A recently discovered map in the Public Records Office in Kew showing all the proposed Imperial Air Routes has uncovered some interesting unknown finds. The map is dated “Air Routes 1931” but it is suspected that this is a future proposal of sites, probably issued around August or September 1930, prior to the loss of the R101 and when many decisions had been made regarding the next phase of the Airship Programme.
Location
On of the locations which was shown was the proposal of a mast in Keeling Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but also close proximity to Sumatra. The mast is in a strategic location in the Middle of the Indian Ocean, which would be suitable to service the later ships and in the trade winds from South Africa to Australia.
Part of this route is already shown in the proposals made in 1926, and the length of the route would have only been capable by ships of the R102 class. Nothing more is known of the Keeling Island mast, and it is unknown whether the Imperial Air Commission stopped off there en route from South Africa to Australia in 1927. The mast could also service those airships travelling down from Bombay, Colombo to Perth in Australia, as it sits on a geographic line directly southeast connecting those locations.
The Keeling Islands is also known as the Cocos Islands, is a small cluster of some twenty-seven originally uninhabited islands. It wasn’t until the 1820s that explorer John Clunies Ross settled here and found the islands suitable for harvesting coconut palms. He planted hundreds of plants to establish a business on the islands.
In 1927, the surveyor, Lt Nixon , struggled to find a passenger ship that would divert to the isolated archipelago. The ship owners were reluctant due to the fear of running aground on potential reefs surrounding the island. Of the islands, the most suited was Ross Island, being some 5 miles long and over 700 meters wide.
Another provision for the proposed mast would be for the strengthening of the mast against hurricanes. It was noted that the islands had been previously battered by a hurricane in 1909, with wind speeds recorded of 150mph.
Facilities
Whether as an emergency base or as a permanent base, these sorts of extra requirements would need to be taken into account. Along with fresh water, a hydrogen production plan would also need to be able to top up any ship with any vented hydrogen during the voyage. A silicol production plant would also need to be established. A line of supply of coke and other essential consumables could be established from Durban to the Keeling Islands.
Despite seeming remote, the plans for either an emergency base or a permanent main base on the Keeling Islands would have made a very interesting and unique location. However, due to the loss of the R101, the plans for the extension of the Imperial Airship scheme remained thus, just as plans.