Addu Atoll

MaldiveAtoll
ImageExists=Yes
atoll

admin_name=Seenu Atoll
atoll_name=Addu Atoll
location=0° 36' S and 0° 44' S
letter=S
abbreviation=S (ސ)
capital=Hithadhoo
population=28707
noofislands=23
inhabited_islands=6
atoll_chief = Saud Abdulla [http://www.atolls.gov.mv/atollchiefs.asp]
islands=Feydhoo Hithadhoo Hulhudhoo Maradhoo Maradhoo-Feydhoo Meedhoo
unislands=Aboohéra Bodu Hajara Boduhéragandu Dhigihéra Fahikédéhérangada Gan Gaukendi Geskalhuhéra Hankedé Hankedé Hajara Heréthéré Hikihéra Kafathalhaa Héra Kandu Huraa Kédévaahéra Koahera Kuda Kandihéréganda Maahera Maamendhoo Madihéra Mulikédé Savaaheli Vashahéra Villingili

Addu Atoll (local administrative code Seenu) is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives.

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

Linguistics

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

British naval base

The Royal Navy established a base ("Port T") - later RAF Gan from 1957 - on the island of Gan (pronounced “Yahn”) in 1941, during World War II. During the Cold War it was used as an outpost.

The original naval base was established as a fall-back for the British Eastern Fleet. Despite public pronouncements to the contrary, the official view was that the main base at Singapore would be untenable if the Japanese made serious headway in Malaya and Java - which, in the event, is what happened in 1942. The intention had been to operate from Trincomalee, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Upon inspection, however, the naval commander-in-chief, Admiral James Somerville found the port inadequate, vulnerable to a determined attack and open to spying. An isolated island base with a safe, deep anchorage in a suitably strategic position was required, and Addu met the requirements. Once available, its facilities were used extensively by the Fleet.

Royal Navy engineers landed in August 1941 from HMS "Guardian" to clear and construct airstrips on Gan for the Fleet Air Arm. In the interim, Catalina and Sunderland flying boats operated from jetties on the northern, sheltered side of Gan. Large oil tanks were built on Gan, and on Hitaddu Island on the western edge of the atoll; vital elements for a naval base. These were visible from a long distances at sea, but this was unavoidable, given the atoll's low profile.

Ship's supplies for the fleet were provided from a pair of Australian refrigerated ships, "Changte" and "Taiping" that included Attu in a number of bases that they serviced regularly. Three times these ships replenished forty or more ships of the Eastern Fleet. Several large Australian Imperial Force troop convoys also refueled at Addu on their way from Aden to Fremantle, Western Australia.

The six major islands were garrisoned by the 1st Royal Marine Coast Defence Regiment, manning shore batteries and anti-aircraft guns. To facilitate the defence, causeways were built connecting the western islands of Gan, Eyehook, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo and, much later in the war, they were linked by a light railway. Attu was an unpopular posting due to the hot, humid climate, lack of recreational facilities and lack of socialising with the local population.

The Japanese remained unaware of the base’s existence until their plans for expansion in south-east Asia had come to nothing, even during their carrier raids in the Indian Ocean in April 1942. Later in the war, submarine reconnaissance established the base’s existence. Despite openings into the lagoon being permanently closed by anti-submarine nets, the German U-boat U-183 torpedoed the tanker "British Loyalty" in March 1944 (she had been previously torpedoed and sunk at Diego Suarez); it was an impressive long-range shot from outside the atoll through a gap in the anti-torpedo nets. Although seriously damaged, the tanker did not sink. She was not fully repaired but kept as a Ministry of War Transport Oil Fuel Storage Vessel. There was significant oil pollution after this incident and British personnel were used to clean the lagoon.

On 5th January 1946, "British Loyalty" was scuttled southeast of Hithadhoo Island in the Addu Atoll lagoon. After some years of leaking oil, she has become a popular dive location.

In 1957, the naval base was transferred to the Royal Air Force. As RAF Gan, it remained in intermittent service until 1971, when British Forces withdrew.

Most of the employees who had experience working for the British military spoke good English. When the base at Gan was closed for good they turned to the nascent tourism industry for employment. As a result, there was an influx of Addu people to Malé seeking employment in the nearby resorts and also looking for education to their children. Raf Gan is now a Tourist Resort, Equator Village, with the airstrip now being Gan International Airport.

Notables from Addu

Traditionally Addu Atoll had been the centre of learning in the Maldives- a sort of university town. As a result, the Atoll had always been rather enlightened and culturally more advanced than the rest of the Maldives. A large section of Addu society always viewed itself as peers of the Malé nobility. This sentiment was reciprocated (not always sincerely) by the nobility in Malé.

The following is a list of notable people of Addu Atoll over the centuries up to the early part of the 20th Century. They are in alphabetical order- that way, family connections are easily seen in some cases.

