Georgetown, Ascension

Ascension was first discovered in 1501 by Juan da Nova Castella, but the discovery apparently went unrecorded, and the island was re-discovered on Ascension Day 1503 by Alfonso d'Albuquerque. Subsequently, Ascension was little visited; it was too dry and barren to be of any use to the East Indies fleets. Ascension became strategically significant with the exile of Napoleon to Saint Helena; the British were concerned that it could be used in any attempt to rescue Napoleon. Thus a small British naval garrison was established on the island in October 1815. By Napoleon’s death in 1821 Ascension had become a victualling station and sanitarium for ships engaged in suppression of the slave trade from the West African coast. In 1823 the garrison was taken over by the Royal Marines and the island remained a naval possession (HMS Ascension, ‘a Sloop of War of the smaller class’) until 1922 when Ascension became a dependency of Saint Helena. In 1942 US Army Engineers built the airfield, but after World War II the island reverted back to the sole use of cable and wireless. In 1957 the US presence was re-established on Ascension with the extension of the Eastern Test Range followed by the construction of a NASA tracking station in 1965/1966 (which has since closed down). In 1966 the BBC constructed a short wave relay station to serve South America and Africa. Ascension came to brief international notice during the Falklands war when it served as a staging post for the British forces en route to and from the Falklands. Ascension Island does not have its own flag or coat of arms. The Union Flag and Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom are used instead. The main export item is Ascension Island postage stamps, first issued in 1922. Tourism was non-existent until recently because of the inaccessibility of the island however guest cottages and a nice hotel have recently opened. Sport fishing is a main attraction for many visitors and the island also “boasts” what was once officially the worst golf course in the world. The course has 18 holes and the greens are in fact brown due to the sand and oil mix used to make them. The rest of the course is made up of volcanic ash and rock, which can make for some interesting rounds.

Georgetown is the main city on the Island of Ascension. Ascension Island is an isolated island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean, around 994 miles (1,600 km) from the coast of Africa, and 1,398 miles (2,250 km) from the coast of South America. As Ascension Island and St. Helena are desolate islands, the RMS Saint Helena visits Ascension Island approximately once a month linking the island to Walvis Bay (Namibia), St Helena and Cape Town. The US military service their base and facilities with a regular supply ship and air transport.