First I’ve heard about this, the outbreak obviously was been all over the news, but this chap disembarked from the boat onto the island and only fell ill later. There’s no airstrip on the island!
BBC.CO.UK Seems he used the cruise ship as a way of getting home to the island. Makes you wonder how any other medical emergency for islanders gets handled
Seems he used the cruise ship as a way of getting home to the island. Makes you wonder how any other medical emergency for islanders gets handled
It’s his only way to get home! I assume he was picked up by the ship on its way out, there are, apparently, two permanent medical staff on the island, for the 221 permanent inhabitants.
Foreign holidays not a thing for residents, when you have to rely on visiting ships for support and supplies.
Noice. Good jolly for the pathfinders, wonder what the medics thought of that jump.
That's going to be quite we the mission getting home.
About ten minutes after I posted this up, it was on the BBC news on the telly!
That's going to be quite we the mission getting home.
Pedalo
Also, for the jump: Totally would if the chance came up. So many awesome things in one jump... A400, non-DZ landing area.
That's going to be quite we the mission getting home.
Would be great if the puddle pirates (Royal Marines) came to pick up the meat-bombs (Paras/Pathfinders).
Soft landing if you miss?
Don't miss...
Tristan Da Cuna has no runway, but does have a golf course. Perfect!
The real heroes here are the RAF.
If something went wrong on the flight, there was a real risk of them ending up stranded on Tristan da Cunha where there are *zero* five star hotels.
I've been fascinated by remote islands for a while, especially British Overseas Territories. I've been fortunate enough to visit Ascension Island and Falklands. Tristan da Cunha looks stunning to visit, perhaps for a few days. But to live there? Absolutely no way. It is so, so remote. Next to no back-up if/when things go wrong. Practically zero opportunity to ever leave the island, only 200 friends / neighbours / relatives (a blurred line between all of them) and very little variety in life. I imaging the community is quite 'intense'.
A version of the Google Street View car has been around so you can have a decent online snoop.
I’m surprised they dropped as many soldiers to accompany the medics as they did
My wife went for work. It’s several days at sea in whatever is passing, usually fishing boats to Johannesburg thru fly homeThat's going to be quite we the mission getting home.
I see the usual social media “bat virus” cranks are claiming this is all a stunt to breed fear in the proles and get more control of them. Presumably the exact same people who if “we” did nothing would be saying “we’ve got military planes and medics doing nothing” and if it did spread would be blaming politicians for not using the army to contain it!
That's going to be quite we the mission getting home.
Pedalo
Also, for the jump: Totally would if the chance came up. So many awesome things in one jump... A400, non-DZ landing area.
Soft landing if you miss?
Not necessarily.
I can see the soft fluffy stuff that cushioned his fall.
I’m surprised they dropped as many soldiers to accompany the medics as they did
Six doesnt seem that many. They arent there just to get the medics to the ground but also provide support. Six seems about the minimum to keep shifts running. I would guess some if not all were chosen due to their medical training.
I've been fascinated by remote islands for a while, especially British Overseas Territories. I've been fortunate enough to visit Ascension Island and Falklands. Tristan da Cunha looks stunning to visit, perhaps for a few days. But to live there? Absolutely no way. It is so, so remote. Next to no back-up if/when things go wrong. Practically zero opportunity to ever leave the island, only 200 friends / neighbours / relatives (a blurred line between all of them) and very little variety in life. I imaging the community is quite 'intense'.
A version of the Google Street View car has been around so you can have a decent online snoop.
Me too, I'm fascinated by people who live on the edge of the world, or beyond it. And like you say, I think the idea of it being nominally "British" makes it more intriguing; likewise some of the really remote French territories. I wondered about the "most remote British Overseas Territory" though: wouldn't Pitcairn fit that bill?
wouldn't Pitcairn fit that bill
Pitcairn is batshit mental. They had a big child abuse scandal and tried arguing that in their culture it was fine to sleep with their 12 year old nieces. The courts disagreed so they had to build themselves a prison so they could lock themselves up.
Yeah, I remember reading about that. It's a tiny population, mostly descended from the mutineers from the Bounty - but another island with no ability to get there by air, and the breaking waves apparently mean you have to go in on a longboat.
wouldn't Pitcairn fit that bill
Pitcairn is batshit mental. They had a big child abuse scandal and tried arguing that in their culture it was fine to sleep with their 12 year old nieces. The courts disagreed so they had to build themselves a prison so they could lock themselves up.
Gives wickerman vibes doesnt it.
