Les Casquets
Les Casquets or (The) Casquets (/kæsˈkɛts/ kas-KETS); is a group of rocks 13 km northwest of Alderney and 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.
Contents
Origin of name
Theories as to the origin of the name include:
- derivation from the French 'cascade', which alludes to the tidal surges which 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 wrecks on the islets; fierce tides reaching 6–7 knots on springs and a lack of landmarks account for many wrecks in the area. The most famous include SS Stella, wrecked in 1899. The largest wreck was the 8000 tonne water tanker Constantia S lost in 1967.[2]
It was believed for centuries that the loss of HMS Victory in 1744 was attributable to wrecking on the Casquets, the lightkeeper of Alderney even being court-martialled for failure to keep the light on at the time of the ship's loss. However, when the wreck of that ship was found in 2008, it was over 60 nautical miles (110 km) from the Casquets.[3]
World War II
The island was the location of a daring raid by the forerunner of the British SAS, the SSRF on 2 September 1942; the raid was led by Major Gus March-Phillipps DSO, OBE and was one of the first raids by Anders Lassen VC MC. In the raid the entire garrison of seven was captured and returned to England as prisoners and the radio and lighthouse wrecked.[4][5]
The Casquets in literature
Swinburne's Les Casquets
A. C. Swinburne's poem Les Casquets is based on the Houguez family who actually lived on the island for 18 years. The Houguez were originally from Alderney, and the poem describes their life on Les Casquets. The daughter falls in love with a carpenter from Alderney, but moving to his island, finds life there too busy. She finds the "small bright streets of serene St Anne" and "the sight of the works of men" too much, and returns to Les Casquets.
Victor Hugo's L'Homme qui Rit
Victor Hugo, who lived on Guernsey, and who wrote much about the Channel Islands, says in his novel The Laughing Man (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..."
Gallery
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The Casquets Lighthouses off Alderney 1868.jpg
Les Casquets with lighthouses in 1868
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The Race of Alderney, from the Caskets (about 1868).jpg
Les Casquets looking east (towards Alderney)
References
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- Alderney society and museum – Geology
- Channel Islets – Victor Coysh
External links
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- ↑ Alderney Place Names, Royston Raymond, 1999 Alderney ISBN 0-9537127-0-2
- ↑ www.wrecksite.eu 24 August 2011
- ↑ Wreck of Warship Is Found in English Channel 2 February 2009
- ↑ "Anders Lassen VC MC", Mike Langley
- ↑ "Churchill's Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces", Damien Lewis
