Bluff Cove
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Bluff Cove ( or ) is a sea
inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ...
and settlement on
East Falkland East Falkland () is the largest island of the Falkland Islands, Falklands in the South Atlantic, having an area of or 54% of the total area of the Falklands. The island consists of two main land masses, of which the more southerly is known as L ...
, in the
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...
, on its east coast. It was the site of secondary landings of the
Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
of 1982, which resulted in a successful attack of the
Argentine Air Force The Argentine Air Force (, or simply ''FAA'') is the air force of Argentina and one of three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. In 2018, it had 13,837 military and 6,900 civilian personnel. FAA commander in chief is Brigadie ...
, which came to be known as the Bluff Cove Disaster. It is near the Mount Pleasant highway overlooking a small harbour. On the 8 June 1982, the 1st Welsh Guards were aboard RFA ''Sir Galahad'' also waiting to be landed at Bluff Cove when ''Sir Galahad'' and RFA ''Sir Tristram'' were attacked by Argentinian Skyhawk fighters who caught them by surprise. Both ships were badly hit. The explosions and subsequent fires resulted in heavy casualties on board ''Sir Galahad''. Forty-eight people, including thirty-two
Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WLSH GDS; ), part of the Guards and Parachute Division, Guards Division, is one of the Foot guards, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the World War I, First ...
, were killed or severely wounded, with many suffering terrible burns. The wreck of ''Sir Galahad'' was scuttled after the war, torpedoed by the submarine HMS ''Onyx''. The hulk was declared a
war grave A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...
. The disabled ''Sir Tristram'' was transferred to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
where she underwent a major overhaul.


Climate

Tundra climates are characterised by sub-freezing mean annual temperatures, large annual temperature ranges, and moderately low precipitation.


Tourist Destination and Penguin Habitat

The farm encompassing Bluff Cove was purchased in 2005 by Hattie and Kevin Kilmartin. The cove houses a large number of penguins, including King Penguins, Gentoos, and other wildlife such as Skua seabirds, Ruddy Headed Geese, and Falkland Steamer ducks. Today the cove is private and can only be accessed by tours purchased onboard the visiting cruise ships, meaning visitors arriving at the Falkland Islands by any other means cannot visit.


Sea Cabbage Cafe

The cove contains a cafe named 'The Sea Cabbage Cafe', that serves tea and home-baked goods including biscuits and cakes, and has a seating area. A tea or coffee, and two baked goods items are offered on a complimentary basis to each guest. The site also contains a gift shop with themed merchandise and a small museum discussing the history of the site.


Bluff Cove Museum

The Museum displays range from penguins to pioneers and include the life of Falkland Island sheep farmers and the history of Bluff Cove Farm. Find out about the qualities of Falkland wool, local woollen crafts and spinning the wool into yarn. The farm exhibits also tell the role of horses on Falkland farms, and about life in “camp” (the countryside, taken from the Gaucho word “campo”); schooling, transport including the air taxis and coastal shipping, communications, traditional music, peat cutting, Sports Week and doctor’s camp visits. Other exhibits include: Falkland Flavours – as well as the rearing of farm animals, harvesting our seasonal wild foods – egging, gosling-chasing, fishing, berry-picking and foraging for mushrooms. Charles Darwin rode with Gauchos across the farm in 1834 on his round the world scientific journey which led to his theory of evolution. The “Sugar Wreck” (Prussian Barque Adeline) – one of many shipwrecks around our coast – wrecked at Bluff Cove in 1863, was named after a cargo of “sugar loaves”, which gave their name to mountains such as Sugar Loaf in Rio. The 1982 war with Argentina, focusing on the Yellow Beach landings on Bluff Cove Farm and life during the occupation. The defeat of Argentina brought back democracy to Argentina and permitted the Falkland Islanders to determine their own futures. Lagoon wildlife and marine life, the geology, stone-runs and fossils. And the role of the Falkland Islands in fishing, sealing and whaling.


References

Coves Inlets of the Falkland Islands Populated places on East Falkland {{Falklands-geo-stub