title: Danny John-Jules

text: Among other productions, John-Jules was the dancer from the crowd in the Wham! video for "The Edge Of Heaven". He gets up partway through the instrumental section and dances alongside George Michael. John-Jules also danced on the Lena Zavaroni TV Series in 1981, and has made a tribute to her on her website.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: On television, John-Jules is best known for his portrayal of Cat and Cat's geeky alter ego Dwayne Dibbley in the British comedy series "Red Dwarf". He obtained the part of Cat by turning up half an hour late for his audition, dressed in his father's old zoot suit. He was unaware that he was late and hence did not appear at all concerned about it. The producers immediately decided he was cool enough to be "the Cat". Craig Charles said at a "Red Dwarf" convention that John-Jules was a lot like the Cat in that he had a lot of clothes. He said, "Danny John-Jules could change his clothes every four seconds for a year and he still wouldn't run out of clothes." Along with Charles, John-Jules is the only other cast member to appear in every episode of "Red Dwarf" to date.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: His first acknowledged television and film roles were in Roy Minton's critically acclaimed "Scum", where he played one of the inmates. The TV version, which was part of the "Play for Today" strand, was banned prior to broadcast.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: He has also played the parts of Barrington in "Maid Marian and her Merry Men", Byron Lucifer in "The Tomorrow People" and Milton Wordsworth, the original presenter of "The Story Makers" on CBeebies.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: Since 1999, he has had several guest appearances as himself in shows such as "Comedy Connections", "" and "Night Fever".


title: Danny John-Jules

text: In 2002 he played Milton Wordsworth in the CBeebies series The Story Makers – an educational children's television programme that was broadcast between 2002 and 2004 that consisted of 4 series. He appears in every series except series 2.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: He has also appeared in at least one episode of CBBC's sitcom "Kerching!", playing Michael's father, Trevor and appeared as Lenny Bicknall in series 1 and 2 of "M.I.High", also on CBBC. He has also appeared in "The Crouches".


title: Danny John-Jules

text: On 8 November 2009, he made a brief appearance during BBC Two's coverage of the 2009 Valencian Moto Grand Prix.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: In 2014, he played Nigel Rogers in "The Life of Rock with Brian Pern". In May 2015, it was announced that he would, again, be returning to "Red Dwarf" for the eleventh and twelfth series.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: In 2004, Jules played a character on the SF comedy "Starhyke", but the series remained in post-production for five years, being shown only privately in 2009, the rights finally being bought by Amazon.com in 2015 and released in 2016.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: He appeared in the BBC One series "Death in Paradise" as policeman Dwayne Myers from its start until 2018. He returned as a guest star for the Death in Paradise Christmas Special in 2021.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: It was announced that John-Jules plays the lead as Sir Leigh Teabing in the stage version of hit novel The Da Vinci Code's 2022 UK tour.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: John-Jules' film career began in 1975 playing Frog in the short film "Seven Green Bottles", which was produced in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police and warned of the dangers and consequences of juvenile crime. He supplied the voice for two characters in "Labyrinth" (1986), then appeared in the 1986 version of "Little Shop of Horrors", "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998), and "Blade II" (2002). He has also appeared, uncredited, in the 1979 British film "Scum", playing a look-out during a fight scene.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: He has appeared in the 2008 British films "The Grind" and "Sucker Punch". He has a small role as Rachel Weisz' manager in the Lincoln, Nebraska police force in the 2010 film "The Whistleblower".


title: Danny John-Jules

text: John-Jules also played one of the dancers in the 1981 movie "The Great Muppet Caper", which, like "Little Shop Of Horrors", was directed by Frank Oz. He is among the dancers in the restaurant where Kermit and Miss Piggy are dancing.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: John-Jules provided his voice for the character of Gex in the UK and European release of "Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko". For several years in the late 1990s he appeared in the annual Christmas pantomime at Aldershot's Princes Hall theatre, playing his "Cat" character. John-Jules has also provided voices for the British Canadian animated series "Chop Socky Chooks" for Cartoon Network, Teletoon and Aardman Animations and the 2015 remake of the British children's animated series "Bob the Builder".


title: Danny John-Jules

text: John-Jules participated in the 16th series of "Strictly Come Dancing", partnered with professional dancer Amy Dowden. In week 5 he topped the leaderboard with a total of 37 points for his jive. The couple were awarded the first 10 score of the series when Darcey Bussell marked their Jive to "Flip, Flop and Fly" in week 5. The couple were eliminated in Week 8 after losing a dance off to Graeme Swann and Oti Mabuse, their elimination came days after controversial bullying allegations, with tabloids reporting that John-Jules had reduced Dowden to tears.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: John-Jules is married to Petula Langlais; the couple have two children, both of whom have had minor acting roles alongside their father. He is also an avid motorcyclist and regularly participates in charity rides.


title: Danny John-Jules

text: In 2008, John-Jules was convicted of assaulting two bin men. He was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service as a punishment and to pay £350 costs and £75 compensation to each man. John-Jules did not accept the common assault convictions and said afterwards he had a "clear conscience".


title: Five (group)

text: Five (stylised as 5ive) are a British boy band from London consisting of members Sean Conlon, Ritchie Neville, and Scott Robinson. They were formed in 1997 by the same team that managed the Spice Girls before they launched their career. The group were mostly known as a five-piece, consisting of Robinson, Neville, Conlon, Abz Love and Jason "J" Brown. Five enjoyed moderate success worldwide, particularly in their native United Kingdom, as well as most of the rest of Europe and Asia.


title: Five (group)

text: According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Five has been certified for 1.6 million albums and 2.8 million singles in the UK. The group sold around 20 million copies worldwide.


title: Five (group)

text: They split up on 27 September 2001. Robinson, Love, Neville, and Brown briefly reformed the group without Conlon (who departed before their 2001 split) in September 2006, with a new management team headed by music manager Richard Beck. Eight months later, having secured a lucrative tour but failing to gain enough record company interest, Five made an announcement via their official website that they would again disband.


title: Five (group)

text: In 2012, the group announced that they were planning another reunion, this time with Conlon on board. Lead singer Brown initially agreed to take part in the reunion, but later changed his mind, claiming that he no longer wanted to be in the public eye. The group continued with only four members, but decided to keep the name Five. Alongside Blue, 911, Atomic Kitten, B*Witched, Honeyz and Liberty X, Five were featured in the ITV2 documentary series "The Big Reunion", which began airing on 31 January 2013. This was followed by a comeback performance at the Hammersmith Apollo on 26 February 2013 and an arena tour around the UK and Ireland in May, which was their first ever tour without Brown. In November and December 2013, Five headlined their own tour, the 5ive Greatest Hits Tour, their first solo tour as a four-piece. In August 2014, Love announced his departure from the band via a tweet, leaving Conlon, Neville and Robinson to continue as a trio.


title: Five (group)

text: In 2021, Five officially released their first single in 20 years, "Keep On Movin" (21 Remix), which they released in June, followed by "Making Me Fall" and "Shangri-La" in August 2021, then "Reset" and "Warm Light" in October 2021. A single titled "Time" was released in November 2021. In December 2021, Five officially announced a release date of 28 January 2022 for their long-awaited fourth album "Time".


title: Five (group)

text: In 1997, an advertisement was placed in the UK performing arts newspaper "The Stage", asking for young male singers/dancers to audition for a boy band-style group with "attitude and edge". Bob and Chris Herbert, the two men who had earlier created the Spice Girls, thought the time was right for a male group. Over 3,000 hopefuls auditioned, including Russell Brand, who performed Extreme's song More Than Words for the judges. They were finally narrowed down to only 14, five of whom had arranged themselves into a group while waiting for their audition. The auditions resulted in a provisional casting of nine members: Richard Breen (now better known as Abz Love), Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson, Sean Conlon, Jason "J" Brown, and stand-by members Peter Cheshire, Paul Taylor, Anthony Baker (rapper) and Ric Hershon. Because his first name was Richard, Breen created the nickname 'Abs' (from his middle name, "Abidin") to avoid confusion with Neville (born Richard Neville Dobson). Cheshire and Taylor were later cut when the final five were chosen in May 1997 and Hershon could not attend the final selection. Baker made it into the band originally, but doubt was cast over his rapping style as his North East accent came through.


title: Five (group)

text: The group were subsequently signed by Simon Cowell and BMG/RCA for a six-album deal. Five practiced and demoed their work at Trinity Studios in Knaphill – the same place the Spice Girls did a few years previously. In November 1997, Five released their debut single "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)", which debuted at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was also released in the U.S. in 1998 but had little chart success, reaching number 86 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, although it was chosen as the NBA's new theme song. In 1998, Five earned their first major international hit, "When the Lights Go Out", which cracked the U.S. top 10 and earned Gold status there soon after. Five then went on an eight-day tour to promote their upcoming album, appearing in a concert special for the Disney Channel with Irish girl group B*Witched, in Times Square in New York City and on MTV's TRL. The debut album "5ive" peaked at number 27 in the U.S. "Billboard" 200 and topped the charts in other countries worldwide, including the UK. A lesser known fact is that there was a 6th member of the group 5ive. Danny Want, was released pre-signing of the first album deal, for reasons unknown to him. The dispute remains unsettled to this day.


title: Five (group)

text: "It's the Things You Do" was released in late 1998 in the U.S., only to receive a lukewarm reception. The group embarked upon a U.S. tour with the American boy band NSYNC, but soon after pulled out due to exhaustion, flying back to England to rest and start work on a new album. Still from the first album, "Got the Feelin'", "Everybody Get Up", and "Until the Time Is Through" were all released as singles in the UK throughout 1998. Five reached the top 5 in several countries around the world, and the latter two singles each rose to the number two spot in the UK. A significant element in Five's popularity was their resemblance to groups such as New Kids on the Block, East 17, the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC in their uptempo musical style and 'street' image, in contrast to Take That, Boyzone, and 98 Degrees, who at the time were primarily known for their ballads. Five also wrote or co-wrote almost all of their own songs, something boy bands had never done much of until then. According to Cowell, Five almost broke the US. Unfortunately they made some bad decisions. When Cowell heard "...Baby One More Time", he wanted Five to have it, but writer Max Martin had given it to Britney Spears. Five were later offered "Bye Bye Bye", but upon hearing the song, they turned it down and dissed it. "Then they went out to Sweden a few weeks later to record a song which they famously turned down, called "Bye Bye Bye." And it really was bye bye bye after that. That would have been the record that broke them. I would have broken that band," Cowell said.


