Inaccessible Island is an extinct volcano, 14 square kilometres in area, rising out of the South Atlantic Ocean 45 km southwest of Tristan da Cunha. The island has had no permanent population throughout its history and is currently managed by the United Kingdom. Together with Gough Island, it is a protected wildlife reserve which has been designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
History and expeditions
Inaccessible Island was discovered in 1652 during a voyage by t'Nachtglas, a Dutch ship, 146 years after Tristan da Cunha was first sighted by Portuguese sailors. When mapped by sailors, the newly found island was referred to as "inaccessible" since the crew who landed were not able to travel far into the island. Such challenges have persisted, but several expeditions have gone deeper into the island to uncover more details about its wildlife.
The Stoltenhoff brothers, who came to Inaccessible from Germany in 1871, lived there for several years hoping to make a living sealing on the island and selling their wares to passing traders (forgetting how often — or not — Inaccessible ever had visitors). However, due to the scarcity of food, they needed to be rescued in 1873 during the HMS Challenger's visit to examine the flora and fauna there. The South African author Eric Rosenthal chronicled the Stoltenhoffs' adventure in his book Shelter from the Spray (published in 1952 in South Africa and currently very rare). [1]
In 1922, Ernest Shackleton's ship, the Quest, stopped by Inaccessible briefly, and a botanist on board discovered a bird later named (after him) the Wilkins Bunting .
Norwegian scientists made an expedition in 1938 in which they spent three weeks at Inaccessible, cataloguing plants, birds, and rocks.
After World War II, a plan was made to convert Inaccessible into a farm, but it fell through.
Another attempt at mapping the island was made during the Royal Society Expedition of 1962 to Tristan da Cunha, which took scientists to Inaccessible Island. Like many other explorers before them, the scientists were not able to reach the interior of the island either.
Inaccessible Island was declared a nature reserve under the Tristan da Cunha Conservation Ordinance of 1976. Tristan islanders, however, were still permitted to harvest seabirds from the island.
The most successful expedition of Inaccessible Island to date was the 1982 expedition by students and faculty of Denstone College . Staying at the island from October 25, 1982, until February 9, 1983, they made detailed maps of the island, studied its flora, fauna, and geology, and carried out a marking program on more than 3000 birds.
In 1997, Inaccessible Island's territorial waters out to 22 km were declared a nature reserve under the Tristan da Cunha Conservation Ordinance of 1976. Currently, only guides from Tristan are allowed to take visiting cruise ships to Inaccessible; indeed, most trips made to the island are now at the requests of expatriates and missionaries.
Shipwrecks
Due to poor navigation charts, 19th-century sailing ships had to be guided by islands in waters where their crew did not know much about the currents. Shipwrecks were common; at least 22 have occurred in the region of Tristan da Cunha, and at least three confirmed shipwrecks have occurred off the coast of Inaccessible Island.
The first, and most dramatic, was that of the Blenden Hall, a British ship chartered to the East India Company, which set sail in 1821 with 84 passengers and crew aboard. Intended to sail past Saint Helena, it was carried instead toward Tristan da Cunha because of adverse currents. It ran aground at Inaccessible Island and suffered a broken back, but the forecastle was carried inshore. Eating wild celery, seals, and penguins, all but two of those aboard were able to survive the shipwreck long enough to build boats and travel to Tristan, where most of them were later taken away by a brig to Cape Town, South Africa.
Later shipwrecks included the wreck of the Shakespeare at Pig Beach in 1883 and the Helen S Lea at North Point in 1897.
Wildlife
Inaccessible Island is perhaps best known for the Inaccessible Island Rail, the world's smallest flightless bird. Other birds found at Inaccessible include the wandering albatross, rockhopper penguin, Tristan thrush , and the Antarctic tern . [2]
When Corporal William Glass and his family became the first settlers at Tristan da Cunha in 1816, goats and pigs were brought to Inaccessible Island to serve as a source of food. They remained there for at least 57 years and helped to keep the Stoltenhoff brothers alive during their expedition, but they have died out. Cattle, sheep, and dogs were also introduced to the island at various points in the island's history, but none remain.
Subantarctic Fur Seals and Southern Elephant Seals have also been spotted at Inaccessible Island in ever-increasing numbers, and whales live in the surrounding waters.
In addition, 64 native plant species and 48 native invertebrate species have been introduced to the island, some of which were introduced.
No mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, or snails have recently been found at Inaccessible.
Economy
Inaccessible Island has been used by the islanders of Tristan da Cunha for several economic purposes. Inaccessible does have guano deposits and eggs, but due to the difficulty of traveling about the island, the islanders have generally chosen to go to Nightingale Island instead. However, two company ships fish off of the coast of Inaccessible.
See also
External links
Last updated: 05-21-2005 15:18:23
