Indispensable Reef

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NASA picture of the three atolls forming the Indispensable Reef.

The Indispensable Reef, or Indispensable Reefs, consists of three large atolls in the Coral Sea, Southwestern Pacific Ocean. They are located south of Rennell and Bellona Islands at latitude 12° 40' 0 S, and longitude 160° 25' 0 E.

The three shallow atolls of the Indispensable Reef are aligned in a NW-SE direction and have no islands above the surface. The total length of this reef is 114 Km and its average width is 18 km.

Administratively the Indispensable Reef belongs to the Rennell and Bellona Province of the Solomon Islands.

[edit] History

Ship Neptune struck Indispensable Reef on August 3 1868 and was lost. The crew was rescued by the SS Boomerang.

During WW2 a Japanese torpedo plane from carrier Shokaku crashed on Indispensable Reef.

In the 1980's the Solomon Islands Government apprehended a vessel from Taiwan that had been poaching the giant clam stocks of Indispensable Reef. Corals and endangered fish species are also being plundered for the aquarium trade.

[edit] References

• [1]
• Corals: [2]
• Sunken ships: [3]
• Ecological concern: [4]

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