title: Five (group)

text: In August 1999, the first single of their second album, "Invincible", "If Ya Gettin' Down", was released and became a major hit worldwide but yet again failed to go to number 1 in their home country, kept out of the top spot by Ricky Martin. Finally, in October 1999, after three consecutive number-two peaks, "Keep on Movin'" became their first UK number 1, as well as their biggest selling single to date. The second album hit the top five shortly thereafter. "Don't Wanna Let You Go" was released in early March 2000, peaking at number 9. On 3 March 2000, Five opened at the BRIT Awards with rock legends Queen, performing an updated version of that band's hit, "We Will Rock You". That night Five won their first BRIT Award, as "Best Pop Act", and their cover of the Queen song went on to become their second number 1 in the UK in July 2000. The first half of 2000 found Five on a successful world tour, performing concerts in the UK, Europe, Russia, Australasia and—as a foursome—South America, after Neville contracted chickenpox and had to be flown back to England. After finishing the tour, Five continued to perform at many concerts in the UK, including Party in the Park with Queen. A re-issue of "Invincible" included remixed versions of a couple of songs and five live tracks from their tour, as well as a bonus track, "Don't Fight It Baby". Due for release in July 2000 in the US, the song was pulled from release after the group was dropped by their stateside label, Arista Records. Five also had problems with their Asian record company, and subsequently cancelled their Asian tour. Suffering from this major blow, the lads headed back to the studio and started writing songs for their next album. They continued to win awards in the UK and Europe, and in December 2000 launched their second big tour, in their home country.


title: Five (group)

text: In January 2001, Five went to perform at one of the biggest festivals in the world, Rock in Rio in Rio de Janeiro, to an audience of almost 500,000 people. In May 2001, after many months of creative writing and "developing their own personal sound", "Kingsize" was completed. When it was time to begin filming the video for their first single off the album, however, Conlon was unable to appear as he was suffering from a mental breakdown from stress caused by being part of the group. This was not publicly revealed at the time, however, and it was claimed he was ill from glandular fever instead. The "Let's Dance" video was released with a life-size cardboard cut-out standing in for the singer, and rumours that he had in fact left the band had to be quashed. Robinson also needed a time temporarily to be with his son, Brennan Rhys, who was born premature. The remaining three members, Brown, Love and Neville pressed on with heavy promotion of the group's third album and the "Let's Dance" single. Whilst performing at a concert in Belgium in July, Neville tore the tendons in his left foot, putting a halt to all promotion and prompting the group to have a few meetings to re-think their options and future. "Let's Dance" was released in mid August 2001, however, and became their third UK number one, holding the top spot for two weeks. "Kingsize" debuted two weeks later at number three, and went on to achieve Gold status. Two weeks after the release of "Kingsize", the band announced Conlon's departure. Neville said in an interview several years later that the band's management kept Conlon's departure from the band a secret, so they were not aware that he had left when they filmed the "Let's Dance" video.


title: Five (group)

text: On 27 September 2001, after a month of serious meetings with record management, the band announced on MTV Select that it would split after releasing a compilation later that year. The following day, Robinson married his fiancé, Kerry Oaker, at a ceremony with all of his former bandmates in attendance. Years later, Breen revealed he was strongly against the idea of splitting up; he described the break-up as feeling something had been taken from him. On 19 November a "Greatest Hits" album was released with 15 past hits, two remixes and one new song. On 24 November, a double-A-side single with "Closer to Me" and "Rock the Party" was released in United Kingdom with an animated video. The two songs were included on their previous album "Kingsize", but after Conlon's departure, they decided to release as a single from their "Greatest Hits" album. The album was released on United States on 15 February 2002. In the band's short life-span, they experienced success around the world, racking up three number-one singles in the UK and selling an estimate of 15-20 million copies of their records worldwide, including 7 million copies of their albums worldwide and 2 million in the United States, and picking up numerous awards along the way.


title: Five (group)

text: On 17 September 2006, an announcement was made via Five's official Myspace page that a press conference was to be held at The Scala in central London on 27 September. After a venue change due to a shooting at The Scala, the conference was moved to the Bar Academy Islington. It was confirmed at the press conference that four of the five members would be reuniting (Conlon now being committed to his Sony deal). Five recorded new material for what was to be their fourth studio album, working with Guy Chambers, Swedish producer/songwriter Anders Bagge, and French DJs Trak Invaders. They also planned to tour in 2007. By January 2007, Five had completed half of their album and were looking to be signed to a record label with new manager, Richard Beck, who also secured an MTV documentary series titled "Five - The Revive". The album was expected to be released within the next few months. On 8 March 2007, at midnight, Five premiered one-minute clips of three brand new songs that were to have been on the new album. The songs, titled "70 Days", "Settle Down" and "It's All Good" can be heard on the band's official website and also on their Myspace page. On 19 May 2007, only eight months after reforming and having failed to secure a lucrative enough record deal, 5ive announced via their website that they would no longer be pursuing a comeback.


title: Five (group)

text: In 2012, Conlon reunited with his former bandmates to discuss the possibility of a second reunion. Brown initially was willing to take part in the reunion, but the other members preferred to continue as a four-piece, after the psychological problems caused by him to Conlon in the past. The return was announced on 18 October. In 2013, the group took part in "The Big Reunion", where they talked about their time together and the difficulties that came with being in a band. They thought about adding a new fifth member, but gave up. The group auditioned three men to become the new member of the band, but in the end the plan for a fifth member was dropped and Five decided to continue as a four-piece. Brown eventually appeared on "" to deny the accusations made by his bandmates in September 2013. He acknowledged his behaviour could have been seen as loud and overbearing, but he denied bullying Conlon.


title: Five (group)

text: On 16 September 2013, the band picked up the award for Best Music Act (On a Reality TV Show) at the National Reality TV Awards. In November and December 2013, Five embarked on their own tour in UK and Australia, the 5ive Greatest Hits Tour. In March 2014, it was rumored that Love had quit the group, but at the time they denied it. In June 2014, Five supported McBusted on four dates of their McBusted Tour and later that month Love stated that the group's future was uncertain. Love eventually announced that he had left the group in August 2014 via Twitter, without telling the other members beforehand. In an interview a few days before the announcement, Love revealed that he only agreed to reunite with Five because of financial necessity, and was not happy singing teen songs again.


title: Five (group)

text: In February 2016, Five released the compilation "Keep On Movin' – The Best of Five", their first release as a trio.


title: Five (group)

text: In April 2019, the boys announced they would be joined by 911, Damage and A1 for a tour of the UK called "The Boys Are Back!" in 2020. Robinson also stated that there was no chance of the band's original full line-up returning. He told the Press Association: "It wouldn't be down to us to reach out to [Brown and Love]. They've made it very clear they didn't want to be in the band. It's like Take That, with Jason Orange and Robbie Williams leaving. It still works, the songs are still the same." The tour would be interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with shows being rescheduled for 2021.


title: Five (group)

text: In late 2020, Five announced they would be embarking on another Australian Greatest Hits tour in 2021 supported by Australian pop duo "Sister2Sister". On 4 June 2021, after a series of hints and posts counting down, Five unveiled a new logo, cover artwork for "Keep On Movin" (21 Remix) along with a clip, which they announced was available for pre-order on Apple Music. They also stated to watch their social media accounts for bigger news on 11 June 2021.


title: Five (group)

text: On 11 June, the remix was released with the announcement of a new album recorded during the pandemic. On 26 July 2021, Five announced two new singles titled "Shangri-La" and "Making Me Fall" that would be available for pre-order on 31 July 2021, then released on all streaming platforms on 6 August 2021. On 29 July 2021 a snippet of each song was posted to their social media accounts. On 2 September 2021, Five announced the album to be released around Christmas. On 12 September 2021 during the Cardiff show of The Boys Are Back Tour they debuted a live rendition of a ballad called "Reset", which was released alongside the single "Warm Light" on 1 October 2021.


title: Five (group)

text: In October 2021, Five announced the upcoming album would be called "Time" and was due for release around January 2022. The next single from the album would also be called "Time" and would be made available for pre-order on 22 October 2021 setting a release date for 26 November 2021. In December 2021 an official look at the new album cover was given alongside a pre-save link for their new album "Time". The album was released on 28 January 2022.


title: Alderney

text: Alderney (; ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide.


title: Alderney

text: The island's area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick. It is around to the west of the La Hague on the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, in France, to the northeast of Guernsey and from the south coast of Great Britain. It is the closest of the Channel Islands both to France and to the United Kingdom. It is separated from Cap de la Hague by the dangerous Alderney Race ().


title: Alderney

text: As of March 2018, the island had a population of 2,019; natives are traditionally nicknamed after the cows, or else after the many rabbits seen in the island. Formally, they are known as "Ridunians", from the Latin .


title: Alderney

text: The main town, St Anne, historically known as ('The Town'), is often referred to as "St Anne's" by visitors and incomers, but rarely by locals (who, in normal conversation, still most frequently refer to the area centred on Victoria Street simply as "Town"). The town's "High Street", which formerly had a small handful of shops, is now almost entirely residential, forming a T-junction with Victoria Street at its highest point.


title: Alderney

text: The town area features an imposing church and an unevenly cobbled main street: Victoria Street (, the English name being adopted on the visit of Queen Victoria in 1854). There is one school (providing both primary and secondary education), a post office, and hotels, as well as restaurants, banks and shops. Other settlements include Braye, Crabby, Longis, Mannez, La Banque, and Newtown.


