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Calshot Harbour
Check out Operation Zest's friendly invasion of the world's most remote Settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas by Royal Engineers and other support staff who carried out urgent repair work to Calshot Harbour before the onset of the Austral winter storms.

See also : details of the harbour re-building work on the Operation Zest News Page;
background to the re-building on our Harbour News Page
and also ~ Calshot Harbour Page in the Settlement Section and of the Lyme Bay's journey on the Shipping News Page.
This is a top to bottom page : for the latest news click ~ Latest News Bulletin ....or scan from the beginning ....

Tristan da Cunha has seen three previous British military invasions
- all bringing benefits to the world's most isolated community.

Invasion 1 : 14th August 1816 when Captain Josiah Cloete led 5 officers, 35 men of the Cape Artillery, 10 women and several children aboard HMS Falmouth to declare Tristan da cunha British and to establish Fort Malcolm - see the relevant Tristan History page.

Invasion 2 : 5th April 1942 when Surgeon Lieutenant Commander EJS Woolley led a naval garrison aboard the armed cruiser Dunnottar Castle to establish a top secret World War II Naval Station - see the relevant Tristan History page.

Invasion 3 : 2nd October 1962 when Captain DBN Mells led two officers and 15 ratings to blast a new road from the proposed site of a new harbour to the cliff-top (Always since known as Puma Road) to enable Tristan islanders to return from UK exile to re-build the community following a volcanic eruption in 1961 which had destroyed the fish processing factory and two sand landing beaches - see the relevant Tristan History page

This latest invasion - Operation Zest - brought a Joint Task Force to provide emergency help to repair Tristan da Cunha's Calshot Harbour which was in danger of collapse in the 2008 winter storms.

RFA Lyme Bay arrives on
Thursday 28th February 2008

Photograph left
from Robin Repetto
shows the ship approaching
the anchorage
and right from David Morley
showing the advance party
arriving at the harbour
about to disembark

Great excitement and expectation as Operation Zest gets underway :

Desi Repetto's picture of Hilary Rogers with her grandson and nephew watching the excitement unfolding in the harbour below as the RFA's array of landing craft bring vehicles and equipment ashore for Operation Zest to re-furbish Calshot Harbour
on Day 1 - Thursday 28th February 2008

What Lobster again?

Many of the Operation Zest team had accommodation ashore.

Over 20 Royal Engineers were sleeping in the Prince Philip Hall, 6 at the Mabel Clark Guesthouse and the medical team are based at Camogli Hospital.

 

Prince Philip Hall Extension

Anne Green has sent these images, left and below left,
of the Royal Engineers' 'camp' outside the Prince Philip Hall,
showing in front the eating tent, with the kitchen attached right.

REs sleep inside the Hall , and others in the Calshot Hospital,
Corporal Glass and Mabel Clark Guest Houses
Tent pegs can't be used on the concrete, so large boulders have been used to weigh them down, awaiting the first gale! Anne reports that the Royal Engineers are working extremely hard on the harbour, have been accepted at part of the community and that everyone appreciates what they are doing for the island.

We are expecting news soon of the weekend events, rumoured to include a party for Islanders in the Prince Philip Hall, re-named 'The Cat's Whiskers' for the occasion. In another comment, Anne adds that, although they are living in the centre of the village 'you hardly know they are there. Very quiet - perhaps that's because the lights go out at 9.30 pm at present!.' Perhaps the new generator will liven things up!

Day 11 : Sunday 10th March 2008

David Morley shot this picture of two of the RE sappers enjoying the South Atlantic sunshine as they took a well earned rest from harbour repair work. But Sunday was not a complete day of rest for Operation Zest as the main Operation Zest Page shows.

Day 19 : Monday 17th March 2008

David Morley took this early morning view of the front of Prince Philip Hall, now re-modelled as 'The Cats Whiskers' - so named as the panther is the emblem of 34 Squadron of Royal Engineers who now sleep in the Hall and have their cooking facilities in the tents partly shown right.
The Sappers travel down Puma Road every morning to their harbour repair work. This road was constructed by engineers from HMS Puma in 1962 to prepare the way from the Islanders return from exile.

Tidy Mess !

View inside the cookhouse tent
outside the Prince Philip Hall
(alias 'The Cat's Whiskers' if you're a sapper)

from David Morley
'Chief' on Guard - on 15th March
Operation Zest Command Team meeting at 'The Captains' Table' outside the mess tent of 34 Squadron and their 'Cat's Whiskers' sleeping quarters inside Tristan's Prince Philip Hall on 16th March.

Islanders' views
of Lyme Bay invasion

Nicky Swain has taken this collection of images showing views from the
Tristan barge Atlantic Isle as she worked unloading RFA Lyme Bay

Left : RFA Lyme Bay
Right: One of Lyme Bay's boats
coming out of the stern dock

 

Left :
Unloading vessels pass one another
on the shuttle service to
unload the Lyme Bay

Right: Inside the Lyme Bay's
stern dock

   

Left and Right :
Views inside RFA Lyme Bay's
extra-ordinary stern dock
(see also views of the dock being
loaded in Portland on our
Harbour News Page)

The Atlantic Isle's crew were
Nicky Swain, Frank Swain,
Barry Swain Rodney Green
and coxswain Clive Glass.

Easter Sunday Broadcast

Royal Navy Captain Paddy McAlpine (right) who is in charge of Operation Zest
and Major Mike Forster, officer in Charge of the Royal Engineers, (right) giving a broadcast to the Tristan community on Atlantic FM on Easter Sunday morning, 24th March 2008.



 

 

They were interviewed by
Administrator David Morley
who sent the photographs
and is pictured right
and below right

Paddy McAlpine and Mike Forster
in more relaxed mood right

     

 

Corporal Layton did an Easter Sunday
live music session on local radio ~

Atlantic FM
was re-named
Panther FM
for the day

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This page first published March 2008