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Addu Atoll (local administrative name 'Seenu Atoll') is the southernmost atoll of the Republic of Maldives.
There are not many islands in this atoll, but many of them are large compared to the average size of islands in the Maldives. Most inhabited islands in Addu are in the western reef and these are Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Feydhoo, Gan. All these islands are connected with each other through a road or causeway. The islands of Meedhoo, and Hulhudhoo share a large island in the east. The total population of Addu Atoll is just over 28,000.

Contents

Code letter name

Linguistics

British naval base

See also

References

External references

Code letter name

Letters like 'Seenu' are code letters assigned to the present administrative divisions of the Maldives. They are not the proper names of these divisions or atolls. The order followed by the code letters is from north to south, beginning with the first letters of the Dhivehi alphabet. These code letters have become popular among tourists and foreigners in the Maldives who find them easier to pronounce than the true atoll names in Dhivehi, (save a few exceptions, like Ari Atoll).
The introduction of code-letter names has been a source of much puzzlement and misunderstandings, especially among foreigners. Many people have come to think that the code-letter of the administrative atoll is its new name and that it has replaced its geographical name. Under such circumstances it is hard to know which is the correct name to use.
Aware of the extent of this problem, Maldivian expert Mr. Ibrahim Luthfee wrote a book on Maldivian geography before he died. With this book, which is unfortunately available only in Divehi, the late Mr. Luthfee tried to clear a number of misconceptions that carelessly researched tourist publications have generalized even among Maldivians. Much of this article has been translated and adapted from his posthumous work. ^[1]

Linguistics

The dialect spoken in this atoll (Addu bas) is quite different from the official form of the Dhivehi language. It has some affinities with the language of Fua Mulaku Moloki bas.
Traditionally all educated islanders from the three different atolls of the south adopted the Addu language as lingua franca. Hence, when for example an islander of Huvadhu met with another from Fua Mulaku, they would use the Addu bas to talk to each other.
The secessionist government of the Suvadive republic hiowever, used the Malé language in its official correspondence.

British naval base

The Royal Navy established a base ("Port T") on the island of Gan (pronounced “Yahn”) in 1941, during World War II. During the Cold War it was used as an outpost becoming RAF Gan from 1957.
The original naval base was established as a fall-back for the British Eastern Fleet. Despite public pronouncements to the contrary, the official view was that the main base at Singapore would be untenable if the Japanese made serious headway in Malaya and Java - which, in the event, is what happened in 1942. The intention had been to operate from Trincomalee, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Upon inspection, however, the naval commander-in-chief, Admiral James Somerville found the port inadequate, vulnerable to a determined attack and open to spying. An isolated island base with a safe, deep anchorage in a suitably strategic position was required, and Addu met the requirements. Once available, its facilities were used extensively by the Fleet.
Royal Navy engineers landed in August 1941 from HMS ''Guardian'' to clear and construct airstrips on Gan for the Fleet Air Arm. In the interim, Catalina and Sunderland flying boats operated from jetties on the northern, sheltered side of Gan. Large oil tanks were built on Gan, and on Hitaddu Island on the western edge of the atoll; vital elements for a naval base. These were visible from a long distances at sea, but this was unavoidable, given the atoll's low profile.
Ship's supplies for the fleet were provided from a pair of Australian refrigerated ships, ''Changte'' and ''Taiping'' that included Attu in a number of bases that they serviced regularly. Three times these ships replenished forty or more ships of the Eastern Fleet. Several large Australian Imperial Force troop convoys also refueled at Addu on their way from Aden to Fremantle, Western Australia.
The six major islands were garrisoned by the 1st Royal Marine Coast Defence Regiment, manning shore batteries and anti-aircraft guns. To facilitate the defence, causeways were built connecting the western islands of Gan, Eyehook, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo and, much later in the war, they were linked by a light railway. Attu was an unpopular posting due to the hot, humid climate, lack of recreational facilities and lack of socialising with the local population.
The Japanese remained unaware of the base’s existence until their plans for expansion in south-east Asia had come to nothing, even during their carrier raids in the Indian Ocean in April 1942. Later in the war, submarine reconnaissance established the base’s existence. Despite openings into the lagoon being permanently closed by anti-submarine nets, the German U-boat U-183 torpedoed the tanker ''British Loyalty'' in March 1944 (she had been previously torpedoed and sunk at Diego Suarez); it was an impressive long-range shot from outside the atoll through a gap in the anti-torpedo nets. Although seriously damaged, the tanker did not sink. She was not fully repaired but kept as a Ministry of War Transport Oil Fuel Storage Vessel. There was significant oil pollution after this incident and British personnel were used to clean the lagoon.
On 5 January 1946, ''British Loyalty'' was scuttled southeast of Hithadhoo Island in the Addu Atoll lagoon. After some years of leaking oil, she has become a popular dive location.
In 1957, the naval base was transferred to the Royal Air Force. As RAF Gan, it remained in intermittent service until 1976, when British Forces withdrew.
Most of the employees who had experience working for the British military spoke good English. When the base at Gan was closed for good they turned to the nascent tourism industry for employment. As a result, there was an influx of Addu people to Malé seeking employment in the nearby resorts and also looking for education to their children.

See also

★ United Suvadive Republic

References

1. ''Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru''. Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee. G.Sōsanī. Malé 1999.

External references

★ Royal Navy on Addu Atoll

★ The ''British Loyalty''