title: Alderney

text: Alderney shares its prehistory with the other islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, becoming an island in the Neolithic period as the waters of the Channel rose. Formerly rich in dolmens, like the other Channel Islands, Alderney with its heritage of megaliths has suffered through the large-scale military constructions of the 19th century and also by the Germans during the World War II occupation, who left the remains at Les Pourciaux unrecognisable as dolmens. A cist survives near Fort Tourgis, and Longis Common has remains of an Iron Age site. There are traces of Roman occupation including a fort, built in the late 300s, at above the island's only natural harbour.


title: Alderney

text: The etymology of the island's name is obscure. It is known in Latin as "Riduna" but as with the names of all the Channel Islands in the Roman period there is a degree of confusion. "Riduna" may be the original name of Tatihou, while Alderney is conjectured to be identified with "Sarnia". "Alderney"/"Aurigny" is variously supposed to be a Germanic or Celtic name. It may be a corruption of "Adreni" or "Alrene", which is probably derived from an Old Norse word meaning "island near the coast". Alternatively it may derive from three Norse elements: "alda" (swelling wave, roller), "renna" (strong current, race) and "öy" or "-ey" (island).


title: Alderney

text: Alderney may be mentioned in Paul the Deacon's "Historia Langobardorum" (I.6) as 'Evodia' in which he discussed a certain dangerous whirlpool. The name 'Evodia' may in turn originate from the seven 'Haemodae' of uncertain identification in Pliny the Elder's "Natural History" (IV 16 (30) or Pomponius Mela's "Chronographia" (III 6,54).


title: Alderney

text: Along with the other Channel Islands, Alderney was annexed by the Duchy of Normandy in 933. In 1042, William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy (later William the Conqueror, King of the English) granted Alderney to the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. In 1057, the bishop of Coutances took back control of the island.


title: Alderney

text: After 1204, when mainland Normandy was incorporated into the kingdom of France, Alderney remained loyal to the English monarch in his dignity of Duke of Normandy.


title: Alderney

text: Henry VIII of England undertook fortification works, but these ceased in 1554. Essex Castle perpetuates the name of the Earl of Essex, who purchased the governorship of Alderney in 1591. Prior to the Earl's execution for treason in 1601, he leased the island to William Chamberlain, and Alderney remained in the hands of the Chamberlain family until 1643. From 1612, a Judge was appointed to assist the Governor's administration of Alderney, along with the Jurats. The function of the Judge was similar to that of the Bailiffs of Guernsey and Jersey, and continued until 1949.


title: Alderney

text: During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Alderney was held by a Parliamentary garrison under Nicholas Ling, Lieutenant-Governor. Ling built Government House (now the Island Hall). The de Carterets of Jersey acquired the governorship, later passing it to Sir Edmund Andros of Guernsey, from whom the Guernsey family of Le Mesurier inherited it, thus establishing a hereditary line of governors that lasted until 1825.


title: Alderney

text: Henry Le Mesurier prospered through privateering, and moved the harbour from Longis to Braye, building a jetty there in 1736. Warehouses and dwellings were built at Braye, and the export of cattle generated wealth for the economy. The Court House was built in 1770 and a school in 1790. A Methodist chapel was constructed in 1790, following John Wesley's visit in 1787. An Optical telegraph tower was constructed above La Foulère in 1811, enabling signals to be relayed visually to Le Mât in Sark and on to Guernsey – early warning of attack during the Napoleonic Wars was of strategic importance. With the end of those wars privateering was ended and smuggling suppressed, leading to economic difficulties.


title: Alderney

text: The last of the hereditary Governors, John Le Mesurier, resigned his patent to the Crown in 1825, and since then authority has been exercised by the States of Alderney, as amended by the constitutional settlement of 1948.


title: Alderney

text: The British Government decided to undertake massive fortifications in the 19th century and to create a strategic harbour to deter attacks from France. These fortifications were presciently described by William Ewart Gladstone as "a monument of human folly, useless to us ... but perhaps not absolutely useless to a possible enemy, with whom we may at some period have to deal and who may possibly be able to extract some profit in the way of shelter and accommodation from the ruins." An influx of English and Irish labourers, plus the sizeable British garrison stationed in the island, led to rapid Anglicisation. The harbour was never completed – the remaining breakwater (designed by James Walker) is one of the island's landmarks, and is longer than any breakwater in the UK.


title: Alderney

text: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Alderney on 9 August 1854. The Albert Memorial and the renaming of Rue Grosnez to Victoria Street commemorate this visit.


title: Alderney

text: At the same time as the breakwater was being built in the 1850s, the island was fortified by a string of 13 forts, designed to protect the harbour of refuge. The accommodation quarters of several of the forts have been converted into apartments; two are now private homes; and one, Fort Clonque, at the end of a causeway that can be flooded at high tide, belongs to the Landmark Trust and can be rented for holidays. Scenes from the film "Seagulls Over Sorrento" were shot at Fort Clonque in 1953.


title: Alderney

text: Some of the forts are now in varying stages of dereliction, the most ruined being Les Hommeaux Florains, perched on outlying rocks, its access causeway and bridge having been swept away long ago. Houmet Herbé resembles a Crusader castle with its squat round towers. Like many of the forts, it included such apparently anachronistic features as a drawbridge and machicolation, which were still common in military architecture of the period.


title: Alderney

text: In June 1940, almost the entire population of Alderney of 1,400 was evacuated to Britain. Most went on the official evacuation boats sent from mainland Britain. Some, however, decided to make their own way, mostly via Guernsey, but due to the impending occupation many found themselves unable to leave and were forced to stay on Guernsey for the duration of the war. Eighteen Alderney people elected not to leave with the general evacuation. However, boats from Guernsey came and collected some of them before the German Army arrived, on the basis that it was best for their personal safety. During the Second World War, the Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles that was occupied by Germany, although other parts of the Empire were occupied by the Axis powers.


title: Alderney

text: The Germans arrived to a nearly deserted island, and began to follow their orders to fortify Alderney as part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall. In January 1942, they built four camps in Alderney: two work camps, Lager Helgoland and Lager Borkum, and two concentration camps, Lager Sylt and Lager Norderney. The jail behind the main police station was used by the Nazis as a prison.


title: Alderney

text: The camps were built by the Nazi Organisation Todt (OT) to house the labour used to build fortifications including bunkers, gun emplacements, tunnels, air-raid shelters and other concrete and field fortifications. Lager Norderney, containing Russian and Polish POWs, and the Lager Sylt camp holding Jewish slave labourers, were transferred to SS administration in March 1943 under the control of "Hauptsturmführer" Maximilian List. There are 397 graves in Alderney, which when added to the men who died in ships, takes the total to over 700 out of a total inmate population of 6,000 who lost their lives before the camps were closed and the remaining inmates transferred to France in 1944.


title: Alderney

text: On the return to their island, Alderney evacuees had little or no knowledge of the crimes committed on their island during the occupation, because by December 1945, the first date civilians could return home, all the slave labourers had been sent away and the majority of the German troops left behind were not senior staff. Evidence, however, was all over the island, with concrete fortifications and graveyards for the prisoners kept there during the occupation.


title: Alderney

text: The Royal Navy blockaded the islands from time to time, particularly following the liberation of Normandy in 1944. Intense negotiations resulted in some Red Cross humanitarian aid, but there was considerable hunger and privation during the five years of German occupation, particularly in the final months when the Germans themselves were close to starvation. The Germans surrendered Alderney on 16 May 1945, eight days after the Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe, and seven days after the liberation of Guernsey and Jersey. 2,332 German prisoners of war were removed from Alderney on 20 May 1945, leaving 500 Germans to undertake clearing up operations under British military supervision.


title: Alderney

text: The people of Alderney could not start returning until December 1945 due to the huge cleanup operation needed simply to make the island safe for civilians. When the islanders returned home they were shocked to see the state of the island, with many houses completely derelict: the Germans had burned anything wooden, including front doors, for fuel. Archival and object evidence of the general evacuation in 1940 and the subsequent occupation of Alderney can be found in the Alderney Society Museum.


title: Alderney

text: A series of tunnels also remain in place on Alderney, constructed by forced labour. These are in varying degrees of decay, being left open to the public and the elements.


title: Alderney

text: For two years after the end of the war, Alderney was operated as a communal farm. Craftsmen were paid by their employers, while others were paid by the local government out of the profit from the sales of farm produce. Remaining profits were put aside to repay the British Government for repairing and rebuilding the island. The local people resented being unable to control their own land; this led to the United Kingdom Home Office setting up an enquiry that led to the "Government of Alderney Law 1948", which came into force on 1 January 1949. The law organised the construction and election of the States of Alderney and the justice system; and, for the first time in Alderney, the imposition of taxes. The legislature and judiciary were separated. The position of Judge, who had headed the island's government since the resignation of the last Governor in 1825, was abolished, and the Jurats were removed from their legislative function.


title: Alderney

text: Because of the island's small population, it was believed that the island could not be self-sufficient in running the airport and the harbour, or providing services that would match those of the UK. Taxes were therefore collected into the general Bailiwick of Guernsey revenue funds at the same rate as in Guernsey, and administered by the States of Guernsey. Guernsey became responsible for providing many government functions and services.


title: Alderney

text: The 20th century saw much change in Alderney, from the building of the airport in the late 1930s to the death of the last speakers of the island's Auregnais language, a dialect of the Norman language. The economy has gone from depending largely on agriculture to earning money from the tourism and finance industries. E-commerce has become increasingly important, and the island hosts the domain name registry for both Bailiwicks and dozens of gambling website operators. Alderney has a full regulatory authority in operation.


title: Alderney

text: The States of Alderney (French: États d'Aurigny) is the legislature of the island; it sends two representatives to the States of Guernsey as well. The origin of the States is unknown, but it has operated from the Middle Ages.


