Coll 6/88 'Intelligence: Military Report on Arabia (C.B. 1892).' [‎23v] (51/133)

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There is a mined jetty called Chatham Pier about 500 yards from the nearest point of
anchorage. It extends nearly 200 ft. from the shore and stands about 1 ft. above water level,
with 3 ft. to 4 ft. of water along its southern side. It could be rebuilt to take lighters and
boats, but there is no stone available nearer than Farum Island, 8 miles away.
The village is concealed from seaward by a line of date palms, but is commanded from
inshore by mountains lying to the east and south-east. There still exist the well-concealed
line of trenches built by the Turks during the war (1914-1918), to which they retired on the
approach of a British man-of-war. They run roughly in an arc between the 652 ft. peak of
Jebel Shahabi to Jebel Maaruf and they form a very strong defensive position, since there is
no cover between them and the shore, and the mountains in rear are precipitous. There is
a well of good water in Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Shallala.
There are suitable camp sites on the plains to the north and south of the village.
BAHRAIN
(Lat. 26° 16' N., Long. 50° 33' E.)
(See Plans Nos. 15, 16 and 17, and Admiralty Charts 3790 and 3792.)
(1) General Remarks
The State of BAHRAIN has suffered violent economic fluctuations during the last ten
years. At first it enjoyed comfortable prosperity due to the pearl trade, then suffered a
severe financial depression resulting in drastic curtailment of all activity and expansion,
and finally an immense increase in revenue due to the development of the BAHRAIN Oil
Field by the BAHRAIN Petroleum Company, Ltd. This company has now succeeded in
making BAHRAIN the twelfth largest oil-producing country in the world, and, providing
the oil does not run dry, a period of continuously increasing prosperity appears to be in prospect
for BAHRAIN. Already among other Gulf States BAHRAIN is looked up to as being most
progressive.
The climate is not good and fevers, dysentery and malaria are rife in the spring and
autumn. Venereal diseases are very prevalent. The climate is excessively damp and heavy,
the maximum humidity actually occurring in winter, but even during summer it is damper
than'any other part of the Gulf.
A shamal blows almost continuously for 40 days during June and July, bringing constant
dust-storms, whilst doing little to cool the atmosphere. From mid-July to mid-October the
damp heat makes BAHRAIN most unpleasant for Europeans. The annual rainfall is about
3 in.
BAHRAIN is of importance in that it is now the main base of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Division.
An officers’ mess, men’s canteen, swimming pools, gardens, coal, petrol and lay-apart stores,
Clerk-in-Charge’s house and coolie A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory. lines have been built on ESSEX Point. Football, cricket
and hockey grounds have been laid out, and a pier (one-third mile long) constructed, along
which a Decauville track runs to the coal and lay-apart stores. A complete water supply and
drainage system has also been installed. The construction of this base was undertaken by
the Government at the request of the Naval Authorities.
The white ensign flies from the flagstaff, which was transferred here from BASIDU.
The sloops anchor in KHOR KALIYA, where is also moored a 500-ton oil barge. Buoys
and beacons have been erected to assist navigation. This is always tricky at the bar, except ,
at slack water, as the stream sometimes reaches 6 knots. Passage in and out of KHOR
KALIYA is undertaken regularly during dark hours and should not present any difficulties
to a ship entering for the first time.
KHOR KALIYA, eastward of the northern end of BAHRAIN, is enclosed by reefs
extending off BAHRAIN, MUHARRAK and SITRAH ISLANDS, only leaving a narrow
entrance at its south-eastern end available for shipping ; boats can enter the reef at the northern
end. The middle part is occupied by a large sand shoal with 7 to 17 ft. of water in it, but there
is considerable space around it with depths of 20 to 25 ft., affording fairly good anchorage, to
some extent sheltered from shamals.
The entrance channel across the middle of the bar between KASSAR DIWAN rock and
SITRAH reef, is about 60 yards wide, with depth of 25-54 ft. (For full particulars see Persian
Gulf Pilot.)
The mercantile harbour lies northward of BAHRAIN Island. The anchorage, classed
as “ D,” lies between the Jadam shoal and the island itself, and is- sheltered to the extent
that ships can lie there in any weather and the holding ground is good. A considerable sea,
bad for boats, gets up in the outer harbour during a strong shamal, but communication with
the shore is- seldom interrupted and vessels ride easily at anchor. There is anchorage space
for a number of cruisers with 19 to 42 ft. depth. It is open to observation and could be easily
mined. There is unlimited anchorage if distance from the town is immaterial,