Plane Island (french: Île Plane;

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: Phalans Insula) also known as Piana or andin

Tunisian Arabic Tunisian Arabic, or simply Tunisian, is a set of dialects of Maghrebi Arabic spoken in Tunisia. It is known among its over 11 million speakers aeb, translit=Tounsi/Tounsiy, label=as, تونسي , "Tunisian" or "Everyday Language" to distingu ...

as (Standard ar, الجزيرة المنبسطة, ''al-Jazira al-Munbasita''), is a flat, rocky island in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

roughly off

Cape Farina Cape Farina (french: Cap Farina) is a headland in Bizerte Governorate, Tunisia. It forms the northwestern end of the Gulf of Tunis. The Tunisian towns of Ghar el-Melh (the ancient Castra Delia), Rafraf, Lahmeri, and the beach of Plage Sidi Ali ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. It has a lighthouse.

History

Plane Island is possibly the "Terapse" or "Phalans Island" ( la, Phalans Insula) of ancient geographers. During the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, an error in navigation caused Captain Charles Tyler to wreck the captured frigate ''L'Aigle'' on Plane Island in July 1798 while operating against the French and pirates in the area. All of the crew were saved, and Captain Tyler was not held liable for the loss. After the establishment of French control over Tunisia,

Ernest Cosson Ernest Saint-Charles Cosson (22 July 1819 – 31 December 1889) was a French botanist born in Paris. Cosson is known for his botanical research in North Africa, and during his career he participated in eight trips to Algeria. In several of these ...

studied the plant life on Plane Island in May, 1888. The

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

ship ''Scheldepas'' ran aground off Plane Island on March 14, 1929. The crew was rescued by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

ship ''Tabarka''. The

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

ship ''Michael L. Embricios'' ran aground on Plane Island on November 22, 1931. 30 crew were rescued by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

ship ''Alaya''. The sea lanes around Plane Island were mined by the Allies during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. As part of Operation Retribution, the Allied blockade of

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

attempts to flee from occupied Tunisia to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, HMS ''Lookout'' captured 13 Germans and Italians off Plane Island on 13 May 1943. A little later, HMS ''Laforey''en route from repairs in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

stopped by Plane Island, discovering 23 Axis soldiers and taking them

prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

Lighthouse

The island's lighthouse has the designation numbers ARLHS TUN-024, Admiralty E6414, and NGA 22056. It was erected by the French colonial authorities in 1888. It is a square tower with white and red bands, rising from its keeper's house. The tower stands high. Its red lantern remains in use. It flashes twice every 10 seconds with a focal-plane height of ; it is visible for ..

Transportation

The island remains accessible only by boat. It is closed to the public.

Gallery

Tunis Gulf topo map-fr.svg , A French topological map of the

Gulf of Tunis The Gulf of Tunis () is a large Mediterranean bay in north-eastern Tunisia, extending for from Cape Farina in the west to Cape Bon in the east. Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia, lies at the south-western edge of the Gulf, as have a series of ...

, showing Plane Island as ''Île Plane'' IlePlaneFromZaouiaSidiAliElMekki.JPG , The view of Plane Island from

's mountains to the west Cap farine bizerte (2).jpg , The view of Plane Island from Cape Farina's beach File:CapFarinaAndIlePlane2008.JPG , An aerial view from the east ZoomIlePlaneGharElMelh.jpg , The lighthouse

References

Citations

Bibliography

* . * . * . * . * . * {{Authority control Islands of Tunisia Lighthouses in Tunisia Lighthouses completed in 1888