Complex sentence: The initial British plans for the Falklands were based upon the perpetuation of Vernet's settlement, backed by an annual visit by a warship, this being the standard practise of maintaining a settlement with the minimum of expense.
Split into simpler sentences: The initial British plans for the Falklands were based upon the perpetuation of Vernet's settlement, backed by an annual visit by a warship. This being the standard practise of maintaining a settlement with the minimum of expense.