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'''Wake Island''' ({{lang-mh|Ānen Kio|translation=island of the [[Sida fallax|kio flower]]}}), also known as '''Wake Atoll'''
The
The natural areas of Wake are mix of tropical trees, scrub, and grasses that have adapted to the limited rainfall. Thousands of hermit crabs and rats live on Wake, and in the past there were also feral cats which had been there to help control the rat population, which at one time was estimated at 2 million. The [[Wake Island rail]], a small flightless bird, once lived on the atoll but went extinct during [[World War II]]. Many species of seabird also visit Wake, although the thick vegetation has caused most birds to nest on a designated bird sanctuary on [[Wilkes Island]]. The submerged and emergent lands at Wake Island comprise a unit of the [[Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument]].
==Etymology==
Wake Island derives its name from British [[sea captain]] Samuel Wake, who rediscovered the atoll in 1796 while in command of the ''Prince William Henry''. The name is sometimes attributed to Captain William Wake, who also is reported to have discovered the atoll from the ''Prince William Henry'' in 1792.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Urwin |first=Gregory J. W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_WsG39lnR9cC |title=Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake Island |date=2002 |isbn=0-8032-9562-6 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |location=Lincoln, Nebraska |pages=22–23 |oclc=52430118 |access-date=May 28, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604180217/https://books.google.com/books?id=_WsG39lnR9cC |url-status=live }}</ref>
Peale Island is named for the naturalist [[Titian Peale]], who visited the island in 1841,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Captain Ross A. Dierdorff, U. S. Navy |date=April 1943 |title=Pioneer Party—Wake Island |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1943/april/pioneer-party-wake-island |access-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026162114/https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1943/april/pioneer-party-wake-island |url-status=live }}</ref> and Wilkes Island is named for U.S. Naval officer [[Charles Wilkes]], who led the U.S. expedition to Wake Atoll in 1841.<ref name="Olson1996" />
==History==
[[File:Wake Island Lagoon Paradise by Matthew Piatkowski.jpg|thumb|Palm trees at Wake Island's lagoon]]
[[File:Wake Jun 15 050 (18471103304).jpg|thumb|The lagoon as seen from Ewa beach]]
===Prehistory===
The presence of the [[Polynesian rat]] on the island suggests that Wake was likely visited by [[Polynesian navigation|Polynesian]] or [[Micronesian navigation|Micronesian voyagers]] at an early date.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Olson |first1=S. L. |last2=Rauzon |first2=M. J. |date=2011 |title=The extinct Wake Island Rail ''Gallirallus wakensis'': a comprehensive species account based on museum specimens and archival records |journal=Wilson Journal of Ornithology |volume=123 |issue=4 |pages=663–689 |doi=10.1676/11-029.1 |s2cid=83517404}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Spennemann |first=D. H. R. |date=October 1997 |title=Distribution of Rat Species (''Rattus spp.'') on the Atolls of the Marshall Islands: Past and Present Dispersal |url=https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/5907 |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |volume=446 |issue=446 |page=4 |doi=10.5479/si.00775630.446.1 |hdl=10088/5907 |access-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209142518/https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/5907 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the Marshallese oral tradition, stories tell of Ānen Kio, or "island of the [[Sida fallax|orange flower]]," where men would collect [[albatross]] bones for tattooing rituals. [[Dwight Heine]] speculated that the Marshall Islanders treated Ānen Kio similar to a game preserve for hunting and gathering food and that no one permanently lived there, similar to land usage practices on [[Bokak Atoll]] and [[Bikar Atoll]]. He also speculated that the islanders may have stopped traveling to Wake Atoll in the mid-1800s, around the time the first missionaries arrived in the Marshalls. However, this oral tradition was only revealed to outsiders in the 1970s and
It is also considered unlikely that the atoll was visited due to its extreme remoteness and barren conditions
===Early exploration and shipwrecks===
{{Main article|History of Wake Island (1568-1898)}}
The first recorded discovery of Wake Island was on October 2, 1568, by Spanish explorer and navigator [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira]]. In 1567, Mendaña and his crew had set off on two ships, ''Los Reyes'' and ''Todos los Santos'', from [[Callao]], [[Peru]], on an [[exploration|expedition]] to search for a [[el dorado|gold-rich land]] in the South Pacific mentioned in [[Inca Empire|Inca]] tradition. After visiting [[Tuvalu]] and the [[Solomon Islands]], the expedition headed north and came upon Wake Island, "a low barren island, judged to be eight [[League (unit)|leagues]] in circumference". Since the date, October 2, was the eve of the [[Calendar of saints|feast of Saint]] [[Francis of Assisi]], the captain named it '''St Francis Island''' ({{lang-es|Isla San Francisco}}<!--common on period maps--> ) The ships were in need of water and the crew was suffering from [[scurvy]], but after circling the island it was determined that Wake was waterless and had "not a cocoanut nor a [[pandanus]]" and "there was nothing on it but [[Seabird|sea-birds]], and sandy places covered with bushes."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharp |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HJYhAAAAMAAJ |title=The Discovery of the Pacific Islands |date=1960 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0-19-821519-3 |location=Oxford, England |page=47 |oclc=418115 |access-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604180246/https://books.google.com/books?id=HJYhAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Brand |first=Donald D. |title=The Pacific Basin: A History of Its Geographical Explorations |publisher=The American Geographical Society |year=1967 |editor-last=Friis |editor-first=Herman Ralph |page=133 |chapter=Geographical Explorations by the Spaniards}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/874143292 |title=La Austrialia del Espíritu Santo. Volume 1: The journal of Fay Martin de Munilla O.F.M. and Other Documents Relating to the Voyage of Pedro Fernández de Quiró to the South Sea (1605–1606) and the Franciscan Missionary Plan (1617–1627) |date=2010 |isbn=978-1-4094-1731-6 |location=Surrey, England |publisher=Ashgate Publishing Limited |pages=110 |oclc=874143292 |orig-date=1966 |access-date=May 28, 2022 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604180757/https://search.worldcat.org/title/874143292 |url-status=live }}</ref> (It was while attempting to relocate Wake according to Mendaña's description of its coordinates that [[James Cook]] first reached the [[Hawaiian Islands]].)<ref>{{citation |editor-last=Forbes |editor-first=David W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WA3pXblqS20C |title=Hawaiian National Bibliography 1780–1900, ''Vol. I:'' 1780–1830 |location=Honolulu |publisher=University of Hawai{{okina}}i Press |date=1999 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=WA3pXblqS20C&pg=PA208 208] |isbn=9780824820428 }}.</ref>
In 1796, Captain Samuel Wake of the [[Merchant ship|merchantman]] ''Prince William Henry'' also came upon Wake Island, naming the atoll for himself. Soon thereafter the 80-ton [[Fur trade|fur trading]] merchant [[brig]] ''Halcyon'' arrived at Wake and [[Sea captain|Master]] [[Charles William Barkley]], unaware of Captain Wake's visit and other prior European contact, named the atoll '''Halcyon Island''' in honor of his ship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.janeresture.com/wake/index.htm |title=Wake Island |publisher=Janeresture.com |access-date=December 10, 2011 |archive-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107005313/http://www.janeresture.com/wake/index.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1823, Captain [[Gardner (whaling family)#Edward Gardner|Edward Gardner]], while in command of the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Whaler|whaling ship]] HMS ''Bellona'', visited an island at {{coord|19|15|00|N|166|32|00|E}}, which he judged to be {{convert|20|-|25|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} long. The island was "covered with wood, having a very green and rural appearance". This report is considered to be another sighting of Wake Island.<ref name="Reynolds">{{cite web |url=http://mysite.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/usexex573.htm |title=Reynold's Report to the House of Representatives |publisher=Mysite.du.edu |access-date=December 10, 2011 |archive-date=November 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102160243/http://mysite.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/usexex573.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
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On December 20, 1841, the [[United States Exploring Expedition]], commanded by US Navy Lieutenant [[Charles Wilkes]], arrived at Wake on {{USS|Vincennes|1826|6}} and sent several boats to survey the island. Wilkes described the atoll as "a low coral one, of triangular form and eight feet above the surface. It has a large lagoon in the centre, which was well filled with fish of a variety of species among these were some fine [[mullet (fish)|mullet]]." He also noted that Wake had no [[fresh water]] but was covered with shrubs, "the most abundant of which was the [[tournefortia]]." The expedition's [[natural history|naturalist]], [[Titian Peale]], noted that "the only remarkable part in the formation of this island is the enormous blocks of coral which have been thrown up by the violence of the sea". Peale collected an egg from a [[short-tailed albatross]] and added other specimens, including a [[Polynesian rat]], to the natural history collections of the expedition. Wilkes also reported that "from appearances, the island must be at times submerged, or the sea makes a complete breach over it".<ref>''Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition: During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842'', Volume 5, Charles Wilkes, C. Sherman, 1849, p. 267</ref>
