The Rockall Club
Below is The Rockall Club's most up to date record of landings and expeditions to Rockall.
  • 7th Century - Navigatio Sacti Brendani thought to describe Rockall, including dimensions, and possible landing (?)
  • 1686 Shipwreck on Rockall, Spanish and French survivors reach St. Kilda
  • 1716 ‘Rokol’ mentioned by Martin Martin in ‘A Description of the Western Islands’
  • 1810 ‘Discovery’ by HMS Endymion, with Lt. Basil Hall RN onboard
  • 1811 FIRST RECORDED LANDING, party including Lt. Basil Hall RN and Mr. T. Harvey (2, total unclear)
  • 1824 ‘The Helen’ shipwrecked, giving name to 'Helen's Reef - previously 'East Breaker' or 'East Rock''
  • 1831 Possible landing from HMS Pike during survey by Capt. A.T.E.Vidal RN (?)
  • 1839 'Charlotte' of Hull wrecked on Rockall around Christmas
  • 1856 Party landed from Colonel Gascoigne's yacht 'Myra' (1+)
  • 1862 Landing from HMS Porcupine by Mr. Johns (1)
  • 1887 Possible landing from the 'Undine' (1)
  • 1887 Reported landing by Faroese fishermen in Dimmalætting newspaper, from 'Delfinen' and 'Gauntlet' (2)
  • 1888 Daniel Davidsen and brother Ole land (2)
  • 1888 (circa) Possible landing from the Grimsby fishing smack 'Great Surprise' (1)
  • 1896 Two aborted attempts to land by the Royal Irish Academy from 'The Granuaile'
  • 1904 ‘The Norge’ shipwrecked by Rockall, 630+ people die
  • 1921 Landing from French ship ‘Pourquoi-Pas?’ (2), plus second landing (2)
  • 1948 Mr MT Bizony, from Fleetwood trawler 'Bulby', swims around Rockall on a float
  • 1955 British annexation of Rockall from HMS Vidal (4)
  • 1959 Party land from HMS Cavendish, led by Lt Cdr CPR Collis, discover 1955 plaque disappeared (8)
  • 1969 Landing from HMS Hecla by Lt. John Stafferton and others (6)
  • 1971 'Operation Top Hat' - Summit of Rockall removed by 39 Regiment, RE including Mike Wales, from RFA Engadine (11)
  • 1972 Rockall Act receives Royal Assent. Navigation light installed in June by Department of Trade & Industry from RFA Engadine (10)
  • 1973 Brian Snowdon and Tim Walker landed from RFA Tidepool to repair light (2)
  • 1974 Landing by Lt Cdr Ben Chilcott and team from HMS Tiger to repair navigation light (4)
  • 1974 Royal Marines ‘guard’ Rockall, landed from HMS Tartar (photo assumed fake, published in The Telegraph in 1985)
  • 1975 Landing by William Dick from 'Verve' - named a feature Paul's Cave and collected sample from Hasslewood Rock (1)
  • 1975 Engineering team from HMS Tiger land and install seismic equipment in beacon housing (5)
  • 1977 Landing by Brian Cunningham, David Ramsden and Tony Collingridge from 'Malaprop' (3)
  • 1977 Landing by 512 STRE Doppler Survey team (3)
  • 1978 Landing by The Dangerous Sports Club (8)
  • 1981 Landing by helicoper from HMS Hermes (?)
  • 1982 RAF Kinloss MRT and Board of Trade landing by Chinook, John Coull, Derek Scott, Steve Ross & Dave 'Heavy' Whalley (4)
  • 1985 Tom McClean - 40 DAY SOLO UNSUPPORTED RECORD, 1st to sleep on Rockall without shelter, 1st planning application (1)
  • 1987 Landing from Crystal River BCK16 (3)
  • 1988 Landing from RFA Fort Austin 2nd June, Lt.Cdr, DJ Brimell, Kev Slade, Maurice Watts (5)
  • 1988 Nature Conservancy Council landing from FPV Noma - FIRST FEMALE LANDING by Sue Hiscock (10)
  • 1992 Bingham Sub Aqua Club Expedition (5)
  • 1992 Lt. Mark Teasdale RN landed by helicopter from HMS Brave (1)
  • 1996 Landing from HMS Gloucester by Lt Steven Goodrich and Able Seaman Cload (2)
  • 1997 Greenpeace landing - 42 DAY LONGEST OCCUPATION RECORD, replaced navigation aid (7)
  • 1998 Second Greenpeace landing to upgrade navigation aid (8) - 3 overnight
  • 2003 Unsuccessful 'Rockall Times' landing
  • 2005 Ben Fogle's unsuccessful attempt to land and proclaim ‘Ben Land'
  • 2005 Second 'Rockall Times' team expedition (9)
  • 2005 Landing by Larry Hynes and Kevin O'Callaghan from the 'Killary Flyer' (2)
  • 2008 Landing from the 'Elinca' (6)
  • 2009 Unsuccessful Belgian Radio HAM expedition
  • 2011 Second Belgian Radio HAM expedition from Commandant Fourcault - overnight, without shelter (2)
  • 2012 The Rockall Jubilee Expedition, landing by Nick Hancock from Orca 3 - 1st Tweet and Facebook update sent from Rockall (1)
  • 2013 Unsuccessful landing attempt by Nick Hancock in support of Help for Heroes.
  • 2014 45 DAY SOLO UNSUPPORTED & LONGEST OCCUPATION RECORD by Nick Hancock, from Orca 3 (9)
  • 2016 Neil McGrigor's RIB expedition - 1st landing by RIB, new navigation beacon installed (4)
  • 2017 Safehaven Marine's 'Long Way Round' circumnavigation of Ireland via Rockall
  • 2020 Extreme Traveller International Congress (ETIC) expedition (1)
  • 2023 'Rockall Exped' landing from 'Taeping' (3) - 30 DAY OCCUPATION by Cam Cameron; HMCG rescue (1)

Total authenticated Rockall landings to date: 145 individuals; 4 individuals have been verified as landing more than once in seperate years.

If you have any information regarding other landings or corrections to this list please email The Secretary.