*Ahmed Bodu Naibu Thakurufan ge Kuda Kambaafan (Kudaifan)
*Ahmed Solih Ali Didi
*Aisaabeegadharu Don Beyya (also known by the names of Sheikh el-Allama Al-HafizIbrahim, Aisaabeegedharu Don Beyya and Aisaadharu Kudhu Aboo)
*Aisaabeegedharu Don Hussain Thakurufan
*Aisaabeegedharu Hassan Didi
*Aisaabeegedharu Kaiydhaa Mnikfan
*Aisaabeegedharu Kalhu Aboo
*Ali Manikfan of Hithadoo (son of Sultan Hassan)
*Athiragey Mariyam Fan
*Attorney General Hussain Afifuddine
*Bandeyri Hassan Manikfan (a poet)
*Bandeyri Hussain Manikfan ge Sikka Aminah Didi
*Bandeyri Hussain Manikfan son of Bandeyri Hassan Manikfan
*Beremaathe Dhaleykaa Fan
*Beremaathe Dhaleykaa Fan ge Valu Randhi
*Beremaathe Ibrahim Thakurufan
*Boadhaa Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan
*Boadhaa Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan ge Bodu Don Hussain Thakurufan
*Boadhaa Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan ge Gamu Naibu Thakurufan
*Boadhaa Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan ge Hulhudhoo Aminah Fan
*Boadhaa Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan ge Hulhudhoo Fatimah Fan
*Boadhaa Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan ge Hulhudhoo Hawwaa Fan
*Boadhaa Bodu Thakurufan ge Gamu Naibu Thakurufan ge Ganduvaru Beefan
*Bodu Fandiyaaru (Chief Justice Mohamed Shamsuddine)
*Bodu Fandiyaaru ge Ahmed Bodu Naib Thakurufan
*Bodu Fandiyaaru ge Bodu Fatima Beefan
*Bodu Fandiyaaru ge Bodu Fatima Beefan ge Bodu Thubbee
*Bodu Fandiyaaru ge Dhevvadu Haji Ali Thukkala
*Bodu Fandiyaaru ge Ibrahim Naib Fadiaiy Thakurufan
*Bodu Ranahamaanthi Thakuru
*Bodugalugey Bodu Fatima Beefan
*Bodugalugey Bodu Fatima Beefan ge Fenfurhy Bodu Didi (Princess Consort of Sultan al-Ghazi Hassan Izzuddine)
*Bodugey Ali Thakurufan
*Chief Justice of Hassan Tajuddine of Gan
*Chief Justice Hussain
*Chief Justice Hussain ge Bodu Aysha Fan
*Chief Justice Hussain ge Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan
*Chief Justice Hussain ge Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan ge Aminah Manikfan
*Chief Justice Hussain ge Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan ge Hawwa Manikfan ge Vazir Mohamed Thakurufan
*Chief Justice Hussain ge Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan ge Kaiydhaa Manikfan
*Chief Justice Hussain ge Zuleykha Fan
*Chief Justice Ibrahim Majduddine (Ibrahim Fadiyaaru Thakurufan)
*Chief Justice Ibrahim Majduddine ge Hathifurhy Thuttu Maniku
*Chief Justice Ibrahim Majduddine ge Mulaku Don Maniku
*Chief Justice Ibrahim Majduddine ge Zuleykha Bodufenvalhugey Don Manike
*Chief Justice Ismail Bahauddine (Ismail Fandiyaaru Thakhan)
*Chief Justice Ismail Bahauddine ge Don Maniku (Fandiyaaru Thakkan Don Maniku)
*Chief Justice Mohamed Muhibbuddine Sheikh el-Islam
*Chief Justice Moosa Badruddine
*Dhigalagedharu Dhilhi Naib Thakurufan
*Dhiyari Thakuru ge Sitti Fan ge Galu Bodu Hawwaa Bee
*Dhoodeyru
*Dhoodeyru Kudhu Bibi
*Don Adhella Naibu kaleyge
*Don Buboo
*Don Bui Naibu Kaleyfan
*Don Bui Naibu Kaleyfan ge Chief Justice Mahamoud
*Don Dhanaboogey Aminah Raniye
*Don Dhanaboogey Aysha Raniye
*Don Dorhimeynaa Thakurufan
*Don Isa Naibu Kaleyfan
*Don Kadheedi Boo
*Don Mahamoud Kateeb Kaleyfan
*Don Umaru Eduru Kaleyge ge Don Bulhala Kambuleyge
*Donseediboo Ran Dhiye
*Edhurugey Kaiydhaa Fan
*Eduru Mohamed Vathabandeyri Thakurufan
*Edurugey Aminah Fan ge Aysha Fan
*Edurugey Don Ali Thakurufan
*Ehlegey Ibrahim Didi
*Ehlegey Naib Tutteedi
*Elaadagedharu Don Aysha Kambuleyge
*Elhegedharu Aminah Fan
*Elhegedharu Hussain Thakurufan
*Elhegey Abdulla Didi
*Elhegey Fatimah Fan
*Elhegey Mohamed Didi
*Faadheu Ali Thakurufan
*Fanniyari Ismeheli Maniku
*Fennaagey Ahmed Maniku
*Ganduvaru Ahmed Didi
*Ganduvaru Hussain Thakurufan
*Ganduvaru Mohamed Naib Thakurufan
*Ganduvaru Naib Hassan Didi
*Ganduvaru Sitti Fan
*Goomule Fatimah Beefan
*Goomule Mohamed Thakurufan
*Haji Ali Thukkalaa ge Dhevvadhoo Aysha Manikfan
*Haji Ali Thukkalaa ge Dhevvadhoo Bodu Manikfan
*Haji Ali Thukkalaa ge Mohamed Kateeb Thakurufan
*Heynevi Kamanaa
*Heynevi Kamanaa ge Don Sitti
*Holhi Ahanmaa Thakurufan
*Hulhudhoo Sitti Fan
*Hulhudoo Kateeb Thakuru
*Hulhudoo Maigey Hassan Manikfan
*Hulhudoo Maigey Hussain Manikfan
*Ibrahim Naib Fadiaiy Thakurufan
*Ihalagedharu Kateeb Thakurufan
*Isa Naibu Thakurufan
*Kalhihaaru Aboo
*Kalhihaaru Aboo ge Don Dhanaboo
*Kalhihaaru Don Hassan Kaleyge
*Kalhihaaru Don kaiydda Aminah Fan ge Aysha Fan
*Kalhihaaru Don Kaiydda ge Aminah Fan
*Kalhihaaru Don Kaiydda ge Aminah Fan ge Don Didi
*Kalhihaaru Don Seedi Kaleyge
*Kalhihaaru Don Seedi Kaleyge ge Bodu Don Daleyka
*Kalhihaaru Don Yoosuf Kateeb Kaleyge
*Kalhihaaru Hawwaa Bee
*Kalhu Dorhimeynaa Thakurufan
*Kateeb Yoosuf Eduru Thakurufan
*Keyolhaaraa ge Bodu Ranahamaanthi Thakuru
*Keyolhaaraa ge Dhiyari Thakuru
*Keyolhaaraa ge Handheygiri Thakuru
*Keyolhaaraa ge Hussain Thakuru ge Kakuni Deo
*Keyolhaaraa ge Kuda Ranahamaanthi Thakuru
*Koruvalu Dhaleykaa Bee
*Koruvalu Dhaleykaa Bee ge Athiree Kamanaa
*Koruvalu Dhaleykaa Bee ge Hassan Ranahamaanthi Thakurufan
*Koruvalu Dhaleykaa Bee ge Ibrahim Dorhimeynaa Thakurufan
*Koruvalu Sitti Fan
*Kudhu Raniye el-Khateeb Moosa Thakurufan
*Kudhu Raniye Hawwaa Fan
*Kudhu Raniye Ibrahim Thakkan
*Kudhu Raniye Mohamed Vathabandeyri Thakurufan
*Kurahaa Don Hussain Thakurufan
*Maavaa Randhi Beefan
*Maavaa Randhi Beefan ge Aysha Fan
*Maavaa Randhi Beefan ge Aysha Fan ge Vazir Mohamed Thakurufan
*Madhiri Kolhu Bodu Kasim Thakurufan
*Meedhoo Ganduvaru Ali Thakurufan
*Meedhoo Ganduvaru Bodu Fuiy Thakurufan
*Meedhoo Ganduvaru Don Hussain Thakurufan
*Mohamed Sirajeddine Kateeb Thakurufan of Fonadhoo
*Moosa Kuda Bandeyri Thakurufan
*Odassalugey Don Hawwaa Fan
*Randhuvaru Hela Thakurufan
*Randhuvaru Kudaibee
*Sheikh Ali Didi
*Sheikh el-Faqih Moosa Khateeb Thakurufan
*Sultan Ali (deposed, exiled and given the rank of Shah Bandar)
*Sultan Hassan (deposed, exiled and given the rank of Shah Bandar)
*Sultan Mohamed Ghiyathuddine ge Abdulla Faamuladeyri Kilegefan ge Dorhy Didi
*Thiri Kuda Bandeyri Thakurufan
*Thoode Dhaleykaa Bee
*Thukkamanaa ge Mohamed Thakurufan
*Uhuniyari Kudhu Eduru Kaleyge
*Vathabandeyri Thakuru
*Vathabandeyri Thakuru ge Kalhu Fandiaiy Thakuru

Addu Kandu

This is the local name for the broad channel between Huvadu Atoll and Addu Atoll. The old French maps called it 'Courant d'Addoue' and it is known in the British Admiralty Charts as 'Equatorial Channel' for the Equator lies roughly in the middle of the Addu Kandu.

ee also

*United Suvadive Republic

External references

* [http://www.avalanchepress.com/AdduAtoll.php Royal Navy on Addu Atoll]
* [http://www.visitaddu.com Addu Atoll Information]
* [http://www.maldivesholidayoffers.com/destination/addu-atoll-maldives.php Map of Addu Atoll]
*cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors = Mike Butler
title = The "British Loyalty"
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.gan.philliptsmall.me.uk/Articles/BritishLoyalty.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2006-10-18