Minami Torishima

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Aerial photo from 1987
Aerial photo from 1987

Minamitori-shima (南鳥島) or Marcus Island is an isolated island in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, located at 24°18′N, 153°58′E. The Japanese meaning of the name is "Southern Bird Island". It is 1.2 km² in area. It is the easternmost territory belonging to Japan, some 1 848 km SE of Tokyo, or 1 267 East of the closest Japanese island, South Iwo Jima of the Ogasawara Islands, and nearly on a straight line between Tokyo and Wake Island, which is 1 415 km ESE. The closest island, however, is Farallon de Pajaros of the Mariana Islands, which is 1021 km WSW of Minamitori Shima.

That the island was initially discovered by Captain Arriola in 1694, is not at all established.[1] Its location was left unrecorded until further sightings in the early 19th century.

The island is first mentioned in 1864, given a position by a US survey ship in 1874, and first landed on by Kiozaemon Saito in 1879. Japan officially annexed the island July 24, 1898 (Kuroda 1954, 87), the US claim from 1889 according to the Guano Islands Act being not officially acknowledged. Sovereignty over the island before WWI was apparently disputed as various sources from the time move the island from the American to Japanese domain without specific explanation. In 1914, William D. Boyce included Marcus Island as an obviously American island in his book, "The Colonies and Dependencies of the United States".

In World War II there were over 4,000 Japanese soldiers stationed on the island, and the US Navy attacked it in 1942[2] and in 1943,[3] but never attempted to capture it.

The Treaty of San Francisco (1951) moved the island to American jurisdiction. The island was sold to Japan in 1968.

In 1964 the U. S. Coast Guard opened a LORAN-C navigation station on Marcus Island, whose mast was until 1985 one of the tallest structures in the Pacific area. In the 1980s the Loran station was maintained by 23 "Coasties". They were based there on one-year tours with a visit to mainland Japan at the 6-month point. The station was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Government of Japan on September 30, 1993.

On Thursdays a C-130 from the 345th Tactical Airlift Squadron, Yokota AFB, Japan, would resupply the island. Often Coasties would judge landings by raising placards with large numbers. An unusually long four hour ground time allowed the Coasties to read and answer letters. Aircrews used this time to snorkel and collect green glass fishing bouys that wash up on the shore. It takes about 45 minutes to walk around the island. A rusted-out Japanese mini-tank was a reminder of the island's history. The island was subsequently handed over to the Japanese.

The island is presently used for weather observation and has a radio station, but little else. Because of its isolation, it is of some interest to DXers.

Administratively, the island is considered part of Ogasawara village, Tokyo.

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[edit] Island characteristics

It is triangular in shape and as well as low lying. It was created by coral which eventually turned into a landmass. The island is surrounded by a fringing reef which range from 50 meters to 300 meters in width.

The island is unusual as it in fact gets higher the closer you get to the coast. The central area of the island is 1 meter below sea level whilst the coast is about 5 to 8 meters.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ 'Journal of Pacific History', Vol. 36, No. 1; 2001, pp. 105-115
  2. ^ USN Combat Narrative: Early Raids in the Pacific Ocean
  3. ^ http://history.acusd.edu/gen/st/~magneson/battles.html

[edit] Bibliography

  • Bryan, William A.: A monograph of Marcus Island; in: Occasional Papers of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Vol. 2, No. 1; 1903
  • Kuroda, Nagahisa: Report on a trip to Marcus Island, with notes on the birds; in: Pacific Science, Vol. 8, No. 1; 1954
  • Lévesque, Rodrigue: The odyssey of Captain Arriola and his discovery of Marcus Island in 1694; in: Journal of Pacific history, Vol. 32, No. 2; 1997, pp. 229-233
  • PUB 158 JAPAN Volume 1, NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, Bethesda, Maryland [1]
  • Sakagami, Shoichi F.: An ecological perspective of Marcus Island, with special reference to land animals; in: Pacific Science, Vol. 15, No. 1; 1961
  • Welsch, Bernhard: The asserted discovery of Marcus Island in 1694; in: Journal of Pacific History', Vol. 36, No. 1; 2001, pp. 105-115
  • Welsch, Bernhard: Was Marcus Island discovered by Bernardo de la Torre in 1543?; in: Journal of Pacific History, Vol. 39, No. 1; 2004, pp. 109-122

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links