Minami Torishima

Minamitori-shima (南鳥島) or Marcus Island is an isolated island in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, located at coord|24|18|N|153|58|E|region:JP-13_type:isle|display=inline,title. The Japanese meaning of the name is "Southern Bird Island". It has an area of convert|1.2|km²|sqmi|1|lk=on. It is the easternmost territory belonging to Japan, lying some convert|1848|km|mi|0 SE of Tokyo and convert|1267|km|mi|0 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 convert|1415|km|mi|0 east southeast. The closest island, however, is Farallon de Pajaros of the Mariana Islands, which is convert|1021|km|mi|0 west south-west of Minamitori Shima.

History

That the island was initially discovered by a Captain Arriola in 1694 is not at all established. ['Journal of Pacific History', Vol. 36, No. 1; 2001, pp. 105-115] 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 not being 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 [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-CN-Raids/USN-CN-Raids-3.html USN Combat Narrative: Early Raids in the Pacific Ocean ] ] and in 1943, [ http://history.acusd.edu/gen/st/~magneson/battles.html] but never attempted to capture it.

The Treaty of San Francisco (1951) moved the island under American control. [Article 3 of Treaty of San FranciscoJapan will concur in any proposal of the United States to the United Nations to place under its trusteeship system, with the United States as the sole administering authority, Nansei Shoto south of 29° north latitude (including the Ryukyu Islands and the Daito Islands), Nanpo Shoto south of Sofu Gan (including the Bonin Islands, Rosario Island and the Volcano Islands) and Parece Vela and Marcus Island. Pending the making of such a proposal and affirmative action thereon, the United States will have the right to exercise all and any powers of administration, legislation and jurisdiction over the territory and inhabitants of these islands, including their territorial waters.] The island was sold to Japan in 1968.Fact|date=July 2008

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 buoys 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.

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 ranges from convert|50|m|ft|0 to convert|300|m|ft|0 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 convert|1|m|ft|0 below sea level whilst the coast is about convert|5|m|ft|0 to convert|8|m|ft|0 above.

Notes

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 [http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/sdr/]

* 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

ee also

* Extreme points of Japan

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/kunitaka_tanaka/territories/minami-torishima.html Minami Torishima info and pictures]
* [http://www.mobilegeographics.com:81/locations/3596.html Marcus Island] sunrise, sunset, tides
* [http://www.gsi.go.jp/WNEW/LATEST/special00-01/Nhigashi.htm Map and aerial photo of Minami Torishima] , from the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan website