Plane Island

Coordinates: 37°10′53.8″N 10°19′42.3″E / 37.181611°N 10.328417°E / 37.181611; 10.328417
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Plane Island
Île Plane
الجزيرة المنبسطة
Plane Island, seen from the north in 2010
Plane Island is located in Tunisia
Plane Island
Plane Island
Geography
Coordinates37°10′53.8″N 10°19′42.3″E / 37.181611°N 10.328417°E / 37.181611; 10.328417
Administration

Plane Island (

Arabic: الجزيرة المنبسطة, al-Jazira al-Munbasita), is a flat, rocky island in the Mediterranean Sea roughly 3.75 kilometers (2.3 mi) off Cape Farina, Tunisia.[4] It has a lighthouse
.

History

Plane Island is possibly the "Terapse"

During the Napoleonic Wars, an error in navigation caused Captain Charles Tyler to wreck the captured frigate L'Aigle on Plane Island in July 1798[7] while operating against the French and pirates in the area. All of the crew were saved, and Captain Tyler was not held liable for the loss.[8]

After the establishment of

control over Tunisia, Ernest Cosson studied the plant life on Plane Island in May, 1888.[9]

The

British ship Tabarka.[10][11] The Greek ship Michael L. Embricios ran aground on Plane Island on November 22, 1931. 30 crew were rescued by the German ship Alaya.[12][13][14]

The sea lanes around Plane Island were

Malta—stopped by Plane Island, discovering 23 Axis soldiers and taking them prisoner
.

Lighthouse

The island's lighthouse has the designation numbers ARLHS TUN-024, Admiralty E6414, and NGA 22056.[4]

It was erected by the

French colonial authorities in 1888. It is a square tower with white and red bands, rising from its keeper's house. The tower stands 12 meters (39 ft) high. Its red lantern remains in use. It flashes twice every 10 seconds with a focal-plane height of 20 meters (65 ft); it is visible for 20–28 kilometers (11–15 nmi).[16]

Transportation

The island remains accessible only by boat. It is closed to the public.[4]

Gallery

  • A French topological map of the Gulf of Tunis, showing Plane Island as Île Plane
    A French topological map of the Gulf of Tunis, showing Plane Island as Île Plane
  • The view of Plane Island from Cape Farina's mountains to the west
    The view of Plane Island from Cape Farina's mountains to the west
  • The view of Plane Island from Cape Farina's beach
    The view of Plane Island from Cape Farina's beach
  • An aerial view from the east
    An aerial view from the east
  • The lighthouse
    The lighthouse

References

Citations

  1. ^ Taylor (1874), p. 18.
  2. ^ Francalanci & al. (1994), p. 74.
  3. ^ "7510: De Cap Blanc à Jaziret el Monbasta", Tunisia Nautical Charts, Tunis: Centre Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine Nationale, 2007. (in French)
  4. ^ a b c Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Tunisia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  5. ^ "E Cap Sidi el Mekkik", Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire, 2013.
  6. ^ De Graauw, Arthur (2018), "North Africa", The Catalogue of Ancient Ports & Harbours, Grenoble{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  7. ^ Nicholas (1997), p. 103.
  8. ^ Hepper (1994), p. 87.
  9. ^ SSNT (1967), p. 109.
  10. ^ "Casualty Reports", The Times, vol. 45143, London, 16 March 1929, p. 22{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  11. ^ "SS Scheldepas (+1929)". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Casualty Reports", The Times, vol. 45987, London, 23 November 1931, p. 21{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  13. ^ "Greek Steamer Beached", The Times, vol. 45988, London, 24 November 1931, p. 20{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  14. ^ "The Michael L. Embiricos Refloated", The Times, vol. 45993, London, 30 November 1931, p. 23{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  15. ^ Playfair & al. (1966), p. 249.
  16. East Machias
    : FogHorn Publishing.

Bibliography