title: Alderney

text: The States of Alderney consists of the President, directly elected every four years, and ten States Members, half elected every two years for a four-year mandate. The whole island is a single constituency. William Tate was elected president in June 2019.


title: Alderney

text: While Alderney enjoys full autonomy in law (except in matters of foreign affairs and defence, like the other Channel Islands and the Isle of Man), under the provisions of a formal agreement (known as "the 1948 Agreement") entered into between the Governments of Alderney and of Guernsey, certain matters have been delegated to Guernsey. These are known as 'the transferred services'.


title: Alderney

text: Transferred services include policing, customs and excise, airport operations, health, education, social services, childcare and adoption. (The States of Alderney retains policy control of aviation to and from the island). In return for providing the transferred services Guernsey levies various taxes and duties on Alderney.


title: Alderney

text: Immigration is the responsibility of the UK (UK law applies), with day-to-day operations carried out by the Guernsey Border Agency. In addition to the transferred services, both the UK and Guernsey may legislate on other matters with the consent of the States of Alderney.


title: Alderney

text: The Court of Alderney exercises unlimited original jurisdiction in civil matters and limited jurisdiction in criminal matters. The Court sits with a Chairman (the Judge of Alderney) and at least three of the six Jurats. Appeals are made to the Royal Court of Guernsey, which also exercises some original jurisdiction in criminal matters in Alderney, and thence to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.


title: Alderney

text: For a number of taxation purposes, Alderney is treated as if it were part of Guernsey. Income Tax is administered by the Guernsey Revenue Service but there are some differences between Alderney and Guernsey Income Tax, specifically in the matter of the cap on Income Tax (which is set lower in Alderney than in Guernsey).


title: Alderney

text: From 2016, Alderney took back control of Tax on Real Property (TRP). From 2021, Alderney will be responsible for setting the rate and collecting the Taxation on Real Property (TRP) with Occupier's Rates (OR) now being included within that bill. Alderney will also receive Motor Fuel Excise Duty and Document Duty on property conveyances.


title: Alderney

text: Its climate is temperate, moderated by the sea, and summers are usually warmer than elsewhere in the British Isles.


title: Alderney

text: Under the Köppen climate classification, Alderney has an oceanic climate, however it exhibits characteristics of a Warm-summer Mediterranean climate(Csb). Alderney has cool, wet winters and mild summers with moderate rainfall. February is the coldest month with an average high of 8 C (47 F), and a low of 4 C (40 F). July and August are the warmest months, with an average high of 19 C (66 F), and a low of 13-14 C (56-57 F). October is the wettest month with of rain, and April is the driest month with . Snow is very rare. Average Sunshine hours are around 1780 annually.


title: Alderney

text: Alderney is similar to the other Channel Islands in having sheer cliffs broken by stretches of sandy beach and dunes. The highest point is on the central plateau of the island at .


title: Alderney

text: Alderney and its surrounding islets support a rich flora and fauna. Trees are rather scarce, as many were cut down in the 17th century to fuel the lighthouses on Alderney and the Casquets. Those trees that remain include cabbage trees (due to the mild climate – often miscalled "palms" but of the asparagus family), and there are some small woods dotted about the island. Puffins on Burhou and gannet on Les Étacs (popularly called Gannet Rock) just off Alderney are a favourite of many visitors to the island.


title: Alderney

text: About a quarter of Alderney hedgehogs are of the "white" or "blonde" variety, which does not carry fleas. These are not albinos, but descent of rarely met blonde European hedgehogs, with a blonde pair released on the island in the 1960s. The island had its own breed of cattle, called the Alderney. The pure breed became extinct in 1944, but hybrids remain elsewhere, though no longer on Alderney. In August 2005, the west coast of Alderney and associated islands, including Burhou and Ortac, were designated as Ramsar wetlands of international importance. The Alderney Wildlife Trust helps to manage the two nature reserves, at Longis and Vau du Saou.


title: Alderney

text: The island is surrounded by rocks, which have caused hundreds of wrecks. There are treacherous tidal streams on either side of the island: the Swinge between Alderney and Burhou, just outside the harbour, and Le Raz between the island and the Normandy mainland. The Corbet Rock lies in the Swinge.


title: Alderney

text: For centuries the island had its own dialect of the Norman language called Auregnais, now extinct. It was primarily a spoken language, with only a few known poems and written works using it.


title: Alderney

text: French was once widely used on the island, and increasingly replaced Auregnais from the late 19th century onward, but it ceased to be an official language there in 1966. French declined partly because of the many English and Irish workers in the island from 1850 onwards, building fortifications and providing the garrison soldiers; English prevailed in part due to its use as the medium of education, but also because most of the population was evacuated to the United Kingdom during the Second World War.


title: Alderney

text: However, there is a strong cultural legacy of both languages in the island: most of the local place-names are in French or Auregnais, as are many local surnames. The pronunciation of various local names is also dialectal, e.g. Dupont as "dip-oh" rather than in the traditional Parisian fashion, and Saye (the name of a beach on the island) as "soy". One or two French/Auregnais words are still in common use, e.g. "vraic" (seaweed fertiliser), as well as "impôt," which is the word used for the island's landfill.


title: Alderney

text: Island sports include golf, fishing and water sports, supported by clubs and associations. Alderney competes in the biennial Island Games. Every September, the Alderney Air Races attract a number of aircraft to compete in the deciding and final round for the European Air Racing championship, organised by the Royal Aero Club. This involves high-speed circuits round the airfield, lighthouse, Casquets and then back around.


title: Alderney

text: Partly because of the tourist industry, but mainly to the Ridunians' own drinking culture (there is a common expression elsewhere in the Channel Islands that Alderney is composed of 'two thousand alcoholics, clinging to a rock'), there are restaurants and public houses.


title: Alderney

text: It was one of the last places in the British Isles to introduce a smoking ban in pubs, shops, restaurants and other indoor public places (Guernsey, Jersey, the UK, and the Isle of Man all having outlawed this already). The States of Alderney passed the anti-smoking legislation with the President's casting vote on 13 January 2010; the legislation came into force at 4am on 1 June 2010.


title: Alderney

text: The island has an ageing population. Notable residents of Alderney include authors T. H. White ("The Once and Future King") and Elisabeth Beresford (The Wombles), cricket commentator John Arlott, cricketer Sir Ian Botham, Beatles producer Sir George Martin, actress Dame Julie Andrews, and Olympic swimmer Duncan Goodhew.


title: Alderney

text: Alderney has its own radio station, QUAY-FM, which broadcasts on 107.1 and online. Initially it only operated at seasonal highpoints such as the summer Alderney Week festival, but from 2015 it has broadcast 24 hours a day. It features local news and interviews, music, news from Sky News.


title: Alderney

text: Alderney Week is the island's annual summer festival, beginning the Saturday before the first Monday of August and lasting eight days, it involves islanders and attracts visitors.


title: Alderney

text: Miss Alderney is chosen during the Easter Holiday weekend each year at a public event held at the Island Hall. Application to the event is online, with the winner chosen by a panel of judges made up by non-residents and holidaymakers


title: Alderney

text: Comedy Rocks is an annual run of live stand up comedy gigs mid to late July and early August. The shows feature well known and established comedians from the UK comedy circuit and have so far featured BBC Radio 4's Marcus Brigstocke, Zoe Lyons and Celebrity Get Me Outta Here runner up Joel Dommett.


title: Alderney

text: Every year in mid-September Alderney hosts a motorsport weekend that is organized by the Guernsey Kart and Motor Club. The event has been held for more than 20 years. The event attracts Guernsey drivers who come to Alderney with high powered cars, motorbikes, sidecars and karts.


title: Alderney

text: Race vehicles are shipped to Alderney two days before the event. On the Friday, a sprint is held on the public roads of Fort Corbelets in the east of the island which are closed for the event. The following day a hill climb is held at Fort Tourgis in the west of the island and on a public road which is closed for the event. Spectators travel from Guernsey. Local Alderney people watch as the closed roads have vehicles racing at high speed where normally speed limits of apply.


title: Alderney

text: The Alderney Literary Festival began in March 2015, with talks and events relating to historical fiction and non-fiction. It is organised by the Alderney Literary Trust.


title: Alderney

text: In April 2011, sculptor Andy Goldsworthy completed a project called "Alderney Stones", commenced in 2008, in which 11 large dried-earth spheres were placed at different sites on the island. The intention is that each stone will gradually erode, at different speeds depending on the location, and in some cases revealing objects buried inside. Goldsworthy has stated that he selected Alderney as "It seems to have a strong sense of layered past and a wide variety of locations in a small area."


title: Alderney

text: Alderney is served by Alderney Airport. There are several flights each day from Southampton and Guernsey, with links to many parts of the United Kingdom and Europe. Aurigny serves the island with Dornier 228s.


title: Alderney

text: Boats sail regularly between the island and France, and to the other Channel Islands. Manche Iles Express operates a high-speed passenger ferry in summer to Diélette in the commune of Flamanville, Manche in France, and to St Peter Port, Guernsey. Two boats offer seasonal service to Guernsey. A 12-passenger boat operates services to Cherbourg Harbour, Sark and St Peter Port. Alderney is from St Malo and from Poole.


title: Alderney

text: There are boat trips, water-taxi services and water and fuel access to visiting yacht crews. The busiest time is during the peak months of June, July and August as nearly 30,000 yacht crew members visit this harbour every year.


title: Alderney

text: Because of the island's size, vehicular transport is often unnecessary, although taxis, cars and bicycles are used. The Alderney Railway is the only remaining railway in the Channel Islands giving a timetabled public service, with scheduled trains to the lighthouse during the summer and special occasions such as Easter and Christmas. There is an occasional bus service around the island.


title: Alderney

text: Alderney allows people to ride motorbikes and mopeds without helmets and drive cars without seatbelts, but it is compulsory for under 18s to wear helmets. The international vehicle registration code is "GBA".


title: Alderney

text: As in the rest of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, mopeds and motorbikes with an engine of 50cc or less can be driven from the age of 14 with a provisional licence.