I’m surprised they dropped as many soldiers to accompany the medics as they did
Six doesnt seem that many. They arent there just to get the medics to the ground but also provide support. Six seems about the minimum to keep shifts running. I would guess some if not all were chosen due to their medical training.
Two to do the tandem, one or two to navigate to the island (primary and check-nav) as they were dropped over the oggin. Plus extra to clear and cordon the drop zone for supplies, stow parachutes and kit, then the recovery of the airdropped loads. then the running of comms/ops function to whoever is controlling the op, and to assist the medics.
Smallest functional team in the Army is 4 (fireteam) so six + medics seems like a logical decision. These are also quite compent small team operators, the Pathfinders don't operate in large numbers, they're only around a platoon, so 50ish bods.
Fair enough. I don’t know enough about jumping out of planes to have a proper understanding of the logisitcs
Me too, I'm fascinated by people who live on the edge of the world, or beyond it. And like you say, I think the idea of it being nominally "British" makes it more intriguing; likewise some of the really remote French territories. I wondered about the "most remote British Overseas Territory" though: wouldn't Pitcairn fit that bill?
Tristan da Cunha is the most isolated inhabited place on the planet full-stop. I find it fascinating. Even the name of the main settlement "Edinburgh of the Seven Seas" has such a frontier vibe to it.
The entire island was evacuated in the 60s due to a volcanic eruption, all the residents were given the option or permanently re-settling in the UK but almost of them returned to Tristan once it was safe.
Could be worse, could be on the next island over!
Fair enough. I don’t know enough about jumping out of planes to have a proper understanding of the logisitcs
There s a good reel on the MOD Facebook/IG with a POV from the first man out the door. You can catch glimpses of his GPS and nav device. It's time lapse which gives you a sense of the time it takes and the need to have more bodies in the party.
Me too, I'm fascinated by people who live on the edge of the world, or beyond it. And like you say, I think the idea of it being nominally "British" makes it more intriguing; likewise some of the really remote French territories. I wondered about the "most remote British Overseas Territory" though: wouldn't Pitcairn fit that bill?
Tristan da Cunha is the most isolated inhabited place on the planet full-stop. I find it fascinating. Even the name of the main settlement "Edinburgh of the Seven Seas" has such a frontier vibe to it.
The entire island was evacuated in the 60s due to a volcanic eruption, all the residents were given the option or permanently re-settling in the UK but almost of them returned to Tristan once it was safe.
Yeah, I keep falling into the Wikipedia/Google Maps rabbit holes looking up various remote places.
Recently I was looking up the border between Finland, Norway and Russia, plus various places in Greenland and the Canadian high artic on Google Maps. Some "jokers" complaining about lack of sunbeds at various beaches in the high artic on their wacky/ironic reviews is now getting very boring!
I've been fascinated by remote islands for a while, especially British Overseas Territories. I've been fortunate enough to visit Ascension Island and Falklands. Tristan da Cunha looks stunning to visit, perhaps for a few days. But to live there? Absolutely no way. It is so, so remote. Next to no back-up if/when things go wrong. Practically zero opportunity to ever leave the island, only 200 friends / neighbours / relatives (a blurred line between all of them) and very little variety in life. I imaging the community is quite 'intense'.
A version of the Google Street View car has been around so you can have a decent online snoop.
Me too, I'm fascinated by people who live on the edge of the world, or beyond it. And like you say, I think the idea of it being nominally "British" makes it more intriguing; likewise some of the really remote French territories. I wondered about the "most remote British Overseas Territory" though: wouldn't Pitcairn fit that bill?
My wife spent a very memorable part of her childhood not on a remote island. Not a British Overseas Territory but the island of New Britain. And in a remote bay far from settlements. Her Dad chartered a ship out from Australia complete with all the logging equipment to run a business taking 1 tree per hectare…and to build the roads to access them. Getting the timber out and onto a ship was a challenge too. She loved it, but lack of medical care was a definite problem and effectively meant they had to leave.
Just seen the POV from the lead jumper that was posted on FB. Looked like shitty conditions over the island (full cover cloud, relatively low, high winds). I thought they would aim for the golf course as the LZ, but it looked like the winds were strong enough they got pushed back and landed short (and went backwards on flaring, which is not ideal). Or maybe they aimed for nearer the buildings so they had less distance to walk with the kit.
Either way, really good work given the conditions and the loads they were carrying. The LZ looked rocky AF as well, so the lack of injuries is another bonus.