Wake Island first received international attention with the [[shipwreck|wreck]] of the [[barque]] {{ship||Libelle|barque|2}}. On the night of March 4, 1866, the 650-ton iron-hulled ''Libelle'', of [[Bremen]], struck the eastern reef of Wake Island during a [[gale]]. Commanded by Captain Anton Tobias, the ship was en route from [[San Francisco]] to [[Hong Kong]] with a cargo of [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] (quicksilver). After three days of searching and digging on the island for water, the crew was able to recover a {{convert|200|gal|L}} water tank from the wrecked ship. Valuable cargo was also recovered and buried on the island, including some of the 1,000 flasks of mercury, as well as coins and precious stones
The Spanish governor of the Mariana Islands, Francisco Moscoso y Lara, welcomed and provided aid to the ''Libelle'' shipwreck survivors on Guam. He also ordered the [[schooner]] ''Ana'', owned and commanded by his son-in-law George H. Johnston, to be dispatched with first mate Kausch to search for the missing gig and then sail on to Wake Island to confirm the [[shipwreck]] story and recover the buried [[treasure]]. ''Ana'' departed Guam on April 10 and, after two days at Wake Island, found and salvaged the buried coins and precious stones as well as a small quantity of the quicksilver.<ref>"Return of the Hokulele", ''The Friend'', Honolulu, Volume 1, Number 8, August 1, 1867, Edition 1, p. 72</ref><ref>"Libelle Wreckers", ''Hawaiian Gazette'', Honolulu, Wednesday, May 27, 1868, p. 1</ref>
On July 29, 1870, the British tea [[clipper]] ''Dashing Wave'', under the command of Captain Henry Vandervord, sailed out of [[Fuzhou|Fuzhou, China]], en route to [[Sydney]]. On August 31 "the weather was very thick, and it was blowing a heavy gale from the eastward, attended with violent
===American annexation===
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[[File:Tanager Expedition tent camp at Wake Island, 1923.jpg|thumb|left|[[Tanager Expedition]] tent camp in 1923 at Wake Island, established on the eastern end of Wilkes Island]]
In 1923, a joint expedition by the then [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|Bureau of the Biological Survey]] (in the [[United States Department of Agriculture|U.S. Department of Agriculture]]), the [[Bishop Museum|Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum]] and the [[United States Navy]] was organized to conduct a thorough biological reconnaissance of the [[Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]], then administered by the Biological Survey Bureau as the [[Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument|Hawaiian Islands Bird Reservation]]. On February 1, 1923, [[United States Secretary of Agriculture|Secretary of Agriculture]] [[Henry Cantwell Wallace|Henry C. Wallace]] contacted [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of Navy]] [[Edwin Denby (politician)|Edwin Denby]] to request Navy participation and recommended expanding the expedition to [[Johnston Atoll|Johnston]], [[Midway Atoll|Midway]] and Wake, all islands not administered by the Department of Agriculture. On July 27, 1923, {{USS|Tanager|AM-5|6}}, a [[World War I]] [[minesweeper]], brought the [[Tanager Expedition]] to Wake Island under the leadership of [[Ornithology|ornithologist]] [[Alexander Wetmore]], and a tent camp was established on the eastern end of Wilkes. From July 27 to August 5, the expedition charted the [[atoll]], made extensive [[zoology|zoological]] and [[botany|botanical]] observations and gathered specimens for the Bishop Museum, while the naval vessel under the command of Lt. Cmdr. [[Samuel Wilder King]] conducted a [[depth sounding|sounding survey]] offshore. Other achievements at Wake included examinations of three abandoned Japanese feather poaching camps, scientific observations of the now extinct [[Wake Island rail]] and confirmation that Wake Island is an [[atoll]], with a group comprising three islands with a central lagoon. Wetmore named the southwest island for [[Charles Wilkes]], who had led the original pioneering [[United States Exploring Expedition]] to Wake in 1841. The northwest island was named for [[Titian Peale]], the chief naturalist of that 1841 expedition.<ref name="Olson1996">''History and Ornithological Journals of the Tanager Expedition of 1923 to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Johnston and Wake Islands'', Storrs L. Olson, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, February 1996</ref>
===Pan American Airways===
[[File:Martin 130 NC14716 "China Clipper" (5965549649).jpg|thumb|Pan American flew three of the largest aircraft built in the US up that time, the Martin M-130, across the Pacific using remote
[[File:Wake Atoll National Historic landmark remains of Pan Am pier Peale Island.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8 |Remains of Pan-Am pier for the seaplane refueling station and airport]]
[[Juan Trippe]], president of the world's then-largest airline, [[Pan Am|Pan American Airways]] (PAA), wanted to expand globally by offering passenger air service between the United States and China. To cross the Pacific Ocean his planes would need to island-hop, stopping at various points for refueling and maintenance. He first tried to plot the route on his [[globe]] but it showed only open sea between [[Midway Atoll|Midway]] and [[Guam]]. Next, he went to the [[New York Public Library]] to study 19th-century [[clipper]] ship [[logbook|log]]s and [[Nautical chart|charts]] and he "discovered" a little-known [[coral]] [[atoll]], Wake Island. To proceed with his plans at Wake and Midway, Trippe would need to be granted access to each island and approval to construct and operate facilities; however, the islands were not under the jurisdiction of any specific U.S. government entity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.panam.org/pan-am-stories/775-chronicling-wake-island|title=Chronicling Wake Island|website=Panam.org|access-date=April 26, 2021|archive-date=July 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731234300/https://www.panam.org/pan-am-stories/775-chronicling-wake-island|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Trippe the Light Fantastic |author=Harold Evans |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=February 24, 2005}}</ref>
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Meanwhile, U.S. Navy military planners and the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] were increasingly alarmed by the [[Empire of Japan]]'s expansionist attitude and growing belligerence in the Western [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]]. Following [[World War I]], the [[League of Nations|Council of the League of Nations]] had granted the [[South Seas Mandate]] ("Nanyo") to Japan (which had joined the [[Allies (World War I)|Allied Powers]] in the [[First World War]]) which included the already Japanese-held [[Micronesia]] islands north of the [[equator]] that were part of the former colony of [[German New Guinea]] of the [[German Empire]]; these include the modern nation/states of [[Palau]], [[Federated States of Micronesia|The Federated States of Micronesia]], [[Northern Mariana Islands|The Northern Mariana Islands]] and [[Marshall Islands|The Marshall Islands]]. In the 1920s and 1930s, Japan restricted access to its [[League of Nations mandate|mandated territory]] and began to develop harbors and airfields throughout [[Micronesia]] in defiance of the [[Washington Naval Treaty]] of 1922, which prohibited both the United States and Japan from expanding military fortifications in the Pacific islands. Now with Trippe's planned Pan American Airways aviation route passing through Wake and Midway, the U.S. Navy and the State Department saw an opportunity to project American air power across the Pacific under the guise of a [[commercial aviation]] enterprise. On October 3, 1934, Trippe wrote to the [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]], requesting a five-year lease on Wake Island with an option for four renewals. Given the potential military value of PAA's base development, on November 13, [[Chief of Naval Operations]] Admiral [[William H. Standley]] ordered a survey of Wake by {{USS|Nitro|AE-2|6}} and on December 29 President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] issued [[Executive order (United States)|Executive Order]] 6935, which placed Wake Island and also [[Johnston Atoll|Johnston]], Sand Island at [[Midway Atoll|Midway]] and [[Kingman Reef]] under the control of the Department of the Navy. In an attempt to disguise the Navy's military intentions, Rear Admiral [[Harry E. Yarnell]] then designated Wake Island as a bird sanctuary.<ref>''China Clipper: The Age of the Great Flying Boats'', Robert Gandt, Naval Institute Press, September 23, 2013</ref>
USS ''Nitro'' arrived at Wake Island on March 8, 1935, and conducted a two-day ground, marine and aerial survey, providing the Navy with strategic observations and complete photographic coverage of the [[atoll]]. Four days later, on March 12, Secretary of the Navy [[Claude A. Swanson]] formally granted Pan American Airways permission to construct facilities at Wake Island.<ref name="A Magnificent Fight">{{Cite web |last=Cressma |first=Robert J. |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island |url=https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Wake.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031091703/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Wake.html |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |work=Marines in World War II Commemorative Series}}</ref>
[[File:SS North Haven unloading at Wilkes Island, Wake Atoll.jpg|thumb|left|Pan American Airways (PAA) construction workers "lighter" building materials from SS ''North Haven'' to the dock at Wilkes Island, Wake Atoll.]]