title: Alderney

text: The Alderney Water Board is responsible for the supply of water on the island. Water is sourced from bore holes and streams and is treated and stored at Corblets Quarry and Battery Quarry.


title: Alderney

text: Electricity was first supplied on Alderney in 1934 by Mr. M.P.D. Marshall. The supply concession was transferred to Alderney Light and Power Company in 1939, which came under the control of the States of Guernsey Electricity Department, before reverting to the States of Alderney in 1950. Supplies from a new power station operated by Alderney Electricity Limited started on 1 April 1952. Electricity is generated by fuel oil driven generators. There are 3 × 2,000 kW, 2 × 50 kW and 2 × 450 kW engine generators. , there are currently plans to develop tidal power and to construct a 220 kilometre France-Alderney-Britain cable link.


title: Alderney

text: The Alderney Voluntary Fire Brigade has a crew of 11 volunteer firefighters, and operates one Iveco Daily light water tender with a 10.5m ladder, two Iveco water carriers each with a capacity of 4,500litres, one Ford Ranger rapid response unit and two trailer units. A new fire station was officially opened on 20 October 2004 by Lt.-General Sir John Foley, the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey. The fire station is near Braye Harbour, has four appliance bays, a workshop, kit room, mess and a training room, and achieves an average response time of nine minutes. The Alderney Airport Fire and Rescue Service is sometimes called on to help with larger conflagrations.


title: Alderney

text: In 2020, the Ambulance service merged into the Fire service to form the first combined fire and ambulance service in the British Isles outside of Dublin.


title: Alderney

text: Until 2020, the St John Alderney Ambulance Service operated the ambulance service on the island, and was staffed by volunteers. It had served Alderney since 1952 and was registered as a private company. Patients are transferred to the Mignot Memorial Hospital in St Anne, and any having major complications are then transferred to Guernsey or Southampton by the Aurigny between 7am and 7pm on an emergency basis. Outside these hours or in the event of bad weather preventing an air evacuation the transfer is achieved with the aid of the RNLI lifeboat service. There was no paramedic service available on the island, but this has now changed


title: Alderney

text: Because of Alderney's low crime rate, day-to-day policing of Alderney is provided by a team of five locally based officers from the Guernsey Police, consisting of a sergeant in charge, two constables, and two special constables. They are regularly assisted by visiting constables from Guernsey The police station is in QEII Street.


title: Alderney

text: The Alderney lifeboat station was established in 1869, was closed in 1884, and was re-established in 1985 by the RNLI. The lifeboat station operates an all-weather Trent class lifeboat


title: Alderney

text: Search and rescue services are provided by Channel Islands Air Search, which uses a Britten-Norman Islander to search large areas of water using infrared cameras and a number of other technologies. Formed in 1980, it is staffed entirely by volunteers and is based in Guernsey. When a major search is underway, the French coastguard and the Royal Navy are often involved, co-ordinated by the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Jobourg, France.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio ( ; born 2 September 1961), also known as "El Pibe" ("The Kid"), is a Colombian former professional footballer and sports commentator for Fútbol de Primera, who played as an attacking midfielder. A creative playmaker, he is regarded as one of the best Colombian footballers of all time, and by some as Colombia's greatest player ever. His distinctive hairstyle, as well as his precise passing and technical skills made him one of South America's most recognisable footballers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He won the South American Footballer of the Year award in 1987 and 1993, and in 1999, he was also named one of the top 100 players of the 20th century by World Soccer. In 2004, he was included in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 "greatest living footballers" chosen by Pelé to celebrate the 100th anniversary of FIFA.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Valderrama was a member of the Colombia national football team from 1985 until 1998. He represented Colombia in 111 full internationals and scored 11 times, making him the second-most capped player in the country's history, behind only David Ospina. He played a major role during the golden era of Colombian football in the 1990s, representing his national side in three FIFA World Cups and five Copa América tournaments.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: After spending most of his career playing club football in South America and Europe, towards the end of his career Valderrama played in Major League Soccer, joining the league in its first season. One of the most recognisable players in the league at the time of its inception, he helped popularise the league during the second half of the 1990s. To this day, he is an icon and is considered one of the most decorated players to ever play in MLS; in 2005, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Born in Santa Marta, Colombia, Valderrama began his career at Unión Magdalena of the Colombian First Division in 1981. He also later played for Millonarios in 1984. He joined Deportivo Cali in 1985, where he played most of his Colombian football. In 1988, he moved to the French First Division side Montpellier. He struggled to adapt to the less technical and the faster, more physical, and tactical brand of football being played in Europe, losing his place in the squad. However, his passing ability later saw him become the club's main creative force, and he played a decisive role as his side won the Coupe de France in 1990. In 1991, he remained in Europe and joined Spanish side Real Valladolid for a season. He then returned to Colombia in 1992 and went on to play for Independiente Medellín, and subsequently Atlético Junior in 1993, with whom he won the Colombian championship in 1993 and 1995.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Valderrama began his Major League Soccer career with the US side Tampa Bay Mutiny in the league's inaugural 1996 season. The team won the first ever Supporters' Shield, awarded for having the league's best regular season record, while Valderrama was the league's first Most Valuable Player, finishing the season with 4 goals and 17 assists. He remained with the club for the 1997 season, and also spent a spell on loan back at Deportivo Cali in Colombia, before moving to another MLS side, Miami Fusion, in 1998, where he also remained for two seasons. He returned to Tampa Bay in 2000, spending two more seasons with the club; while a member of the Mutiny, the team would sell Carlos Valderrama wigs at Tampa Stadium. In the 2000 MLS season, Valderrama recorded the only 20+ assist season in MLS history—ending the season with 26 — a single season assist record that remains intact to this day, and which MLS itself suggested was an "unbreakable" record in a 2012 article. In 2001, Valderrama joined the Colorado Rapids, and remained with the team until 2002, when he retired; his American soccer league career spanned a total of eight years, during which he made 175 appearances. In the MLS, Valderrama scored relatively few goals (16) for a midfielder, but is the league's fourth all-time leader in assists (114) after Brad Davis (123), Steve Ralston (135) – a former teammate, and Landon Donovan (145). In 2005, he was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Valderrama was a member of the Colombia national football team from 1985 until 1998; he made 111 international appearances, scoring 11 goals, making him the most capped outfield player in the country's history. He represented and captained his national side in the 1990, 1994, and


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: 1998 FIFA World Cups, and also took part in the 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, and 1995 Copa América tournaments.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Valderrama made his international debut on 27 October 1985, in a 3–0 defeat to Paraguay in a 1986 World Cup qualifying match, at the age of 24. In his first major international tournament, he helped Colombia to a third-place finish at the 1987 Copa América in Argentina, as his team's captain, where he was named the tournament's best player; during the tournament he scored the opening goal in Colombia's 2–0 over Bolivia on 1 July, their first match of the group stage.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Some of Valderrama's most impressive international performances came during the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, during which he served as Colombia's captain. He helped his team to a 2–0 win against the UAE in Colombia's opening match of the group stage, scoring the second goal of the match with a strike from 20 yards. Colombia lost their second match against Yugoslavia, however, needing at least a draw against the eventual champions West Germany in their final group match in order to advance to the next round of the competition. In the decisive game, German striker Pierre Littbarski scored what appeared to be the winning goal in the 88th minute of the game; however, within the last minute of injury time, Valderrama beat several opposing players and made a crucial left-footed pass to Freddy Rincón, who subsequently equalised, sealing a place for Colombia in the second round of the tournament with a 1–1 draw. Colombia were eliminated in the round of 16, following a 2–1 extra time loss to Cameroon.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: On 5 September 1993, Valderrama contributed to Colombia's historic 5–0 victory over South American rivals Argentina at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, which allowed them to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Although much was expected of Valderrama at the World Cup, an injury during a pre-tournament warm-up game put his place in the squad in jeopardy; although he was able to regain match fitness in time for the tournament, Colombia disappointed and suffered a first round elimination following defeats to Romania and the hosts USA, though it has been contributed by the internal problem and threats by cartel groups at the time.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Four years later, Valderrama led his nation to qualify for the 1998 World Cup in France, scoring three goals during the qualifying stages. His impact in the final tournament at the advancing age of 37, however, was less decisive, and, despite defeating Tunisia, Colombia once again suffered a first round exit, following a 2–0 defeat against England, which was Valderrama's final international appearance.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Although Valderrama is often defined as a 'classic number 10 playmaker', due to his creativity and offensive contribution, in reality he was not a classic playmaker in the traditional sense. Although he often wore the number 10 shirt throughout his career and was deployed as an attacking midfielder at times, he played mostly in deeper positions in the centre of the pitch – often operating in a free role as a deep-lying playmaker, rather than in more advanced midfield positions behind the forwards – in order to have a greater influence on the game. A team-player, Valderrama was also known to be an extremely selfless midfielder, who preferred assisting his teammates over going for goal himself; his tactical intelligence, positioning, reading of the game, efficient movement, and versatile range of passing enabled him to find space for himself to distribute and receive the ball, which allowed him both to set the tempo of his team in midfield with short, first time exchanges, or create chances with long lobbed passes or through balls.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Valderrama's most instantly recognisable physical features were his big afro-blonde hairstyle, jewelry, and moustache, but he was best known for his grace and elegance on the ball, as well as his agility, and quick feet as a footballer. His control, dribbling ability and footwork were similar to those of smaller players, which for a player of Valderrama's size and physical build was fairly uncommon, and he frequently stood out throughout his career for his ability to use his strength, balance, composure, and flamboyant technique to shield the ball from opponents when put under pressure, and retain possession in difficult situations, often with elaborate skills, which made him an extremely popular figure with the fans. Valderrama's mix of physical strength, two-footed ability, unpredictability and flair enabled him to produce key and incisive performances against top-tier teams, while his world class vision and exceptional passing and crossing ability with his right foot made him one of the best assist providers of his time; his height, physique and elevation also made him effective in the air, and he was also an accurate free kick taker and striker of the ball, despite not being a particularly prolific goalscorer.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Despite his natural talent and ability as a footballer, Valderrama earned a reputation for having a "languid" playing style, as well as lacking notable pace, being unfit, and for having a poor defensive work-rate on the pitch, in particular, after succumbing to the physical effects of ageing in his later career in the MLS. In his first season in France, he also initially struggled to adapt to the faster-paced, more physical and tactically rigorous European brand of football, which saw him play in an unfamiliar position, and gave him less space and time on the ball to dictate attacking passing moves; he was criticised at times for his lack of match fitness and his low defensive contribution, which initially limited his appearances with the club, although he later successfully became a key creative player in his team's starting line-up due to his discipline, skill, and his precise and efficient passing. Despite these claims, earlier in his career, however, Valderrama demonstrated substantial pace, stamina, and defensive competence.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Former French defender Laurent Blanc, who played with Valderrama in Montpellier, voiced one of the most accurate descriptions for Valderrama, "In the fast and furious European game he wasn't always at his ease. He was a natural exponent of 'toque', keeping the ball moving. But he was so gifted that we could give him the ball when we didn't know what else to do with it knowing he wouldn't lose it... and often he would do things that most of us only dream about."


