Chenla period In , the
Java (Daba) fleets from
Shailendra dynasty were laid a military attacks. The Cambodian inscriptions were generally said the fleets was
Malayan,
Sumatran,
Javanese, or all of them, quickly seized the island. At that time, the island was used by Javanese pirates to conducting numerous military raids on
Champa and Chiaou-Chou.
English East India Company period In 1702, the
English East India Company founded a settlement on this island (the
English called it '
Pulo Condore' after its
Malay name, Pulau Kundur فولاو كوندور) off the south coast of southern Vietnam, and in 1705 the garrison and settlement were destroyed.
Tay Son period In 1787, through the
Treaty of Versailles, Nguyễn Ánh (the future Emperor
Gia Long) promised to cede Poulo Condor to the French. In exchange
Louis XVI promised to help Nguyễn Ánh to regain the throne, by supplying 1,650 troops (1,200
Kaffir troops, 200 artillery men and 250 black soldiers) on four
frigates.
French colonial period In 1861, the French colonial government established
Côn Đảo Prison on the island to house
political prisoners. In 1954, it was turned over to the
South Vietnamese government, who continued to use it for the same purpose. Notable prisoners held at Côn Sơn in the 1930s included
Phạm Văn Đồng,
Nguyễn An Ninh and
Lê Đức Thọ. The actual construction of Station Con Son began during April with the delivery of construction materials by and award of construction contracts to
Morrison-Knudsen Corp. and
Brown and Root Company. Station Con Son was one of five stations in the Southeast Asia chain and was designated SH-3 Yankee. It consisted of a tower, transmitter equipment buildings, fuel tanks, generators and barracks for personnel located on the north end of Con Son Island. just nine months after the initial request from the Department of Defense. The station provided, along with its sister stations in the chain, signals that allowed aircraft and ships to receive accurate all-weather positioning data for navigation purposes. During January 1973 the operation of the station was turned over to civilian contractors who were responsible to the United States Coast Guard for all functions of the station. The Coast Guard continued to supply logistical and technical support on an as needed basis. When the fall of the South Vietnamese government was imminent, Station Con Son was directed to stay on the air until the last possible minute to provide navigation signals to aircraft and ships fleeing South Vietnam. Station Con Son stayed on the air until 1246 local time on 29 April 1975, after which the crew over-sped the generators and damaged critical pieces of electronic gear. ==Notes==