Being an x-military brat, stationed in San Salvador, Bahamas (now an extension of Disney World) I use to research these military islands... More information on Diego Garcia http://www.mydiegogarcia.com/.
Diego Garcia is said to have been discovered way back when by 2 Portuguese men. One's last name was, yes, Diego and the other was Garcia. They had discovered it on two separate journeys, but both arrived back about the same time and both of them laid claim to being the first to discover a new island. Well, since they could not agree to who found it first, they used both their names and so today we have it--Diego Garcia.
There are times, however, when the U.S. military considers this 17-square-mile atoll of coral and sand in the middle of the Indian Ocean one of the most valuable places on Earth. A British dependency, Diego Garcia was developed as a joint U.S.-UK air and naval refueling and support station during the cold war. Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean and out of cyclone range, it was ideal for keeping an eye on the Soviet Union.
Diego Garcia proved to be critically important as a refueling base during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and during Operation Desert Fox, it served as a base for B-52 bombers, which on Dec. 17, 1998, launched nearly 100 long-range cruise missiles aimed at Iraq. Beginning on Oct. 7, 2001, the United States again used Diego Garcia when it launched B-1 and B-52 bomber attacks against Afghanistan, in retaliation for the Taliban's harboring of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Currently, a number of al-Qaeda suspects are being held and interrogated on the island. Hambali (Riduan Isamuddin), the leader of the Asian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, responsible for the 2002 terrorist bombing in Bali, is currently being held on the island. During the 2003 British and American-led war against Iraq, the Diego Garcia once again played a crucial strategic role.
The fact that Diego Garcia is more than 3,000 miles south of Iraq, and just a shade closer to Afghanistan, did not pose the logistical problem one might expect. According to the U.S. Air Force, B-52s have an "unrefueled combat range in excess of 8,800 miles." (During the Gulf War, B-52s took off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, launched cruise missiles on Iraq, and returned to Barksdale 35 hours later-the longest non-stop combat mission in the history of the B-52.)
-----Original Message-----
From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Tom Hula
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 6:51 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: OT: Tsunami and Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia Personnel Safe, Facilities Intact Following Tsunami
Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory - Navy personnel on board Naval
Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean are safe following the
earthquake and subsequent tsunami that had devastating effects on Southeast
Asia. Facilities and operations were not affected.
Favorable ocean topography minimized the tsunami's impact on the atoll.
Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Archipelago, situated on the southernmost
part of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge. To the east lies the Chagos Trench, a
400 mile long, underwater canyon that ranges in depth from less than 1,00
meters below the surface to depths that plunge to over 5,000 meters. It is
one of the deepest regions of the Indian Ocean.
Diego Garcia is located to the west of Chagos Trench, which runs north and
south. The depth of the Chagos Trench and grade to the shores does not allow
for tsunamis to build before passing the atoll. The result of the earthquake
was seen as a tidal surge estimated at six feet.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Christidis" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 1:28 PM
Subject: [HP3000-L] OT: Tsunami and Diego Garcia
> Hi folks,
>
> While I make it a point to avoid 'OT:' subjects, I thought that I'll turn
> to the collective wisdom of the list to, perhaps, satisfy my curiosity.
>
> In the middle of the Indian ocean there is an island (an atoll actually)
> named Diego Garcia where we (the US) have a naval base. While the average
> ground elevation of the site is around 4 feet, the tsunami's impact on
> Diego Garcia has not been mentioned in the news. We know that the tidal
> wave reached all the way to Africa and the Arabian peninsula (which are
> further away than Diego Garcia). Is the apparent 'silence' due to the
> fact that no damage occurred or the fact that we are dealing with a
> military base?
>
> Regards
> Paul Christidis
>
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