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: In February 2004, Valderrama ended his 22-year career in a tribute match at the Metropolitan stadium of Barranquilla, with some of the most important football players of South America, such as Diego Maradona, Enzo Francescoli, Iván Zamorano, and José Luis Chilavert.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: In 2006, a 22-foot bronze statue of Valderrama, created by Colombian artist Amilkar Ariza, was erected outside Estadio Eduardo Santos in Valderrama's birthplace of Santa Marta.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Valderrama was the only Colombian to feature in FIFA's 125 Top Living Football Players list in March 2004.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Valderrama appeared on the cover of Konami's "International Superstar Soccer Pro 98". In the Nintendo 64 version of the game, he is referred to by his nickname, "El Pibe".


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Valderrama has also appeared in EA Sports' FIFA football video game series; he was named one of the Ultimate Team Legend cards in "FIFA 15".


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Besides his link to videogames, Valderrama has been present in sports media through his work with Fútbol de Primera, Andrés Cantor's radio station. He works as a color commentator during broadcasts of different matches, mostly participating during the FIFA World Cup, alongside play-by-play commentators like Sammy Sadovnik or Cantor himself.


title: Carlos Valderrama

text: Since retiring from professional football, Valderrama has become assistant manager of Atlético Junior. On 1 November 2007, Valderrama accused a referee of corruption by waving cash in the face of Oscar Julian Ruiz when the official awarded a penalty to América de Cali. Junior lost the match 4–1, which ended the club's hopes of playoff qualification. He later also served as a coach for a football academy called Clearwater Galactics in Clearwater, Florida.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: The Black Hole of Calcutta was a dungeon in Fort William, Calcutta, measuring , in which troops of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, held British prisoners of war on the night of 20 June 1756. John Zephaniah Holwell, one of the British prisoners and an employee of the East India Company, said that, after the fall of Fort William, the surviving British soldiers, Indian sepoys, and Indian civilians were imprisoned overnight in conditions so cramped that many people died from suffocation and heat exhaustion, and that 123 of 146 prisoners of war imprisoned there died. Some modern historians believe that 64 prisoners were sent into the Hole, and that 43 died there.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: Fort William was established to protect the East India Company's trade in the city of Calcutta, the principal city of the Bengal Presidency. In 1756 India, there existed the possibility of a battle with the military forces of the French East India Company, so the British reinforced the fort. Siraj-ud-daula ordered the fortification construction to be stopped by the French and British, and the French complied while the British demurred.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In consequence to that British indifference to his authority, Siraj ud-Daulah organised his army and laid siege to Fort William. In an effort to survive the battle, the British commander ordered the surviving soldiers of the garrison to escape, yet left behind 146 soldiers under the civilian command of John Zephaniah Holwell, a senior bureaucrat of the East India Company, who had been a military surgeon in earlier life.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: The desertions of Indian sepoys made the British defence of Fort William ineffective and it fell to the siege of Bengali forces on 20 June 1756. The surviving defenders who were captured and made prisoners of war numbered between 64 and 69, along with an unknown number of Anglo-Indian soldiers and civilians who earlier had been sheltered in Fort William. The English officers and merchants based in Kolkata were rounded up by the forces loyal to Siraj ud-Daulah and forced into a dungeon known as the "Black Hole".


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: Holwell wrote about the events that occurred after the fall of Fort William. He met with Siraj-ud-Daulah, who assured him: "On the word of a soldier; that no harm should come to us". After seeking a place in the fort to confine the prisoners (including Holwell), at , the jailers stripped the prisoners of their clothes and locked the prisoners in the fort's prison—"the black hole" in soldiers' slang—a small room that measured . The next morning, when the black hole was opened, at , only about 23 of the prisoners remained alive.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: Historians offer different numbers of prisoners and casualties of war; Stanley Wolpert reported that 64 people were imprisoned and 21 survived. D. L. Prior reported that 43 men of the Fort-William garrison were either missing or dead, for reasons other than suffocation and shock. Busteed reports that the many non-combatants present in the fort when it was captured make infeasible a precise number of people killed. Regarding responsibility for the maltreatment and the deaths in the Black Hole of Calcutta, Holwell said, "it was the result of revenge and resentment, in the breasts of the lower "Jemmaatdaars" [sergeants], to whose custody we were delivered, for the number of their order killed during the siege."


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: Concurring with Holwell, Wolpert said that Siraj-ud-Daulah did not order the imprisonment and was not informed of it. The physical description of the Black Hole of Calcutta corresponds with Holwell's point of view:


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: Afterward, when the prison of Fort William was opened, the corpses of the dead men were thrown into a ditch. As prisoners of war, Holwell and three other men were transferred to Murshidabad.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: The remaining survivors of the Black Hole of Calcutta were freed the next morning on the orders of the nawab, who learned only that morning of their sufferings. After news of Calcutta's capture was received by the British in Madras in August 1756, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Clive was sent to retaliate against the Nawab. With his troops and local Indian allies, Clive recaptured Calcutta in January 1757, and defeated Siraj ud-Daulah at the Battle of Plassey, which resulted in Siraj being overthrown as Nawab of Bengal and executed.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: "In memoriam" of the dead, the British erected a 15-metre (50') high obelisk; it now is in the graveyard of (Anglican) St. John's Church, Calcutta. Holwell had erected a tablet on the site of the 'Black Hole' to commemorate the victims but, at some point (the precise date is uncertain), it disappeared. Lord Curzon, on becoming Viceroy in 1899, noticed that there was nothing to mark the spot and commissioned a new monument, mentioning the prior existence of Holwell's; it was erected in 1901 at the corner of Dalhousie Square (now B. B. D. Bagh), which is said to be the site of the 'Black Hole'. At the apex of the Indian independence movement, the presence of this monument in Calcutta was turned into a nationalist "cause célèbre". Nationalist leaders, including Subhas Chandra Bose, lobbied energetically for its removal. The Congress and the Muslim League joined forces in the anti-monument movement. As a result, Abdul Wasek Mia of Nawabganj thana, a student leader of that time, led the removal of the monument from Dalhousie Square in July 1940. The monument was re-erected in the graveyard of St John's Church, Calcutta, where it remains.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: The 'Black Hole' itself, being merely the guardroom in the old Fort William, disappeared shortly after the incident when the fort itself was taken down to be replaced by the new Fort William which still stands today in the Maidan to the south of B.B.D. Bagh. The precise location of that guardroom is in an alleyway between the General Post Office and the adjacent building to the north, in the north west corner of B.B.D. Bagh. The memorial tablet which was once on the wall of that building beside the GPO can now be found in the nearby postal museum.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: "List of the smothered in the Black Hole prison exclusive of sixty-nine, consisting of Dutch and British sergeants, corporals, soldiers, topazes, militia, whites, and Portuguese, (whose names I am unacquainted with), making on the whole one hundred and twenty-three persons."


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: Muriel Rukeyser, in "The Book of the Dead", originally published as a group of poems in "U.S. 1: Poems" (1938)"," quotes from Vito Marcantonio's speech "Dusty Death" (1936). Rukeyser was writing about the Hawk's Nest Tunnel tragedy and referenced to Marcantonio's speech to compare the silicate tunnels to the Black Holes of Calcutta, writing "This is the place. Away from this my life I am indeed Adam unparadiz'd. Some fools call this the Black Hole of Calcutta. I don't know how they ever get to Congress."


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: Thomas Pynchon refers to the Black Hole of Calcutta in the historical novel "Mason & Dixon" (1997). The character Charles Mason spends much time on Saint Helena with the astronomer Nevil Maskelyne, the brother-in-law of Lord Robert Clive of India. Later in the story, Jeremiah Dixon visits New York City, and attends a secret "Broad-Way" production of the "musical drama", "The Black Hole of Calcutta, or, the Peevish Wazir", "executed with such a fine respect for detail ...". Kenneth Tynan satirically refers to it in the long-running musical revue "Oh! Calcutta!", which was played on Broadway for more than 7,000 performances. Edgar Allan Poe makes reference to the "stifling" of the prisoners in the introduction to "The Premature Burial" (1844). The Black Hole is mentioned in "Looking Backward" (1888) by Edward Bellamy as an example of the depravity of the past.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In a story written by Indian author Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, "Rangana Maduve" ("Ranga's Marriage"), the narrator Shyama describes Ranga's house as 'the Black Hole of Calcutta' because of the large crowd that had gathered to see Ranga when he came home after completing his studies. If all the people had gone inside, the house would have become as crowded as the Black Hole of Calcutta.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In the science-fiction novel "" (1894), by Camille Flammarion, the Black Hole of Calcutta is mentioned for the suffocating properties of Carbonic-Oxide (Carbon Monoxide) upon the British soldiers imprisoned in that dungeon. Eugene O'Neill, in "Long Day's Journey into Night", Act 4, Jamie says, "Can't expect us to live in the Black Hole of Calcutta." Patrick O'Brian in "The Mauritius Command" (1977) compared Jack Aubrey's house to the black hole of Calcutta "except that whereas the Hole was hot, dry, and airless", Aubrey's cottage "let in draughts from all sides".