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[[File:PAA Hotel and facilities at Wake Island.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Pan American Airways Hotel and facilities on Peale Island at Wake Atoll. The hotel is on the left, the anchor from the ''Libelle'' shipwreck and the pergola leading to the "Clipper" seaplane dock is on the right.]]
By October 1936, Pan American Airways was ready to transport [[passenger]]s across the Pacific on its small fleet of three [[Martin M-130]] "Flying Clippers". On October 11, the ''China Clipper'' landed at Wake on a press flight with ten journalists on board. A week later, on October 18, PAA President [[Juan Trippe]] and a group of [[Very Important Person|VIP]] passengers arrived at Wake on the ''[[Philippine Clipper]]'' (NC14715). On October 25, the ''[[Hawaii Clipper]]'' (NC14714) landed at Wake with the first paying airline passengers ever to cross the Pacific. In 1937, Wake Island became a regular stop for PAA's international trans-Pacific passenger and [[airmail]] service, with two scheduled flights per week, one westbound from Midway and one eastbound from Guam.<ref name="Riding the Reef" /><ref name="Wake Island Line 1936, Page 40" /> Pan Am also flew [[Boeing 314 Clipper]] flying boats in addition the Martin M130.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chronicling Wake Island |url=https://www.panam.org/pan-am-stories/775-chronicling-wake-island |access-date=October 24, 2023 |website=panam.org |archive-date=July 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731234300/https://www.panam.org/pan-am-stories/775-chronicling-wake-island |url-status=live }}</ref>
Wake Island is credited with being one of the early successes of [[hydroponics]], which enabled Pan American Airways to grow vegetables for its passengers, as it was very expensive to airlift in fresh vegetables and the island lacked natural soil.<ref>''Nice Clean Gardening'', Frank J. Taylor, "The Rotarian", July 1939, p. 14 [https://books.google.com/books?id=GkEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Nice+Clean+Gardening,+Frank+J.+Taylor,+'The+Rotarian',+July,+1939&pg=PA14 Nice Clean Gardening] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004134033/https://books.google.com/books?id=GkEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Nice+Clean+Gardening%2C+Frank+J.+Taylor%2C+%27The+Rotarian%27%2C+July%2C+1939&pg=PA14 |date=October 4, 2023 }}</ref> Pan Am remained in operation up to the day of the first Japanese air raid in December 1941, forcing the U.S. into [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.panam.org/war-years/654-war-boat|title=War Boat: A Heroic Tale|website=Panam.org|access-date=April 26, 2021|archive-date=April 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426185625/https://www.panam.org/war-years/654-war-boat|url-status=live}}</ref>
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====Battle of Wake Island====
{{Main|Battle of Wake Island}}
[[File:BGen Bayler - 19420103 - Chevron.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|A [[Clipping (publications)|clipping]] of an American newspaper article on Bayler]]
The battle started with air attacks starting on December 8, 1941. After three days, a naval assault was attempted but rebuffed on December 11, 1941. The island continued to be bombed, and the Japanese amassed a larger invasion fleet. There was a 50-plane air raid on December 21, 1941. The Japanese returned on December 23, 1941, with a much larger amphibious force and captured the island. It was occupied by the Japanese until September 1945.
On December 8, 1941 (December 7 in Hawaii, the day of the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]), at least 27 Japanese [[Mitsubishi G3M]] "Nell" medium bombers flown from bases on [[Kwajalein]] in the [[Marshall Islands]] attacked Wake Island, destroying eight of the 12 [[Grumman F4F Wildcat]] fighter aircraft belonging to [[VMFA-211|USMC Fighter Squadron 211]] on the ground. The Marine garrison's defensive emplacements were left intact by the raid, which primarily targeted the aircraft.<ref name="UrwinEncyclBrit">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Wake-Island|author=Urwin, Gregory|title=Battle of Wake Island|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=October 23, 2016|archive-date=December 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206145854/https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Wake-Island|url-status=live}}</ref> On December 9 and 10, there were more air attacks, and two Japanese bombers were shot down. However, the bombing of Wilkes Island detonated an ammunition dump, the Wake hospital was destroyed, and many other buildings were damaged. Meanwhile, the Japanese naval landing force was on its way from [[Roi-Namur|Roi]] in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands and would arrive at Wake on December 11, 1941.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Gallant Defense: The Battle of Wake Island |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-wake-island-2361443 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102171224/https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-wake-island-2361443 |url-status=live }}</ref> On the night of December 10, the US submarine [[USS Triton (SS-201)|USS ''Triton'']] engaged an enemy destroyer near Wake while on patrol; it fired torpedoes, but in the battle neither vessel was sunk. This is noted as the first time a U.S. submarine launched its torpedoes in the Pacific war.<ref name="Triton III SS-201">{{Cite web |title=Triton III (SS-201) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/triton-iii.html |access-date=November 3, 2023 |website=NHHC |language=en-US |archive-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223191425/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/triton-iii.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Japanese are known to have lost one of the submarines they sent as part of the operation, but it was because two of their submarines accidentally collided with one another on December 17, sinking one. Japanese submarine ''[[Japanese submarine Ro-66|Ro-66]]'' was on the surface {{convert|25|nmi}} southwest of Wake Island – bearing 252 degrees from the atoll – to recharge her [[Electric battery|batteries]] in a heavy [[squall]] in the predawn darkness of December 17, 1941, when her lookouts suddenly sighted ''Ro-62'', also on the surface and recharging batteries.<ref name="ijnsubsiteRo66">{{cite web |url=http://www.ijnsubsite.info/RO-Sub%20Details/RO-66.htm |title=RO-66 |work=iijnsubsite.info |year=2016 |access-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604180649/http://www.ijnsubsite.info/RO-Sub%20Details/RO-66.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="combinedfleetRo66">{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-66.htm |title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-66: Tabular Record of Movement |first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2017 |access-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-date=February 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218184712/http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-66.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="combinedfleetRo62" /> Both submarines attempted to back off, but it was too late to avoid a collision, and ''Ro-62'' rammed ''Ro-66'' at 20:20 [[Japan Standard Time]].<ref name="combinedfleetRo66" /><ref name="combinedfleetRo62" /> ''Ro-66'' sank at {{coord|19|10|N|166|28|E|name=''Ro-66''}}<ref name="ijnsubsiteRo66" /> with the loss of 63 lives, including that of the commander of Submarine Division 27.<ref name="ijnsubsiteRo66" /><ref name="combinedfleetRo66" /><ref name="combinedfleetRo62" /> ''Ro-62'' rescued her three survivors, who had been thrown overboard from her [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]] by the collision.<ref name="ijnsubsiteRo66" /><ref name="combinedfleetRo66" /><ref name="combinedfleetRo62">{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-62.htm |title=Sensuikan: IJN Submarine RO-62: Tabular Record of Movement |first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |year=2017 |access-date=October 17, 2020 |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506041615/http://www.combinedfleet.com/RO-62.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
The American garrison, supplemented by civilian construction workers employed by [[Morrison-Knudsen]] Corp., repelled several Japanese landing attempts.<ref>Arthur Herman. ''Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II,'' pp. 170–174, Random House, New York, 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-4000-6964-4}}.</ref> An American journalist reported that after the initial Japanese amphibious assault was beaten back with heavy losses on December 11, the American commander was asked by his superiors if he needed anything. Popular legend has it that Major James Devereux sent back the message, "Send us more Japs!" – a reply that became famous.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marines/a/legends.htm |title=Legends |publisher=Usmilitary.about.com |date=December 7, 1941 |access-date=December 10, 2011 |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112122355/http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marines/a/legends.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Joyous Finale |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,854451,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080105131004/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,854451,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 5, 2008 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=September 17, 1945 |access-date=April 8, 2007}}{{subscription required}}</ref> After the war, when Major Devereux learned that he had been credited with sending such a message, he pointed out that he had not been the commander on Wake Island and denied sending it. "As far as I know, it wasn't sent at all. None of us was that much of a damn fool. We already had more Japs than we could handle."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boller |first1=Paul F. Jr. |last2=George |first2=John |title=They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions |year=1989 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=0-19-505541-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/theyneversaiditb00boll/page/20 20] |url=https://archive.org/details/theyneversaiditb00boll/page/20 }}</ref>
