|
|
 |
|
| The early history of Ascension Island |
|
|
|
As islands go, Ascension is a very young island, only a few million years old. The most recent lava flows (reputed to have occurred only about 500 years ago) can be clearly seen scarring the landscape.
The first recorded sighting of Ascension was by Juan de Nova in 1501. He named the Island "Conception", but never publicised his discovery.
The next visitor was the Portuguese admiral Alfonso d'Albuquerque in 1503. He actually came ashore, and named the Island "Ascension".
There were a number of visitors over the next 300 years, and even in those early days interest in the Island stemmed either from its remoteness, or from its strategic position in the middle of the vastness on the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1656, Peter Mundy commented on the number of sea birds, and found bones of a flightless bird that may have been endemic to the island.
In 1673 Father Naverette first mentions the "Letterbox". This was a prominent point where southbound ships left messages, which were picked up and delivered by ships passing in the other direction.
One of the most famous visitors was Captain William Dampier who was returning from the Far East in 1701, when his ship Roebuck sprang a leak and sank close to the Island. He and his crew managed to struggle ashore, and they are credited with finding the first water supply in the cave now called Dampier's Drip. After a few weeks they were lucky enough to be picked up by British Naval ships. However, his problems were not over, because when he eventually reached Britain, Dampier faced a court-marshal for cruelty to his crew. He was found guilty, but was given another ship.
Others were not so lucky. In 1825 a Dutch sailor was put ashore for unspecified crimes and the diary said to have been found by his body showed that, due to lack of water, he gradually went insane and died. However, some people regard this as a work of fiction, as there is now no trace of his diary.
 H.M.S. Ascension
Back to top 
|
|
|