Les Casquets
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | English Channel, northwest of Alderney |
Coordinates | 49°43′19″N 2°22′37″W / 49.72194°N 2.37694°W |
Administration | |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 (2007) |
Les Casquets or (The) Casquets (/kæsˈkɛts/ kas-KETS) is a group of rocks eight miles (13 km) northwest of Alderney in the Channel Islands; they are administered by the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The rocks are part of an underwater sandstone ridge. Other parts which emerge above the water are the islets of Burhou and Ortac. Little vegetation grows on them.
Origin of name
Theories as to the origin of the name include:
- derivation from the French "cascade", which alludes to the tidal surgeswhich flow around them;
- derivation from "casque", referring to the helmet-like shape of the rocks;
- derivation from "cas" (broken) and "quet" (rock).
A map (Leyland map) dated from around 1640 gives a Latin name Casus Rupes (broken rocks), which would seem to confirm the third theory above,[1] but which may be a folk etymology.
History
Wrecks
There have been numerous
It was believed for centuries that
World War II
The island was the location of a daring raid by a British commando unit on 2 September 1942. The raid was led by Major Gus March-Phillipps and was one of the first raids by Anders Lassen. In the raid the entire garrison of seven was captured and returned to England as prisoners and the radio and lighthouse wrecked.[5][6]
In literature
Swinburne's Les Casquets
Victor Hugo's L'Homme qui Rit
To be wrecked on the Casquets is to be cut into ribbons; to strike on the Ortac is to be crushed into powder... On a straight frontage, such of that of the Ortac, neither the wave nor the cannon ball can ricochet... if the wave carries the vessel on the rock she breaks on it, and is lost...
C. S. Forester's Hornblower and the Hotspur
In this tenth published, but third chronologically, of C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series of novels, the titular hero of Hornblower and the Hotspur[8] (published in 1962) is sent to reconnoitre the port of Brest in anticipation of war with France. The Casquets are mentioned as an area that should be negotiated carefully on the way there.
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Les Casquets with lighthouses in 1868
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Les Casquets looking east (towards Alderney)
See also
References
- ISBN 0-9537127-0-2
- ^ Byrne, Rob (14 February 2019). "HMS Victory: The English Channel's 'abandoned shipwreck'". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Constantia S. (Forward Part) [+1967]". www.wrecksite.euMV. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Broad, William J (2 February 2009). "Treasure Hunters Say They've Found a 1744 Shipwreck". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ISBN 978-1473879515
- ISBN 978-1848668553
- ISBN 978 0 7509 6879 9.
- Forester, C. S. (1962). Hornblower and the Hotspur. Michael Joseph.
External links
- Thumbnails of pictures of Les Casquets, John's CI Postcard Site, 2 March 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- SS Stella website (requires JavaScript)
- The Alderney Museum Main Gallery – Geology. The Alderney Society