest recorded landing on the island was on 8 July 1810 when an officer called Basil Hall led a small landing party from the frigate HMS Endymion to the summit. The frigate was taking depth measurements around Rockall when it drifted away in a haze. The expedition made a brief attempt to find the frigate in the haze, but soon gave up and returned to Rockall. After the haze became a fog, the lookout sent to the top of Rockall spotted the ship again, but it turned away from Rockall before the expedition in their boats reached it. Finally, just before sunset, the frigate was again spotted from the top of Rockall, and the expedition was able to get back on board. The crew of the HMS Endymion reported that they had been searching for five or six hours, firing their cannons every ten minutes. Hall related this experience and other adventures in a book entitled Fragment of Voyages and Travels Including Anecdotes of a Naval Life.

Related Topics:
8 July - 1810 - Frigate - HMS ''Endymion''

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next landing was accomplished by a Mr Johns of HMS Porcupine, whilst the ship was on a mission, from June and August of 1862, to make a survey of the sea bed prior to the laying of a transatlantic cable. Johns managed to gain foothold on the island, but failed to reach the summit.

Related Topics:
HMS ''Porcupine'' - 1862

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On 18 September 1955 at precisely 10.16am, in what would be the last territorial expansion of the British Empire, the island was officially annexed by Britain when First Lieutenant Commander Desmond Scott RN, Sergeant Brian Peel RM, Corporal A.A. 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 British claim.

Related Topics:
18 September - 1955 - British Empire - Lieutenant Commander - Desmond Scott - Royal Navy - HMS ''Vidal'' - Union Flag

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 etc, etc., etc., 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. R H Connell, Captain, HMS Vidal, 18th September, 1955."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The formal annexation of Rockall was announced by the Admiralty on 21 September.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 in the Outer Hebrides and over the North Atlantic. The Ministry of Defence were concerned that the unclaimed island would provide a unique opportunity for 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 British sovereignty lest it become an outpost for foreign observers.

Related Topics:
Corporal missile - South Uist - Outer Hebrides - Ministry of Defence - Soviet Union - Admiralty

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On 10 February 1972 the Isle of Rockall Act received Royal Assent to make the island part of Inverness-shire, fully incorporating it into the United Kingdom. A navigational beacon was later installed on the island and Britain declared that no ship would be allowed within a 50-mile radius of the rock.

Related Topics:
10 February - 1972 - Isle of Rockall Act - Royal Assent - Inverness-shire - United Kingdom - Navigational beacon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1985 former SAS member and survival expert Tom McLean lived on the island from 26 May to 4 July to affirm Britain's claim to the island.

Related Topics:
1985 - SAS - Survival - Tom McLean - 26 May - 4 July

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Irish claims to Rockall

The Republic of Ireland does not have formal claim to Rockall, regarding it as merely an uninhabitable rock without any territorial waters and thus irrelevant when determining the boundaries of the exclusive economic zones of Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. More populist claims to the island are based, in part, on the fact that Rockall is 424 kilometres (265 miles) from Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.

Related Topics:
Territorial waters - Exclusive economic zone - Donegal

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

According to a Written Parliamentary Answer from the Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs on June 14 1990, an agreement was reached between the British and Irish governments on delimitation of the continental shelf between the two countries and that this included a line of delimitation across the Rockall Plateau. As a result, a very extensive area under Irish jurisdiction, including part of the Rockall Trough and Plateau, is undisputed by Britain. Ownership of Rockall itself, and the area surrounding it, did not form part of that agreement and was not affected by it. No further negotiations were taking place in relation to the rock at the time.

Related Topics:
June 14 - 1990 - Continental shelf

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

More recently, on June 11 2003, the Irish Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources gave a Written Parliamentary Answer, stating: "Ireland claims an extended continental shelf ? up to more than 500 nautical miles, particularly in the Hatton–Rockall area." As the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf has no mandate regarding issues of delimitation between neighbouring states and cannot consider an area under dispute without the agreement of all the parties concerned, Ireland has participated in informal discussions with Iceland and the Faroe Islands in an attempt to resolve the dispute before making its submission to the Commission, which it hopes to make by 2006.

Related Topics:
June 11 - 2003 - United Nations - 2006

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Populist claims

Independent Irish politician Seán Dublin Bay Rockall Loftus (1927-), a former Lord Mayor of Dublin (1995-1996), has long advocated that Ireland make a territorial claim on Rockall, and enthusiastically supported Greenpeace's occupation. He changed his name by deed poll twice: adding "Rockall" to demonstrate his commitment to that cause, and "Dublin Bay" to show his support for the protection of Dublin's environment. The Wolfe Tones, an Irish rebel music band, released a song Rock on Rockall that supports an Irish claim.

Related Topics:
Seán Dublin Bay Rockall Loftus - 1927 - Lord Mayor of Dublin - 1995 - 1996 - Deed poll - Dublin Bay - Dublin - Wolfe Tones - Irish rebel music

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Icelandic claims in the area

Iceland does not claim the rock itself, considering it irrelevant as far as delimination of EEZs and continental shelf is concerned. Iceland however claims an extended continental shelf in the Hatton-Rockall area.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Iceland ratified UNCLOS in 1985, it was the first western country to do so. A regulation was passed by the government in that same year outlining the area where Iceland claimed continental shelf rights for itself, the regulationhttp://www.reglugerd.is/interpro/dkm/WebGuard.nsf/key2/196-1985 was based on legislationhttp://www.althingi.is/lagas/nuna/1979041.html from 1979 claiming for Iceland the exclusive right to research and exploitation of continental shelf-based resources within the limits of the Icelandic continental shelf. Regarding the Hatton-Rockall area, it claims the area within 60 nautical miles from the foot of the continental shelf and assumes that the UK and Ireland can not claim a continental shelf outside their EEZs. To its fullest extent, this area reaches about 700 nautical miles to the south from Iceland's coast, that is further south than Britain's southernmost point.

Related Topics:
UNCLOS - 1985 - Britain

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2001, Iceland began working on its submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, it is scheduled to finish in 2005 and a oral presentation before the Commission is to be made in 2006. The most important aspect of this work is to survey the entire ocean floor in the areas claimed outside the EEZ and in Iceland's case, a part of the area inside the EEZ as well. In all, 1.3 million square kilometers have been surveyed by Icelandic marine research institutions for this purpose, 13-fold the land area of Iceland.

Related Topics:
2001 - 2006 - Square kilometer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Danish/Faroese claims in the area

The Faroe Islands are an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. Since 1948 they have had self-government in almost all matters except defence and foreign affairs. Consequently their interests in Rockall are represented by Denmark. On their behalf, Denmark claims continental shelf rights in the Hatton Rockall area. It does not claim the islet itself — their position is the same as is Ireland's and Iceland's.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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.

Related Topics:
1997 - Environmentalist - Greenpeace - Oil exploration

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The project continued until 1999, when the company sponsoring it collapsed and the experiment ended. This interlude nevertheless marked the longest continuous habitation of the islet, at forty-two days.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~