In reality, Commander [[Winfield S. Cunningham]], USN was in charge of Wake Island, not Devereux.<ref name="NYTIMES3">{{cite news|title=Adm. Winfield CunninGuam; Commanded at Wake island|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/06/obituaries/adm-winfield-cunningham-commanded-at-wake-island.html|website=The New York Times|date=March 6, 1986|access-date=January 11, 2017|archive-date=January 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113162149/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/06/obituaries/adm-winfield-cunningham-commanded-at-wake-island.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Cunningham ordered that coded messages be sent during operations, and a junior officer had added "send us" and "more Japs" to the beginning and end of a message to confuse Japanese [[Cryptanalysis|code breaker]]s. This was put together at Pearl Harbor and passed on as part of the message.<ref name="Sbrega2015">{{cite book|author=John J. Sbrega|title=The War Against Japan, 1941–1945: An Annotated Bibliography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vUTeCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT424|year=2015|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-43178-7|pages=424–|access-date=January 11, 2017|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203022527/https://books.google.com/books?id=vUTeCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT424|url-status=live}}</ref>
On December 12, in the early morning, a four-engined flying boat bombed Wake, but a Wildcat fighter aircraft was able to intercept and shoot it down. Later in the day, they were bombed again by 26 [[Mitsubishi G3M|Nell aircraft]] (G3M twin engine bombers), one of which was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. An F4F Wildcat on patrol late in the day sank a Japanese submarine that was near Wake. The next air raid was on December 14, which included bombing raid by several 4-engined flying boats, and later in the day, 30 Nells (G3M) struck the atoll, destroying a Wildcat that was under repair. The island was bombed again on December 15, killing one civilian worker. Wake was bombed again on December 16 by 33 Nells (G3M), and again on the 19th, though in that attack one was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and several more damaged.<ref name="www.nps.gov" /> Prior and at the start of hostilities, the waters around Wake were patrolled by two USN submarines, the [[USS Triton (SS-201)|USS Triton]] and the [[USS Tambor]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Magnificent Fight: Marines in the Battle for Wake Island (Humbled by Sizeable Casualties) |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec2.htm |access-date=November 3, 2023 |website=nps.gov |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103005023/https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/npswapa/extcontent/usmc/pcn-190-003119-00/sec2.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Prior to the start of the war one of the USS Triton crew members became sick and was dropped off at Wake Island on December 1, 1941. He became a prisoner of war and survived WWII.<ref>{{Cite web |title=On Eternal Patrol – USS Triton (SS-201) |url=https://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-triton-201.htm |access-date=November 3, 2023 |website=oneternalpatrol.com |archive-date=June 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608024922/https://oneternalpatrol.com/uss-triton-201.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The Triton was radioed about the start of the war when it surfaced to recharge its batteries and was warned to stay away from the atoll, lest it be targeted by Wake's gunners. On December 10, the USS Triton had one engagement with a Japanese destroyer and fired the first US torpedoes of the Pacific War, though it did not sink it. It escaped unscathed and went on to serve in the Pacific theater (it was later sunk in 1943).<ref name="Triton III SS-201" /> The submarine USS Tambor had to return to its home port in Hawaii in mid-December due to mechanical difficulties and did not have any engagements.<ref name="www.nps.gov" />
A [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|PBY Catalina]] flying boat arrived on December 20, 1941, with a delivery of mail, and when it left, one marine was sent away on orders because he was required on Midway, thus [[Walter L. J. Bayler|Lt. Colonel Bayler]] became the last person to leave Wake Island before its loss.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|165422622}} |last1=Conville |first1=Martin |title=Full Story of Desperate Wake Island Battle Told |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 23, 1943 |page=C5 }}</ref> On December 21, 49 aircraft attacked Wake, striking from a Japanese carrier group.<ref name="Lundstrom-2005">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oYE4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT59|title=The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway|first=John B.|last=Lundstrom|date=July 1, 2005|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=9781612511665|via=Google Books|access-date=October 6, 2023|archive-date=June 4, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604181226/https://books.google.com/books?id=oYE4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT59#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> During this time, there was a US Naval force on the way that was going to resupply Wake on December 24, but it did not work as planned as the Japanese 2nd wave took the island on December 23 before this could take place.<ref name="Lundstrom-2005" /> American and Japanese dead from the fighting between December 8 and 23 were buried on the island.<ref name="Stars and Stripes">{{Cite web |title=Search for closure, accurate account of Wake Island massacre continues |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/search-for-closure-accurate-account-of-wake-island-massacre-continues-1.166538 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=Stars and Stripes |language=en |archive-date=October 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013123414/https://www.stripes.com/news/search-for-closure-accurate-account-of-wake-island-massacre-continues-1.166538 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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In the aftermath of the battle, most of the captured civilians and military personnel were sent to [[List of Japanese-run internment camps during World War II|POW camps]] in Asia, though some of the civilian laborers were [[slave labor|enslaved]] by the Japanese and tasked with improving the island's defenses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japanese-execute-nearly-100-american-prisoners-on-wake-island#:~:text=On%20October%207%2C%201943%2C%20Rear,radio%20contact%20with%20U.S.%20forces.|title=Japanese execute nearly 100 American POWs on Wake Island|website=History.com|access-date=April 26, 2021|archive-date=April 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426190739/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japanese-execute-nearly-100-american-prisoners-on-wake-island#:~:text=On%20October%207%2C%201943%2C%20Rear,radio%20contact%20with%20U.S.%20forces.|url-status=live}}</ref>
At the end of the battle on December 23, 1,603 people, of whom 1,150 were civilians, were taken prisoner. Three weeks later, all but roughly 350–360 were taken to Japanese prisoner of war camps in Asia aboard the ''[[Japanese aircraft carrier Chūyō|Nita Maru]]'' (later renamed ''Chūyō)''. Many of those that stayed were those that were too badly wounded, and some were civilian contractors that knew how to operate the machinery on the island. A major source of the prisoner war experience on Wake were the accounts in the commanding officer logs for Wilcox and Russel.<ref name="usni.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/february/massacre-wake-island|title=Massacre on Wake Island | Naval History Magazine – February 2001 Vol. 15 Number 1|access-date=October 6, 2023|archive-date=October 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007221306/https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/february/massacre-wake-island|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 1942, another 265 were taken off Wake including Wilcox and Russel; not including those that had died or been executed, that left 98 on the island.<ref name="usni.org" /> With the departure of the officers, their logs of daily prisoners of life on Wake ended, but additional facts are known, including a new commanding officer of the island in December 1942. In July 1943, a prisoner of war was executed for stealing food, as ordered by Sakaibara; however, the identity of this POW is unknown. On October 7, 1943, the prisoners of war were executed on order of Sakaibara, they were marched into an anti-tank ditch and executed by machine gun fire.<ref name="usni.org" /> At the end of the war, the Japanese garrison surrendered and said the POWs had been killed in a bombing attack; however, that story broke down when some of the officers wrote notes explaining the true story, and Sakaibara confessed to the mass execution.<ref name="usni.org" />
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The island was also bombed with leaflets and even small rubber rafts, with the idea that someone could escape from the island by sea.<ref name="Psywarrior.com2">{{cite web |title=Return to Wake Island |url=http://www.psywarrior.com/WakeIsland.html#:~:text=The%20Japanese%20garrison%20withered%20on,killed%20in%20American%20air%20attacks. |website=Psywarrior.com |access-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426191134/http://www.psywarrior.com/WakeIsland.html#:~:text=The%20Japanese%20garrison%20withered%20on,killed%20in%20American%20air%20attacks. |url-status=live }}</ref>
In February 1942, there was a raid attack on Wake, which included naval bombardment and bombing by aircraft. On the first day of the attack on February 23, several targets on the island were struck, and in the waters nearby, two Japanese patrol boats were sunk and four Japanese seamen recovered.<ref name="nnhc1">{{Cite web |title=Early Raids in the Pacific Ocean |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/e/early-raids-pacific-ocean.html |access-date=October 21, 2023 |website=NHHC |language=en-US |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604162027/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/e/early-raids-pacific-ocean.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The next day (February 24) a Japanese 4-engine patrol aircraft was shot down 5 miles east of Wake, and another patrol boat was sunk by air attack in addition to also striking targets on Wake island.<ref name="nnhc1" /> The raids would continue, to reduce the danger of Wake being used as a launching point for a strike on Midway.