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In Chapter VII of Pearl S. Buck’s biography of her father, "Fighting Angel" (1936), she compares the brutality of China’s 1899-1901 Boxer Rebellion (which she and her family survived while living in China) to that of the Black Hole of Calcutta: "The story of the Boxer Rebellion ... remains, like the tale of the Black Hole of Calcutta, one of the festering spots of history. If the number of people actually dead was small, as such numbers go in these days of wholesale death by accidents and wars, it was the manner of death ...that makes the heart shudder and condemn even while the mind can reason and weigh."


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: Diana Gabaldon mentions briefly the incident in her novel "Lord John and the Private Matter" (2003). The Black Hole is also compared with the evil miasma of Calcutta as a whole in Dan Simmons's novel "The Song of Kali". Stephen King makes a reference to the Black Hole of Calcutta in his 1983 novel "Christine", and his 2004 novel "".


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In Chapter V of "King Solomon's Mines" by H. Rider Haggard (1885) the Black Hole of Calcutta is mentioned: "This gave us some slight shelter from the burning rays of the sun, but the atmosphere in that amateur grave can be better imagined than described. The Black Hole of Calcutta must have been a fool to it". In John Fante's novel "The Road to Los Angeles" (1985), the main character Arturo Bandini recalls when seeing his place of work: "I thought about the Black Hole of Calcutta." In "Vanity Fair", William Makepeace Thackeray makes a reference to the Black Hole of Calcutta when describing the Anglo-Indian district in London (Chapter LX). Swami Vivekananda makes a mention of the Black Hole of Calcutta in connection with describing Holwell's journey to Murshidabad.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: When discussing deep unconsciousness in her book "How to be Human", Ruby Wax describes this as: "It's like the black hole of Calcutta of our souls."


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In "Hellblazer: Event Horizon", John Constantine says that a mad Brahmin in the Black Hole made a stone because he wanted revenge. The stone causes one to have insane thoughts and hallucinations.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In "The Other Side of Morning" by Stephen Goss (2022), the events of the Black Hole of Calcutta are described from the perspective of John Holwell. The book is the story of Holwell's life leading up to the incident.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In the period drama "", the character of John Graves Simcoe claims in Season 4 that he was born in India and that his father died in the Black Hole of Calcutta after being tortured. (In historical reality, Simcoe was born in England and his father died of pneumonia.)


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In an episode of the British sitcom "Open All Hours" Arkwright orders his assistant and nephew Granville to clean the outside window ledge. He attempts to say "There's enough dirt there to fill the Black Hole of Calcutta", but his extensive stuttering when trying to say 'Calcutta' causes him to change it to "There's enough dirt there to fill the Hanging Gardens of Babylon".


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In an episode of British sitcom "Only Fools and Horses", while discussing Uncle Albert's history of falling down numerous holes, Del Boy infers that the only hole Albert has not fallen down is "the black one in Calcutta".


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show", S. 6 Ep. 11 "The Cannon", Deputy Warren is placed in charge of security at the Mayberry Founders Day ceremony and he becomes obsessed with the town decorative cannon. He peers into the fuse breach and claims "It is darker than the Hole of Calcutta in there".


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In an episode of "The L Word", Alice refers to the bad vibes in the coffee shop as "The Black Hole of Calcutta".


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In an episode of British television series "Yes, Minister", the permanent secretary refers to a packed train compartment as the Black Hole of Calcutta.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In an episode of "Have Gun, Will Travel", S. 2 Ep. 10 "The Lady", Paladin warns a British woman of the danger of an imminent Comanche attack by reminding her of indigenous reprisals in India, including "the Khyber Pass, the Sepoy Mutiny, and the Black Hole of Calcutta".


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In an episode of the British comedy "Peep Show", the character Mark says "The more, the merrier, they said as another poor soul was crammed into the Black Hole of Calcutta."


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: The Black Hole of Calcutta is referenced early in the film "Albert R.N.", a 1953 British film dealing with a German prisoner-of-war camp for allied naval officers.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: In the 1963 episode of "Steptoe and Son" entitled ‘The Bath’, when Harold Steptoe displaces his father from his bedroom in order to install a bathroom, Albert Steptoe angrily describes his new ‘bedroom’ - the cupboard under the stairs - as being "“…like the Black 'Ole of Calcutta!”"


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: There's also a reference in the 1987 film Hiding Out, where the protagonist's aunt criticizes her teenage son's messy room by comparing it to the Black Hole.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: It is also referenced in the 1991 film "The Addams Family" as one of the locations visited by Gomez and Morticia Addams during their second honeymoon.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: According to Hong-Yee Chiu, an astrophysicist at NASA, the Black Hole of Calcutta was the inspiration for the term "black hole" referring to objects resulting from the gravitational collapse of very heavy stars. He recalled hearing physicist Robert Dicke in the early 1960s compare such gravitationally collapsed objects to the prison.


title: Black Hole of Calcutta

text: A minority opinion in the August 1910 report of the Penitentiary Investigating Committee of the State of Texas (USA) referred to the prison conditions in this way:


title: Hold the Dark

text: Hold the Dark is a 2018 American action thriller film directed by Jeremy Saulnier from a screenplay by Macon Blair. It is based upon the novel of the same name by William Giraldi. The film stars Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgård, James Badge Dale, Riley Keough, Tantoo Cardinal, and Julian Black Antelope. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2018 and was released on September 28, 2018, by Netflix.


title: Hold the Dark

text: In December 2004, Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright), a writer who studies wolf behavior, is summoned to the village of Keelut, Alaska by Medora Slone (Riley Keough). Medora wants him to hunt down the wolves blamed for the disappearance of three small children, including her 6-year-old son Bailey. Core stays at her house, and unsuccessfully tries to convince her that this is not wolf behavior. Medora tells him that there is darkness there, and tells him of a hot springs to the north of town, which is the only warm place she's ever known. She also says her husband is away fighting in the war, and that he told her he would never leave her. In the middle of the night, Core wakes and sees Medora scrubbing her skin in the bath. When she is finished, she lays down naked next to Core without saying anything and puts his hand on her neck.


title: Hold the Dark

text: Medora's husband Vernon (Alexander Skarsgård), overseas in Iraq, returns gun fire on Iraqi insurgents. Stationed at a checkpoint when shooting breaks out, Vernon rescues a local woman raped by another American, wounds him with a knife and hands the bloodied knife to the woman. Leaving the house, he is ambushed and shot, but survives. As he is air-lifted away, Vernon mumbles Bailey's name.


title: Hold the Dark

text: In the morning, Core sets off to track the wolves, and meets Illanaq, an old native woman who tells him he is going the wrong way, and that Medora 'knows evil'. Core finds the hot springs Medora mentioned, and spots a pack of wolves eating their young. Unwilling to shoot them, Core returns to Keelut. At the Slone house, he finds Medora missing and discovers Bailey's frozen, strangled body in the cellar. The police investigate, and native villagers claim Medora is possessed by a wolf-demon called a "tournaq".


title: Hold the Dark

text: Cheeon (Julian Black Antelope), Vernon's friend and father to another missing child, brings him to the morgue to identify Bailey's body. He meets police chief Donald Marium (James Badge Dale), Core and other police officers. After Core and Marium leave, Vernon kills the officers and the coroner and takes Bailey's body. Cheeon builds a coffin and Vernon buries his son in the snow after marking the body with his blood, a Yup'ik burial ritual.


title: Hold the Dark

text: Vernon reads the case file, burns it and visits Illanaq. She tells him the wolves had come before and claims no responsibility for what happened. She tells him about the influenza which spread through the village and took the lives of many, with nowhere to bury them with the ground frozen.


title: Hold the Dark

text: Discovering the officers murdered and Bailey's body missing, Marium realizes Vernon is responsible. Core, remembering the old woman's warning, arrives in Keelut at the same time as the police only to find Illanaq dead.


title: Hold the Dark

text: As officers take up position around Cheeon's house, Marium approaches it to ask about his involvement with the murders and to give him an opportunity to surrender. Cheeon talks about the government's neglect of Keelut and how it has affected their village. Cheeon refuses to turn himself in, and as Marium returns to his cover, opens fire with a M60 machine gun. A shootout ensues, with many officers being wounded and killed before Marium can sneak into the house and kill Cheeon.


title: Hold the Dark

text: At an inn outside a tourist mine, where Medora was sighted, Vernon meets John, an elderly hunter who treated him with wolf-oil as a child for his apparent psychopathy. At John's invitation, Vernon takes a mask from the wall. He dons it and kills John, and is shot by the innkeeper on his way out. He visits Shan, an old friend, to gets his wound treated. Waking up from a dream of himself and Medora in the hot springs, Vernon overhears Shan talking to the police and kills Shan.


title: Hold the Dark

text: Core and Marium theorize that Medora killed Bailey to “save him from darkness”. Believing Medora is at the springs, the two resolve to find her before Vernon does.


title: Hold the Dark

text: Core and Marium fly to the hot springs in a small plane. As he examines the wolf tracks, Marium is shot through the neck by Vernon. Hoping to intercept Vernon in the springs, Core finds Medora, and tells her he is coming. Core is shot in the chest by an arrow from Vernon. As Vernon strangles Medora, she pushes the mask off his face, and he releases her. They embrace, and Core falls unconscious.


title: Hold the Dark

text: After Core awakens, Vernon removes the arrow and leaves with Medora. Core crawls outside the cave, encountering a pack of wolves, and is rescued by a father and son. Vernon and Medora dig up Bailey's grave, and pull the coffin behind them as they trek through the snow. Core wakes up in the hospital, his daughter Amy at his bedside.


