Fitzroy, Falkland Islands
Fitzroy is a settlement on East Falkland. It is divided into Fitzroy North and Fitzroy South by a tidal river called Fitzroy River that is fed from a lake on the east side of Mount Whickham. The river was forded by Charles Darwin when he visited for a second time in 1834.[1] Fitzroy itself is 9 metres (30 ft) above sea level, and 14.9 nautical miles (27.6 km; 17.1 mi) west of Port Stanley.[2][3] The population of the settlement in 2018 was eight people, and nearly 18,600 sheep.[4]
It is named after Robert FitzRoy, who commanded HMS Beagle during Darwin's voyages,[5] and later developed a system of weather forecasting for the United Kingdom.[6] Fitzroy is on the inlet known as Port Pleasant.[7]
In 1934, Patterson Point Bridge was built across the small inlet north of Fitzroy. The bridge was built on concrete piles with wooden sides, and the railings came from the wreck of the SS Great Britain.[8] The bridge was destroyed by the Argentines during the Falklands War,[9] and although it was repaired, it suffered further damage in 2013 during a storm.[10]
In 2013, an aquaculture business was created on Fitzroy Sound to sell trout on the international market.[11]
Wartime
[edit]On 8 December 1914, German ships appeared in Port Pleasant, near Fitzroy.[12] One local woman kept the authorities at Stanley informed of their progress (they were steaming eastwards) by sending her staff to a good vantage point on Fitzroy Ridge.[4]
During the 1982 Falklands War, naval auxiliary ships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram, carrying contingents of The Welsh Guards, were bombed by the Argentine Air Force in the waters off Fitzroy whilst attempting to reinforce soldiers encamped there. A monument on each side of a small cove at Fitzroy commemorates each ship with dedications in English and Welsh on both.[13][14]
References
[edit]- ↑ Stone, Phil. "CHARLES DARWIN IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, 1833 & 1834" (PDF). nora.nerc.ac.uk. p. 3. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ↑ "Construction of high spatial resolution climate scenarios for the Falkland Islands and southern Patagonia" (PDF). www.ukfit.org. October 2013. p. 17. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Fitzroy Settlement, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)". www.fallingrain.com. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Fitzroy, Falkland Islands". falklands-southatlantic.com. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "The Geology of the Falkland Islands" (PDF). nora.nerc.ac.uk. p. 3. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ↑ Moore, Peter (30 April 2015). "The birth of the weather forecast". BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ↑ Weston, Simon (1990). Walking tall: an autobiography. Bath: Chivers. pp. 4, 144. ISBN 0862203414.
- ↑ Wheeler, Tony (2004). The Falklands & South Georgia Island. London: Lonely Planet. p. 97. ISBN 1740596439.
- ↑ Van der Bijl, Nicholas (2007). Victory in the Falklands: Falklands War. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword. p. 137. ISBN 9781844154944.
- ↑ "Bridges, Rivers and Streams, Falkland Islands". falklands-southatlantic.com. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Insights into the science and economics of Falkland Islands proposed marine managed areas (MMAs)" (PDF). www.south-atlantic-research.org. pp. 196–197. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Spencer-Cooper, H (1919). The Battle of the Falkland Islands : before and after. London: Cassell. p. 180. OCLC 1041052478.
- ↑ "Disaster for British at Bluff Cove". BBC News. 24 June 1982. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ↑ "Fitzroy Memorials - Things to Do in the Falkland Islands". www.falklandislands.com. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
External links
[edit]- Images of Paterson Point Bridge being built
Media related to Fitzroy, Falkland Islands at Wikimedia Commons