From June 1942 to July 1943, many US B-24 raids and photographic recon missions were launched from Midway to Wake, often resulting in air battles between Zeros and bombers. For example, on May 15, 1943, a raid of 7 B-24s made it to Wake to be intercepted by 22 Zeros, with allies losing one B-24 and claiming four kills. In July 1943, a B-24 strike targeting the fuel depots lost another B-24 when intercepted by 20–30 Zeros. The last raid from Midway in 1943 was in July. The next large attack was a combination of naval bombardment and carrier strike aircraft in the fateful October 1943 raids. In 1944, Wake Island was bombed by [[Consolidated PB2Y Coronado|PB2Y Coronado flying boats]] operating from Midway to stop the Japanese garrison from supporting the battle for the Marshall Islands. Once the Kwajalein was taken, Wake was attacked from the newly won base with B-24 raids. This continued until October 1944, thereafter Wake was only bombed a few more times by carrier strike groups usually heading west.<ref>{{Cite web |last=PacificWrecks.com |title=Pacific Wrecks |url=http://pacificwrecks.com/ |access-date=November 21, 2023 |website=pacificwrecks.com |language=en |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629123105/https://pacificwrecks.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
On May 10, 1942, one prisoner was executed for breaking into a store and getting drunk. In September 1942, another 265 POWs were taken off the island, leaving 98, and this was reduced to 97 when another was executed in July 1943.<ref name="usni.org" />
In March 1943, the Japanese transport ship [[Suwa Maru]] was traveling to Wake, with over 1000 troops on board. The U.S. submarine [[USS Tunny (SS-282)|USS Tunny]] torpedoed it, and the ship was taking on water as it approached Wake, so it was beached on the coral reef to avoid sinking.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Japanese Transports |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Suwa_t.htm |access-date=November 3, 2023 |website=combinedfleet.com |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506041706/http://www.combinedfleet.com/Suwa_t.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
After a successful American air raid on October 5, 1943, Sakaibara ordered the execution of the remaining 97 (as mentioned, 1 had been executed in July) captured Americans who remained on the island. They were taken to the northern end of the island, blindfolded and machine-gunned.<ref name="Tucker20122">{{cite book |author=Spencer Tucker |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TO2mx314ST0C&pg=PA1491 |title=Almanac of American Military History |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-59884-530-3 |pages=1491– |access-date=January 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203022527/https://books.google.com/books?id=TO2mx314ST0C&pg=PA1491 |url-status=live }}</ref> One prisoner escaped, carving the message "''[[Battle of Wake Island#War crimes|98 US PW 5-10-43]]''" on a large coral rock near where the victims had been hastily buried in a mass grave. This unknown American was soon recaptured and beheaded.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massacre on Wake Island |url=http://www.goldtel.net/ddxa/massacre.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010090923/http://www.goldtel.net/ddxa/massacre.html |archive-date=October 10, 2018 |access-date=June 6, 2013 |publisher=Goldtel.net}}</ref> The one that escaped created an issue for the Japanese, who had already buried the bodies at the end of the runway under coral sand. They then had to dig up and count all the bodies, confirming that one was missing.<ref name="www.uswarmemorials.org">{{Cite web |title=Monument Details |url=https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=284&MemID=510 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=uswarmemorials.org |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102144951/https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=284&MemID=510 |url-status=live }}</ref> This would not be the final resting place, as near the end of the war in August 1945, the bodies were again dug up and reburied at Peacock Point in a mass grave but with multiple wooden crosses.<ref name="usni.org" /> After the war, they were exhumed yet again and buried at the U.S. National Cemetery of the Pacific.<ref name="www.uswarmemorials.org" />
Later in the war, the Japanese garrison had been almost cut off from supplies and was reduced to the point of starvation. While the islands' [[sooty tern]] colony had received some protection as a source of eggs, the [[Wake Island rail]] was hunted to extinction by the starving soldiers. Ultimately, about three-quarters of the Japanese garrison perished, and the rest survived only by eating tern eggs, the [[Polynesian rat]]s, and what scant amount of vegetables they could grow in makeshift gardens among the coral rubble.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wake Rail (Hypotaenidia wakensis) – BirdLife species factsheet |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22692447 |access-date=March 3, 2022 |website=Datazone.birdlife.org |archive-date=February 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228035855/http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22692447 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Psywarrior.com2" /> In early 1944, Wake was largely cut off from resupply because the Allies Pacific campaign had moved past Wake, in particular, the Japanese base to the south that had been resupplying Wake was captured in January 1944. In May 1944 the Japanese forces on Wake began rationing food, and the rationing became progressively stricter. To survive the garrison engaged in fishing, growing vegetables, bird eggs, and rats, which were important food supplies at this time, and sometimes tens of thousands of rats were killed in a single day to stave off starvation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Olson |first1=Storrs L. |last2=Rauzon |first2=Mark J. |date=December 2011 |title=The Extinct Wake Island Rail Gallirallus wakensis: A Comprehensive Species Account Based on Museum Specimens and Archival Records |url=https://bioone.org/journals/the-wilson-journal-of-ornithology/volume-123/issue-4/11-029.1/The-Extinct-Wake-Island-Rail-Gallirallus-wakensis--A-Comprehensive/10.1676/11-029.1.full |journal=The Wilson Journal of Ornithology |volume=123 |issue=4 |pages=663–689 |doi=10.1676/11-029.1 |issn=1559-4491 |s2cid=83517404 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604181300/https://bioone.org/journals/the-wilson-journal-of-ornithology/volume-123/issue-4/11-029.1/The-Extinct-Wake-Island-Rail-Gallirallus-wakensis--A-Comprehensive/10.1676/11-029.1.short |url-status=live }}</ref>
In June 1945, the Japanese hospital ship ''[[Takasago Maru]]'' was allowed to visit Wake island, and it departed with 974 patients. It was boarded and checked both before and after the visit to confirm it was not carrying contraband, and the number of patients was confirmed;974 Japanese were taken off Wake. On the way to Wake, it was stopped by the [[USS Murray (DD-576)|USS ''Murray'' (DD-576)]] and on the way back from Wake it was stopped by the USS ''McDermut II'' (DD-677) to confirm it was carrying the patients.<ref name="www.combinedfleet.com">{{Cite web |title=Japanese Hospital Ships |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Takasago_t.htm |access-date=October 11, 2023 |website=combinedfleet.com |archive-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014163807/http://www.combinedfleet.com/Takasago_t.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The condition was recorded first hand by the USS ''McDermut II'', which reported that about 15% of the troops that were evacuated by the Japanese were extremely sick.<ref name="Psywarrior.com2" />
The Pacific War finally drew to a close starting in August 1945, with negotiations being opened. The Emperor of Japan announced the surrender to the Japanese people, and the agreement was formally signed by September 2, 1945.
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[[File:Wake island 1945 surrender.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|The formal surrender of the Japanese garrison on Wake Island, September 7, 1945. Island commander Admiral [[Shigematsu Sakaibara]] is the Japanese officer in the right-foreground.]]
