ASCENSION ISLAND

34 square miles of rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, which enjoyed a brief spurt of fame during the Falklands War in 1982.

-----------------------------------------------------------

1501: Portuguese explorer Juan de Nova Castella discovers the island and names it Conception.

1503: Spanish explorer Alfonso d'Albequerque - yes, he did have a US city named after him! - rediscovers the island on Ascension Day (forty days after Easter Monday) and gives it a new name.

1815: The British seize the island to prevent it being used in any attempt to free Napoleon, being held on St. Helena. It is of little other use, as its low rainfall makes it of little use to passing ships. It does however become a useful base for the West Africa Squadron's operations against the slave trade.

1899: Transatlantic cables reach the island, which becomes (and remains) a communications hub.

1922: Ascension becomes a dependency of St. Helena.

1941: U-boat U-124 approaches the island, but retreats when fired on by the Georgetown battery.

1942: The Americans enter WW2 and build an airbase at Wideawake.

1982: The island becomes a vital link in the assembly of the task force to liberate the Falkland Islands.

-------------------------------------------------------