Rockall shows why apparently useless territory can acquire strategic value. A rival claimant willing to spend heavily could use even a remote Atlantic outcrop as a foothold for observation or other activity contrary to British interests. Later-released documents indicate that concern over hostile agents watching the South Uist missile range helped motivate the British claim. Competing British and Irish positions, together with the possibility of nearby resources, could also make exclusion from the dispute costly. The brass plaque left by Vidal's party disappeared after a 1997 Greenpeace visit, giving the sovereignty story a visible contested symbol. The rock has little power by itself; its importance depends on position, legal control, and what a state might build there.
Notable Point · 39:45-43:56
Why an isolated Rockall mattered in the Cold War
Rockall's remote position mattered because sovereignty, possible resources, and observation of South Uist missile testing could turn a bare rock into strategic territory.