On September 4, 1945, the Japanese garrison surrendered to a detachment of United States Marines under the command of Brigadier General [[Lawson H. M. Sanderson]].<ref name="Moran2011">{{cite book|author=Jim Moran|title=Wake Island 1941: A battle to make the gods weep|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AaO6CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA92|date=2011|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-84908-604-2|pages=84, 92|access-date=January 11, 2017|archive-date=February 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203022527/https://books.google.com/books?id=AaO6CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA92|url-status=live}}</ref> The garrison, having previously received news that Imperial Japan's defeat was imminent, exhumed the mass grave. The bones were moved to the U.S. cemetery that had been established on Peacock Point after the invasion. Wooden crosses were erected in preparation for the expected arrival of U.S. forces. During the initial interrogations, the Japanese claimed that the remaining 98 Americans on the island were mostly killed by an American bombing raid, though some escaped and fought to the death after being cornered on the beach at the north end of Wake Island.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yorktownsailor.com/yorktown/massacre.html |title=Massacre on Wake Island |author=Maj. Mark E. Hubbs, U.S. Army Reserve (Retired) |access-date=February 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214141205/http://www.yorktownsailor.com/yorktown/massacre.html |archive-date=February 14, 2008 }}</ref> Several Japanese officers in American custody committed suicide over the incident, leaving written statements that incriminated Sakaibara.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sakaibara-Shigematsu|title=Sakaibara Shigematsu {{!}} Japanese military officer|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=January 16, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308052225/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sakaibara-Shigematsu|url-status=live}}</ref> Sakaibara and his subordinate, lieutenant commander Tachibana, were later sentenced to death after conviction for this and other war crimes. Sakaibara was executed by hanging in Guam on June 18, 1947, while Tachibana's sentence was commuted to life in prison.<ref>{{cite web |author=Headsman |url=http://www.executedtoday.com/2009/06/18/1947-shigematsu-sakaibara-wake-island-massacre/ |title=1947: Shigematsu Sakaibara, "I obey with pleasure" |publisher=ExecutedToday.com |date=June 18, 2009 |access-date=June 6, 2013 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225214508/http://www.executedtoday.com/2009/06/18/1947-shigematsu-sakaibara-wake-island-massacre/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The remains of the murdered civilians were exhumed and reburied at Honolulu's [[National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific]] at section G, commonly known as [[Punchbowl Crater]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/nmcp.asp|title=National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific – National Cemetery Administration|last=Administration|first=National Cemetery|website=cem.va.gov|access-date=January 16, 2019|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126093940/https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/nmcp.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> A year after the Wake executions, in 1944, there was the [[Palawan massacre]] in which Captain Nagayoshi Kojima ordered the execution of 150 POW when he was told the Allies were near. They were burned alive in trenches, those that tried to flee were gunned down, but 11 escaped leading to a death toll of 139. In response, the Allies then realized the Japanese might execute POWs if they thought allies were near and began a special mission to liberate POW camps.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 20, 2022 |title='Dispose of Them': Massacre of American POWs in the Philippines |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/dispose-them-massacre-american-pows-philippines |access-date=October 11, 2023 |website=The National WWII Museum {{!}} New Orleans |language=en |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002123332/https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/dispose-them-massacre-american-pows-philippines |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time, the events on Wake in 1943 were unknown, and the U.S. allowed the hospital ship ''[[Takasago Maru]]'' to visit Wake in June 1945.<ref name="www.combinedfleet.com" /> After the surrender, the POW gravesite was found where they had been buried with crosses at Peacock point, and the story was that either they had died in a U.S. bombing raid or that they had died in a revolt.<ref name="Wimbrow III-2023">{{Cite web |last=III |first=Peter Ayers Wimbrow |date=September 28, 2023 |title=POW's killed in response to U.S. bombing of Wake Island |url=https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/pow-s-killed-in-response-to-u-s-bombing-of-wake-island/article_97844b86-5e37-11ee-829a-576d154e66a7.html |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=Ocean City Today |language=en |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102153348/https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/pow-s-killed-in-response-to-u-s-bombing-of-wake-island/article_97844b86-5e37-11ee-829a-576d154e66a7.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At the handover of Wake, 2200 Japanese were on the island, significantly less than at the start, but 974 had just been shipped back to Japan in June 1945. Wake was not cut off until later in the war, but it is estimated that hundreds died during the bombing strikes and from starvation, and many were sick with tuberculosis.<ref name="Psywarrior.com2" />
In any case, the Japanese soldiers who had survived were nearly all sent away by November 1, 1945, transported aboard the ''[[Hikawa Maru]]'' for repatriation. The remaining Japanese troops and the officers were shipped to the U.S. base atoll, but on route, two of the officers committed suicide, leaving notes describing a POW massacre. Another officer wrote a note describing the same. Finally, the Admiral admitted what he had ordered and accepted blame, which led to a trial of two of the officers in late December.<ref name="Wimbrow III-2023" /> Back on Wake, the bodies were eventually exhumed, including those that had died in the Battle of Wake, to try to make identifications. The task proved too difficult, and they were buried as a group with a memorial listing the names, and there was a ceremony in 1953.<ref name="www.uswarmemorials.org" />
===Post-World War II military and commercial airfield===
[[File:Original Drifter's Reef bar, Wake Island.jpg|thumb|left|The original Drifter's Reef bar, built near the harbor area at Wake Island, opened its doors to [[aircrew]]s, visitors and other "[[Vagrancy (people)|drifters]]" on November 8, 1949.]]
[[File:Wake Island Lagoon.jpg|thumb|Off-duty sailors take a break in the Wake island lagoon, 1954]]
With the end of hostilities with Japan and the increase in international air travel driven in part by wartime advances in [[aeronautics]], Wake Island became a critical mid-Pacific base for the servicing and refueling of military and commercial aircraft. The United States Navy resumed control of the island, and in October 1945 400 [[Seabee]]s from the 85th Naval Construction Battalion arrived at Wake to clear the island of the effects of the war and to build basic facilities for a [[Naval air station|Naval Air Base]]. The base was completed in March 1946 and on September 24, regular commercial passenger service was resumed by [[Pan American World Airways|Pan American Airways]] ([[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]]). The era of the [[flying boat]]s was nearly over, so Pan Am switched to longer-range, faster and more profitable airplanes that could land on Wake's new [[coral]] [[runway]]. Other airlines that established transpacific routes through Wake included [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] (BOAC), [[Japan Airlines]], [[Philippine Airlines]] and [[Transocean Airlines]]. Due to the substantial increase in the number of commercial flights, on July 1, 1947, the Navy transferred administration, operations and maintenance of the facilities at Wake to the [[American Civil Aeronautics Administration|Civil Aeronautics Administration]] (CAA). In 1949, the CAA upgraded the runway by paving over the coral surface and extending its length to 7,000 feet.<ref name="Davidson" /><ref name="Lcweb2.loc.gov">{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/um/um0000/um0060/data/um0060data.pdf|title=Photographs: Written Historical and Descriptive Data : Wake Island Airfield, Terminal Building|website=Lcweb2.loc.gov|access-date=March 3, 2022|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927191456/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/um/um0000/um0060/data/um0060data.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Previously Pan Am was still operating airport at Wake.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gtA9AQAAIAAJ&dq=wake+pan+am+airport+established+staff&pg=PA435 |title=American Aviation Daily |date=October 8, 2023 |publisher=American Aviation Associates |access-date=October 8, 2023 |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010011839/https://books.google.com/books?id=gtA9AQAAIAAJ&dq=wake+pan+am+airport+established+staff&pg=PA435 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:President Truman pinning medal on General MacArthur on Wake Island.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|President [[Harry S. Truman]] awards the [[Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)|Distinguished Service Medal]], Fourth Oak Leaf Cluster, to General [[Douglas MacArthur]] during the [[Wake Island Conference]].]]
