Whiddy Island is an island off
Bantry BayBantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately 35 km from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean...
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
. It is approx 3.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. As late as 1880 it had a resident population of around 450, mainly engaged in fishing and small-scale farming. It currently has a permanent, resident population of 22 people, although there are many visitors in the tourist season, many staying in self-catering accommodation, in the form of several restored traditional island cottages.
Whiddy Island is an island off
Bantry BayBantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately 35 km from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean...
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
. It is approx 3.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. As late as 1880 it had a resident population of around 450, mainly engaged in fishing and small-scale farming. It currently has a permanent, resident population of 22 people, although there are many visitors in the tourist season, many staying in self-catering accommodation, in the form of several restored traditional island cottages. The island is linked to the mainland by the local Island Ferry, The Ocean Star, with return trips several times a day. There is one pub, The Bank House, which opens regularly and also serves food during the summer months. To the present day local economy is mainly fuelled by the fishing and farming industries.
The island was used as a United States air base during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
and now has a large oil terminal for berthing supertankers.
Historical information
In the last few months of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, it was the site of a
US naval air stationNAS Whiddy Island was a US naval air station during the latter period of World War I. Located on Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay, County Cork, Ireland, it was also known as Bantry Bay Station. The base was built by local contractors. The first US personnel arrived on 12 March 1918 and flight operations...
. The US Navy's Air Wing established a seaplane base which was on the western end of Whiddy Island and became operational on 25 September 1918 when the first two planes arrived. They controlled an area around Fastnet. One of the planes crashed on the 22nd. October 1918 killing one. The base had an operational radio station receiving messages from as far as The US and Russia. Five planes were based in Whiddy. With the
ArmisticeAn armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
in November 1918 the rationale for maintaining it was ended and the station closed in January 1919. The following planes were based in Whiddy 1918:
- H16s, Nos. A1072 (crashed 22 October 1918 killing one airman),
- A1078, A1084, A3466, A4047, A4048, these were the pusher
An aircraft constructed with a pusher configuration has the engine mounted forward of the propeller - which faces in a rearwards direction - giving an appearance that the aircraft is "pushed" through the air. Sometimes the propeller is situated at the rear of the fuselage - more often at the rear...
type of aircraft with the engine and propellor behind the pilot.
- The H16 Large America, planes were made by Curtiss, at Buffalo, New York. They were 46ft. long, a wing span of 95ft two 400h.p. Liberty 12 engines, four Lewis machine guns a bomb load of four 230 pounders a crew of five consisting of a pilot, two observers, a mechanic and a wireless operator.
It is the site of a large oil terminal constructed in the late 1960s by
Gulf OilGulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies...
.
On Monday, January 8, 1979 a French oil tanker, the
Betelgeuse, was unloading a cargo of crude oil at the oil terminal when it exploded. The blast and subsequent fire killed 50 people. This was known as the Betelgeuse incident and is considered to be the worst maritime disaster in Irish history. The terminal, which had been operational since 1969, was never fully repaired. It was transferred to the Irish government in 1986 after which it was used to hold the Irish strategic oil reserve.
Archaeology
- Early Ecclesiastical Enclosure, Kilmore
- Protestant Graveyard, Kilmore
- Holy Well, Kilmore
- The "Cup and Saucer", a drinking fountain made by American soldiers during WW1, Reenavanny
- Redoubts, Reenavanny built 1806/1807 for 100–150 men 8–12 guns
- Tower House, Reenavanny Castle of O'Sullivan Bere collapsed in storm 1920
Townlands
The
townlandA townland is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland, believed to be of Gaelic origin; the term was at one time also used in Scotland.-Etymology:...
s are:
- Crowangle
- Reenahunnick
- Kilmore
- Rathcool
- Reenavanny
- Close
- Tranaha
- Gorraha
- Traggabrandy