title: Hold the Dark

text: In September 2015, it was announced Jeremy Saulnier would direct the film, based upon a screenplay by Macon Blair; while Eva Maria Daniels, Russell Ackerman and John Schoenfelder would produce the film under their VisionChaos Productions banner and Addictive Pictures banners respectively, A24 would distribute the film. In January 2017, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film, with Anish Savjani and Neil Kopp joining as producers. In February 2017, Alexander Skarsgård, Riley Keough, James Bloor, James Badge Dale and Jeffrey Wright, joined the cast of the film.


title: Hold the Dark

text: Principal photography began on February 27, 2017, and concluded on April 26, 2017. Filming took place in and around the areas surrounding Calgary, Drumheller and Kananaskis Country, Alberta, which were used to substitute for Alaska.


title: Hold the Dark

text: It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2018. It also screened at Fantastic Fest on September 22, 2018. It was released on September 28, 2018.


title: Hold the Dark

text: "Hold the Dark" received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported approval rating based on reviews, with an average score of . The website's critical consensus they, ""Hold the Dark"s unsettling aesthetic offers more of what filmgoers expect from director Jeremy Saulnier — and is often enough to prop up shaky narrative underpinnings." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 63 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Republic of China Navy

text: The Republic of China Navy (ROCN; ), also called the ROC Navy and colloquially the Taiwan Navy, is the maritime branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces (ROCAF).


title: Republic of China Navy

text: The service was formerly commonly just called the Chinese Navy during World War II and prior to the ROC's retreat from the mainland. While still sometimes used especially in domestic circles, it is now not as often used internationally due to the current ambiguous political status of Taiwan and to avoid confusion with the People's Liberation Army Navy of the People's Republic of China (PRC).


title: Republic of China Navy

text: Today, the ROC Navy's primary mission is to defend the remaining ROC's territories and the sea lanes under its jurisdiction against any possible blockades, attacks, or invasion. Operations include maritime patrols in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, as well as readiness for counter-strike and counter-invasion operations during wartime. The Republic of China Marine Corps (ROCMC) also functions as a branch of the Navy.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: The ship prefix for ROCN combatants is ROCS (Republic of China Ship); an older usage is CNS (Chinese Navy Ship).


title: Republic of China Navy

text: The Navy CHQs () is subordinate to the General Staff, the Minister of Defense, and the ROC President.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: The precursor to the modern ROC Navy was established as the Ministry of the Navy in the Provisional Government of the Republic of China in 1911 following the overthrow of the Qing dynasty. Liu Guanxiong, a former Qing dynasty admiral, became the first Minister of Navy of the Republic of China. During the period of warlordism that scared China in the 1920s and 1930s the ROCN remained loyal to the Kuomintang government of Sun Yat-sen instead of the warlord government in Beijing which fell to the nationalist government in the 1928 northern campaign and between the civil war with the Communist Party and 1937 Japanese invasion of Northeast China. During that time and throughout World War II, the ROCN concentrated mainly on riverine warfare as the poorly equipped ROCN was not a match to Imperial Japanese Navy over ocean or coast.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: Following World War II, a number of Japanese destroyers and decommissioned U.S. ships were transferred to the ROC Navy. During the Chinese Civil War, the ROCN was involved in the protection of supply convoys and the withdrawal of the ROC Government and over 1 million refugees to Taiwan in 1949. The subsequent reorganization and reestablishment of the Navy after evacuation to Taiwan is referenced in the lyrics of the post 1949 ROC Navy Song "The New Navy" ().


title: Republic of China Navy

text: In 1895, the island of Taiwan was placed under Japanese rule, with the Imperial Japanese Navy responsible for defending the waters of Taiwan and Penghu. After World War II, on 25 October 1945, the jurisdiction of Taiwan and Penghu was transferred to the Republic of China and the ROCN began its operation in that territory.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: Following the relocation of the ROC government to Taiwan, the ROCN was involved in a number of commando attack escorts, evacuation and transport of more displaced soldiers and later to provide patrols and resupply operations to Kinmen and Matsu in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea offshore islands.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: Since the 1990s the Navy has grown in importance as the emphasis of the ROC's military doctrine moves towards countering a possible People's Republic of China (PRC) blockade, as well as offshore engagement. As of 2004 the ROCN had been working hard to expand its capability in electronic and anti-submarine warfare, as well as the replacement of antiquated warships and support vessels. While for many years the ROCN operated hand me down and foreign designed vessels in recent years they have been operating a higher number of indigenous platforms, sensors, and weapons much of it made by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: In 2018 Lungteh Shipbuilding was awarded a contract to produce eleven Tuo Chiang Block II corvettes and four minelayers for the Taiwanese Navy.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: In April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic the ROCN cut short their semi-annual goodwill mission to Central and South America. The flotilla consisting of two frigates and a supply vessel was subject to 30 days of quarantine after returning to Taiwan.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: In April 2020 Taiwanese boatbuilder Karmin International Co., Ltd. won a NT$450-million (US$14.9-million) contract to supply the Republic of China Navy with eighteen special operations watercraft and eight RIB tenders, the later for the Cheng Kung-class frigates. Delivery is scheduled for June 2022. The contract covered only the watercraft themselves with their machine guns, infrared equipment, and boarding ladders sourced separately.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: Traditionally, most ROCN equipment has been purchased from the United States. The ships themselves have often been older, second-hand vessels without the newest technology. More recently, however, several ships have been built domestically under licence or through domestic development. The ROCN has also purchased s from France and s from the Netherlands as well as four U.S. (renamed "Keelung") destroyers originally intended for Iran.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: Despite the ROCN refurbishing and extending the service life of its vessels and equipment, it has suffered from procurement difficulties due to pressures exerted by the PRC. It has only two useful submarines. The U.S. has approved sales of eight new diesel-powered submarines but lacks the manufacturing capability to make the engines; at the same time, threats from the PRC prevent the necessary technology transfer from other countries. Furthermore, the Legislative Yuan did not approve the budget and thereby slowed the opportunity to procure the badly needed underwater defense capability.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: On 12 September 2007, an arms notification was sent to the United States Congress concerning an order for 12 P-3C Orion patrol aircraft and 3 "spare aircraft", along with an order for 144 SM-2 Block IIIA surface-to-air missiles. A contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin to refurbish the 12 P-3C Orion aircraft for the ROC on 13 March 2009, with deliveries to start in 2012.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: In 2008, the ROCN set out to acquire an improved anti-ship capability. On 26 August, an arms notification was sent to Congress for an order for 60 air-launched Harpoon Block II missiles for the 12 P-3Cs. At least a portion of these missiles will be installed on the navy's s.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: On 29 January 2010, the U.S. government announced five notifications to the U.S. Congress for arms sales to the ROC. In the contracts total US$6.392 billion, ROC Navy would get 2 s for US$105 million, 25 Link 16 terminals on ships for US$340 million, 10 ship- and 2 air-launched Harpoon L/II for US$37 million.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: The ROC Navy already has 95 older Harpoon missiles in its inventory for the 8 s, 22 newer RGM-84L for the 4 "Kidd"-class destroyers, 32 sub-launched Harpoon II on order for the 2 "Hai Lung"-class submarines, and with 60 air-launched Harpoon Block II anti-ship missile on order for the 12 P-3Cs, plus the newly announced 10 ship-launched and 2 air-launched Harpoon II/L sales.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: On 31 August 2010, it was announced for the next year's defense budget, ROCN planned to lease one or two more s (LST) from the United States, but the 900-ton stealth corvette plan was put on hold, due to lack of funds. That same year, On 29 September, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution, authorizing the U.S. Government for the sale of one more "Osprey"-class minehunter to the ROC.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: Other ongoing local upgrade programs include locally designed and built "Ching Chiang" class of 12 patrol ships that were designed back in the 1990s to carry four HF-1 anti-ship missiles on board but only the lead ship of the class had them. Since 2006, seven ships of this class were upgraded to carry four HF-2/3 with W-160 fire control radar from Wu Chin III program (as well as Honeywell H-930 MCS CDS stripped from seven retired "Yang"-class Wu Chin 3 anti-air warfare destroyers). In 2010 more ships of this class were undergoing this same upgrade program but using CSIST produced fire control radars instead. Currently four different variants exist within this class, the original "Ching Chiang" patrol ship constructed with four HF-1 (one existing in this configuration).


title: Republic of China Navy

text: On 29 December 2010, two LSTs () and four remaining of "Adjutant"-class coastal minehunters were retired.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: In 2011, the navy retired several vessels. On 31 October, all eight PCL in the 124th Fleet were retired. On 28 December, the two "Lung Jiang"-class (PSMM Mk5) guided missile patrol boats ("PGG 601" and "PPG 602") of the 131st Fleet were retired from ROC Navy service, after entering service in 1978 and 1981 respectively.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: In June 2018, two s of the US Navy, ex- and ex-, were handed over to the Government of Taiwan for the Republic of China Navy. The transfer cost was an estimated US$177 million. The transfer of the ships includes the advanced AN/SQR-19 Multi-Function Towed array sonar. Taiwan had previously been blocked from acquiring the AN/SQR-19, and the transfer of the system points to an anti-submarine focus in line with the "Knox"-class frigates they will likely replace.


title: Republic of China Navy

text: In September 2018, Taiwan confirms contract for first amphibious assault ship built in Taiwan. It will be built by CSBC Corporation, a local shipyard. Four are planned with the first to be entering service around 2021. It is roughly similar to US Navy's San Antonio class, but with a slightly smaller displacement. Support features include a full hospital, well deck, full aviation facilities, storage for wheeled vehicles, and dedicated accommodations for a full battalion of Marines. The vessel design will be armed with a 76 mm naval gun in the primary position, a close-in weapon system (CIWS) turret, two 12.7 mm machine gun positions in the forward section, and launchers that can deploy the Hsiung Feng II and III family of anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles. The primary sensor is expected to be a naval version of the indigenous CS/MPQ-90 Bee Eye AESA radar.