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====Missile Impact Location System====
From 1958 through 1960 the United States installed the [[Missile Impact Location System]] (MILS) in the Navy managed Pacific Missile Range, later the Air Force managed [[Western Range (USSF)|Western Range]], to localize the splash downs of test missile nose cones. 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. A MILS installation, consisting of both a target array for precision location and a broad ocean area system for good positions outside the target area, was installed at Wake as part of the system supporting [[Intercontinental Ballistic Missile]] (ICBM) tests. 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 [[Midway Island]] and [[Eniwetok]].<ref name="ICAA">{{cite web |title=Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS) History 1950–2010 |publisher=IUSS/CAESAR Alumni Association |url=http://www.iusscaa.org/history.htm |access-date=February 11, 2020 |archive-date=February 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225083609/http://www.iusscaa.org/history.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Subcommittee on Military Construction (March–April) |date=April 29, 1959 |title=Military Construction Appropriations for 1960: Hearings |pages=169–170 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e-JLAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA169 |access-date=September 16, 2020 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604181226/https://books.google.com/books?id=e-JLAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA169#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Subcommittee on Military Construction (May) |date=May 20, 1959 |title=Military Construction Appropriations for 1960: Hearings |pages=818, 824 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HBVEAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA818 |access-date=September 16, 2020 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604181300/https://books.google.com/books?id=HBVEAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA818#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Wake Island Japanese Tank, April 1952.jpg|thumb|left|A derelict Japanese tank in 1952 leftover from World War II]]
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On September 6, 1967, [[Chevron Corporation|Standard Oil of California]]'s 18,000-ton [[oil tanker|tanker]] SS ''R.C. Stoner'' was driven onto the reef at Wake Island by a strong southwesterly wind after the ship failed to [[mooring (watercraft)|moor]] to the two [[buoy]]s near the harbor entrance. An estimated six million gallons of refined [[fuel oil]] – including 5.7 million gallons of [[aviation fuel]], 168,000 gallons of [[diesel oil]] and 138,600 gallons of bunker C fuel – spilled into the small boat harbor and along the southwestern coast of Wake Island to Peacock Point. Large numbers of fish were killed by the oil spill, and personnel from the FAA and crewmen from the ship cleared the area closest to the spill of dead fish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-74000/NH-74180.html|title=NH 74180 SS R.C. STONER, a Standard Oil Tanker|website=NHHC|access-date=March 3, 2022|archive-date=June 4, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604181230/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-74000/NH-74180.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="google1972">{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cJpNszkPRqMC&dq=1967+SS+R.C.+Stoner&pg=PA215|title = Mobility, Support, Endurance, a Story of Naval Operational Logistics in the Vietnam War, 1965–68|year = 1972|access-date = March 20, 2023|archive-date = July 20, 2023|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230720150308/https://books.google.com/books?id=cJpNszkPRqMC&dq=1967+SS+R.C.+Stoner&pg=PA215|url-status = live}}</ref>
The U.S. Navy [[marine salvage|salvage]] team Harbor Clearance Unit Two and Pacific Fleet Salvage Officer Cmdr. John B. Orem flew to Wake to assess the situation, and by September 13 the Navy tugs {{USS|Mataco|AT-86|6}} and {{USS|Wandank|ATA-204|6}}, salvage ships {{USS|Conserver|ARS-39|6}} and {{USS|Grapple|ARS-7|6}}, tanker {{USS|Noxubee|AOG-56|6}}, and {{USCGC|Mallow|WLB-396|6}}, arrived from [[Honolulu]], [[Guam]] and [[Subic Bay]] in the [[Philippines]], to assist in the cleanup and removal of the vessel. At the boat harbor the salvage team pumped and skimmed oil, which they burned each evening in nearby pits. Recovery by the Navy salvage team of the ''R.C. Stoner'' and its remaining cargo, however, was hampered by strong winds and heavy seas.<ref name="google1972" />
On September 16, [[Super Typhoon Sarah (1967)|Super Typhoon Sarah]] made landfall on Wake Island at peak intensity with winds up to 145-[[Knot (unit)|knots]], causing widespread damage. The intensity of the storm had the beneficial effect of greatly accelerating the cleanup effort by clearing the harbor and scouring the coast. Oil did remain, however, embedded in the reef's flat crevices and impregnated in the coral. The storm also had broken the wrecked vessel into three sections and, although delayed by rough seas and harassment by [[blacktip reef shark]]s, the salvage team used explosives to flatten and sink the remaining portions of the ship that were still above water.<ref>''Mud, Muscle, and Miracles: Marine Salvage in the United States Navy'', C.A. Bartholomew, William I. Milwee, Naval History & Heritage Command, U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009, p. 282</ref><ref>''Oil Pollution on Wake Island from the Tanker R.C. Stoner'', Reginald M. Gooding, National Marine Fisheries Service, Hawaii Area Fishery Research Center, 1971</ref>
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===U.S. military administration===
[[File:Aerial view of Wake Island, in July 1979 (428-GX-750-K-124424).jpg|thumb|Wake Island, 1979]]
[[File:Wake Island from ISS.jpg|thumb|Wake Island, 2012]]
In the early 1970s, higher-efficiency jet aircraft with longer-range capabilities lessened the use of Wake Island Airfield as a refueling stop, and the number of commercial flights landing at Wake declined sharply. [[Pan Am]] had replaced many of its [[Boeing 707]]s with more efficient [[Boeing 747|747]]s, thus eliminating the need to continue weekly stops at Wake. Other airlines began to eliminate their scheduled flights into Wake. In June 1972 the last scheduled Pan Am passenger flight landed at Wake, and in July Pan Am's last cargo flight departed the island, marking the end of the heyday of Wake Island's commercial aviation history. During this same time period the U.S. military had transitioned to longer-range [[Lockheed C-5 Galaxy|C-5A]] and [[Lockheed C-141 Starlifter|C-141]] aircraft, leaving the [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130]] as the only aircraft that would continue to regularly use the island's airfield. The steady decrease in air traffic control activities at Wake Island was apparent and was expected to continue.
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On June 24, 1972, responsibility for the civil administration of Wake Island was transferred from the [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] to the [[United States Air Force]] under an agreement between the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of the Air Force. In July, the FAA turned over administration of the island to the [[Military Airlift Command]] (MAC), although legal ownership stayed with the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]], and the FAA continued to maintain the air navigation facilities and provide [[air traffic control]] services. On December 27, the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|Chief of Staff of the Air Force]] (CSAF) General [[John Dale Ryan|John D. Ryan]] directed MAC to phase out en-route support activity at Wake Island effective June 30, 1973. On July 1, 1973, all FAA activities ended and the U.S. Air Force under [[Pacific Air Forces]] (PACAF), Detachment 4, [[15th Wing|15th Air Base Wing]] assumed control of Wake Island.<ref>"Historic American Buildings Survey: Wake Island Airfield, Terminal Building (Building 1502)", National Park Service, HABS No. UM-2-A, December 2007, Washington, DC, p. 11</ref>
In 1973, Wake Island was selected as a launch site for the testing of defensive systems against [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s under the U.S. Army's ''Project Have Mill''. Air Force personnel on Wake and the [[Air Force Systems Command]] (AFSC) [[Space and Missile Systems Center|Space and Missile Systems Organization]] (SAMSO) provided support to the Army's Advanced Ballistic Missile Defense Agency (ABMDA). A missile launch complex was activated on Wake and, from February 13 to June 22, 1974, seven Athena H missiles were launched from the island to the [[Roi-Namur]] Test Range at [[Kwajalein Atoll]].<ref name="Lcweb2.loc.gov" />
In 1973, Wake Island was claimed by what would become the [[Marshall Islands|Republic of the Marshall Islands]], based on [[oral tradition|oral legends]].<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/wake-island/ Wake Island] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120170347/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/wake-island/ |date=January 20, 2021 }}. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].</ref>
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In the spring of 1975, the population of Wake Island consisted of 251 military, government, and civilian contract personnel, whose primary mission was to maintain the airfield as a Mid-Pacific emergency runway. With the imminent [[fall of Saigon]] to [[Viet Cong|North Vietnamese forces]], President [[Gerald Ford]] ordered American forces to support ''[[Operation New Life]]'', the evacuation of [[refugee]]s from [[Vietnam]]. The original plans included the Philippines' [[Subic Bay]] and [[Guam]] as refugee processing centers, but due to the high number of Vietnamese seeking evacuation, Wake Island was selected as an additional location.<ref name="wakeisland2">{{cite web |url=http://www.wakeisland1975.com/ |title=Wake Island 1975 |publisher= |access-date=December 10, 2011 |archive-date=November 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116073316/http://www.wakeisland1975.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In March 1975, Island Commander Major Bruce R. Hoon was contacted by [[Pacific Air Forces]] (PACAF) and ordered to prepare Wake for its new mission as a refugee processing center where Vietnamese evacuees could be medically screened, interviewed and transported to the United States or other resettlement countries. A 60-man [[Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency|civil engineering team]] was brought in to reopen boarded-up buildings and housing, two complete [[Mobile army surgical hospital (US)|MASH]] units arrived to set up [[field hospital]]s and three Army [[field kitchen]]s were deployed. A 60-man [[United States Air Force Security Police]] team, processing agents from the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service|U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service]] and various other administrative and support personnel were also on Wake. [[Drinking water|Potable water]], food, medical supplies, clothing, and other supplies were shipped in.<ref name="wakeisland2" />
On April 26, 1975, the first [[Lockheed C-141 Starlifter|C-141]] [[military transport aircraft]] carrying refugees arrived. The airlift to Wake continued at a rate of one C-141 every hour and 45 minutes, each aircraft with 283 refugees on board. At the peak of the mission, 8,700 Vietnamese refugees were on Wake. When the airlift ended on August 2, a total of about 15,000 refugees had been processed through Wake Island as part of ''Operation New Life''.<ref name="wakeisland2" /><ref name="A Wake Island Story">{{cite web |url=http://c141heaven.info/dotcom/tall_tales/a_wake_island_story.php |title=A Wake Island Story |publisher=c141heaven.info/ |access-date=July 23, 2015 |archive-date=July 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724021750/http://c141heaven.info/dotcom/tall_tales/a_wake_island_story.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
