56328, MIDWAY ISLAND), and an airfield. A Japanese submarine bombarded Midway on February 10, 1942.[21]. Midway Islands, unincorporated territory of the United States in the central Pacific Ocean, 1,300 miles (2,100 km) northwest of Honolulu. The World War II facilities at Sand and Eastern Islands were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 28, 1987, and were simultaneously added as a National Historic Landmark.[19]. The atoll was sighted on July 5, 1859, by Captain N.C. Middlebrooks, commonly known as Captain Brooks, of the sealing ship Gambia. Starting in July 1942, a submarine tender was always stationed at the atoll to support submarines patrolling Japanese waters. These workers introduced many non-native species to the island, including the canary, cycad, Norfolk Island pine, she-oak, coconut, and various deciduous trees; along with ants, cockroaches, termites, centipedes, and countless others. For the first few days here I did not even know that the island I was on was not called Midway Island. There is now only one landing strip which is located on Sand Island. Brooks claimed Midway for the United States under the Guano Islands Act of 1856, which authorized Americans to occupy uninhabited islands temporarily to obtain guano. The atoll is an important habitat in the region that serves as a breeding ground for about 17 seabird species. MILS was developed and installed by the same entities that had completed the first phase of the Atlantic and U.S. West Coast SOSUS systems. In fact, Midway was once a shield volcano, perhaps as large as the island of Lānaʻi. The islands of Midway Atoll have been extensively altered as a result of human habitation. Other Pacific MILS shore terminals were at the Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay supporting Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) tests with impact areas northeast of Hawaii and the other ICBM test support systems at Wake Island and Eniwetok.[23][24][25]. That reef is now over 516 feet (157 m) thick[11] (in the lagoon, 1,261 feet (384 m), comprised mostly post-Miocene limestones with a layer of upper Miocene (Tertiary g) sediments and lower Miocene (Tertiary e) limestones at the bottom overlying the basalts). Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, with only two months being able to be classified as dry season months (May and June). In 2016 President Obama expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and added the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as a fourth co-trustee of the monument. Apr 2012. Rather, it is run by the US Fish and Wildlife as a reserve. Finally, the wildlife in Midway today would not be in such good shape were it not for the efforts of the volunteers. Between 1904 and 1908, President Roosevelt stationed 21 Marines on the island to end wanton destruction of bird life and keep Midway safe as a U.S. possession, protecting the cable station. [23][26] U.S. Navy WV-2 (EC-121K) "Willy Victor" radar aircraft flew night and day as an extension of the Distant Early Warning Line, and antenna fields covered the islands. [20], The channel was widened, and Naval Air Station Midway was completed. [50] Recent results suggest that oceanic plastic develops a chemical signature that is normally used by seabirds to locate food items. All were rescued, with the exception of four of the five persons who sailed to Kauai in an open boat to seek help. This work necessitated enlarging the size of the island through land fill techniques, that when concluded, more than doubled the size of the island. While Midway supports nearly three million birds, each seabird species has carved out a specific site on the atoll in which to nest. Midway Atoll is approximately 140 nautical miles (259 km; 161 mi) east of the International Date Line, about 2,800 nautical miles (5,200 km; 3,200 mi) west of San Francisco, and 2,200 nautical miles (4,100 km; 2,500 mi) east of Tokyo. A number of native species rely on the island which is now home to 67–70% of the world's Laysan Albatross population, and 34–39% of the global Black-footed Albatross. US Fish and Wildlife contracts with a private company to run most services, and this company hires most of its employees from. For statistical purposes, Midway is grouped as one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands.. Consisting of 90 percent plastic, this debris accumulates on the beaches of Midway. Midway Atoll is part of a chain of volcanic islands, atolls, and seamounts extending from Hawaii up to the tip of the Aleutian Islands and known as the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain. Fewer than 2,200 individuals of this species are believed to exist due to excessive feather hunting in the late nineteenth century. Apr 23, 2016 - Midway Atoll-- (called Midway Island and Midway Islands; Hawaiian: Pihemanu Kauihelani) is a 2.4-square-mile (6.2 km2) atoll in the N Pacific Ocean at 28°12′N 177°21′WCoordinates: 28°12′N 177°21′W. He continues to guide educational travel programs to islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As part of the Base Realignment and Closure process, the Navy facility on Midway has been operationally closed since September 10, 1993, although the Navy assumed responsibility for cleaning up environmental contamination. 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