====Commemorative and memorial visits====
[[File:China Clipper II at Wake Island 1985.jpg|thumb|Passengers and crew of Pan Am's ''China Clipper II'' Boeing 747 at Wake Island during a 1985 trip across the Pacific to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first ''[[China Clipper]]'' flight]]
In April 1981, a party of 19 Japanese, including 16 former Japanese soldiers who were at Wake during World War II, visited the island to pay respects for their war dead at the Japanese [[Shinto Shrine]].<ref name="Davidson" />
On November 3 and 4, 1985, a group of 167 former American [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] (POWs) visited Wake with their wives and children. This was the first such visit by a group of former Wake Island POWs and their families.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oklahoman.com/article/3426966/former-pow-living-in-oklahoma-takes-a-bittersweet-trip|title=Former POW living in Oklahoma takes a bittersweet trip|website=Oklahoman.com|date=December 23, 2009|access-date=April 9, 2021|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927065155/https://www.oklahoman.com/article/3426966/former-pow-living-in-oklahoma-takes-a-bittersweet-trip|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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In 1987, Wake Island was selected as a missile launch site for a [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] (SDI) program named ''Project Starlab/Starbird''. In 1989, the U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command (USASDC) constructed two launch pads on Peacock Point, as well as nearby support facilities, for the eight-ton, {{convert|60|ft|m|-1}}, multi-stage Starbird test missiles. The program involved using electro-optical and laser systems, mounted on the Starlab platform in the payload bay of an orbiting [[Space Shuttle]], to acquire, track and target Starbird missiles launched from [[Cape Canaveral]] and Wake. After being impacted by mission scheduling delays caused by the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|explosion of the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']], the program was canceled in late September 1990 to protect funding for another U.S. Army space-based missile defense program known as ''[[Brilliant Pebbles]]''. Although no Starbird missiles were ever launched from Wake Island, the Starbird launch facilities at Wake were modified to support rocket launches for the ''Brilliant Pebbles'' program with the first launch occurring on January 29, 1992. On October 16, a {{convert|30|ft|m|-1}} [[Castor-Orbus]] rocket was destroyed by ground controllers seven minutes after its launch from Wake. The program was canceled in 1993.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Burgess |first=John |date=November 4, 1992 |title=Another Orbital Sciences Rocket Failed Last Month, Pentagon Says |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1992/11/04/another-orbital-sciences-rocket-failed-last-month-pentagon-says/fc6d19bc-c896-46e2-9f5a-adfc150f3ec2/ |access-date=September 20, 2021 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213085629/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1992/11/04/another-orbital-sciences-rocket-failed-last-month-pentagon-says/fc6d19bc-c896-46e2-9f5a-adfc150f3ec2/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spacelegalissues.com/brilliant-pebbles/#:~:text=After%20considerable%20study%2C%20Brilliant%20Pebbles,was%20finally%20cancelled%20in%201993.|first=Louis|last=de Gouyon Matignon|title=Brilliant Pebbles and Outer Space Military Laws|website=Space Legal Issues|date=May 6, 2019|access-date=April 26, 2021|archive-date=April 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426195453/https://www.spacelegalissues.com/brilliant-pebbles/#:~:text=After%20considerable%20study%2C%20Brilliant%20Pebbles,was%20finally%20cancelled%20in%201993.|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Four F A-18C Hornets fly in formation over Wake Island and USS Theodore Roosevelt. (24096567298).jpg|thumb|USS Theodore Roosevelt passes by Wake, 2017]]
Missile testing activities continued with the [[Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile]] (LEAP) Test Program, another U.S. Army strategic defense project that included the launch of two [[Aerojet]] Super Chief HPB rockets from Wake Island. The first launch, on January 28, 1993, reached [[Apsis|apogee]] at {{convert|240|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} and was a success. The second launch, on February 11, reached apogee at {{convert|1.2|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} and was deemed a failure.<ref>{{Cite report|url=https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/ADA345799.xhtml|title=Army Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile (LEAP)|last1=Baker|first1=P.|last2=Funari|first2=A.V.|date=1992|number=199818|access-date=April 26, 2021|archive-date=April 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426195656/https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/ADA345799.xhtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
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The [[Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center|611th Air Support Group]] (ASG), a U.S. Air Force unit based at [[Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson]] in [[Anchorage, Alaska]] took over control of Wake Island from the 15th Wing On October 1, 2010. The 611th ASG was already providing support and management to various geographically remote Air Force sites within Alaska and the addition of Wake Island provided the unit with more opportunities for outdoor projects during the winter months when projects in Alaska are very limited. The 611th ASG, a unit of the [[Eleventh Air Force|11th Air Force]], was renamed the [[Pacific Air Forces]] (PACAF) [[Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center|Regional Support Center]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jber.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123222602 |title=611th Air Support Group adds eight tropical Pacific locations |date=September 24, 2010 |website= |access-date=March 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924164008/http://www.jber.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123222602 |archive-date=September 24, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
On September 27, 2014, President [[Barack Obama]] issued [[Executive order (United States)|Executive Order]] 9173 to expand the area of the [[Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument]] out to the full 200 nautical miles U.S. [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ) boundary for each island. By this proclamation, the area of the monument at Wake Island was increased from {{convert|15,085|to|167,336|mi2|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Proclamation 9173 of September 25, 2014 – Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Expansion – By the President of the United States of America|journal=Federal Register|volume=79|issue= 188|date=September 29, 2014|url=http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/Library/MNM/2014-23319.pdf|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412031232/https://www.fpir.noaa.gov/Library/MNM/2014-23319.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, 3300 tons of waste dumps was removed from the islands on barges.<ref name="Staff-2022">{{Cite web |first1=Karina |last1=Quintans |first2=Erik |last2=Myers |website=Society of American Military Engineers |date=September 20, 2022 |title=Environmental Rehabilitation on Wake Island |url=https://samenews.org/environmental-rehabilitation-on-wake-island/ |access-date=October 26, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026145756/https://samenews.org/environmental-rehabilitation-on-wake-island/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>[[File:Aerial view of Wake Island in July 2014.JPG|thumb|Wake island in 2014]]On November 1, 2015, a complex $230 million U.S. military missile defense system test event, called ''Campaign Fierce Sentry'' Flight Test Operational-02 Event 2 (FTO-02 E2), was conducted at Wake Island and the surrounding ocean areas. The test involved a [[Terminal High Altitude Area Defense]] (THAAD) system built by [[Lockheed Martin Space Systems|Lockheed Martin]], two [[TPS-X|AN/TPY-2 radar system]]s built by [[Raytheon]], Lockheed's Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications system, and {{USS|John Paul Jones|DDG-53|6}} [[guided missile destroyer]] with its [[AN/SPY-1]] radar. The objective was to test the ability of the [[Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System|Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense]] and THAAD Weapon Systems to defeat a raid of three near-simultaneous air and missile targets, consisting of one [[medium-range ballistic missile]], one [[short-range ballistic missile]] and one [[cruise missile]] target. During the test, a THAAD system on Wake Island detected and destroyed a short-range target simulating a short-range ballistic missile that was launched by a [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III|C-17 transport plane]]. At the same time, the THAAD system and the destroyer both launched missiles to intercept a medium-range ballistic missile, launched by a second C-17.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hookelenews.com/uss-john-paul-jones-participates-in-ballistic-missile-defense-test/ |title=USS ''John Paul Jones'' participates in ballistic missile defense test : Hookele – Pearl Harbor – Hickam News |date=October 5, 2018 |website= |access-date=March 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005030918/http://www.hookelenews.com/uss-john-paul-jones-participates-in-ballistic-missile-defense-test/ |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-missile-defense-idUSKCN0SQ2GR20151102|title=U.S. completes complex test of layered missile defense system|date=November 2, 2015|access-date=March 3, 2022|website=Reuters.com|archive-date=November 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117074749/https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/02/us-usa-missile-defense-idUSKCN0SQ2GR20151102|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2017, Thai contractors and Armed forces personnel celebrated Thai New year or [[Songkran (Thailand)|Songkran]] in April, and also Thai King's day is celebrated in December.<ref name="Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson-2017">{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2017 |title=Air Force members celebrate Thai New Year and Water Festival at Wake Island |url=https://www.jber.jb.mil/News/News-Articles/Article/1157218/air-force-members-celebrate-thai-new-year-and-water-festival-at-wake-island/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jber.jb.mil%2FNews%2FArticles%2FDisplay%2FArticle%2F1157218%2Fair-force-members-celebrate-thai-new-year-and-water-festival-at-wake-island%2F |access-date=October 14, 2023 |website=Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson |language=en-US }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Wake at one point had an estimated 2 million rats, and despite eradication efforts hunting rats at night is popular activity of the islanders.<ref name="Staff-2022" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Downey |first=Kirstin |date=October 15, 2019 |title=The US Military Is Pouring Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Into Tiny Wake Island |url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/10/the-u-s-military-is-pouring-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-into-tiny-wake-island/ |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=Honolulu Civil Beat |language=en |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026145755/https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/10/the-u-s-military-is-pouring-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-into-tiny-wake-island/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Geography==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders floatright"
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | acres
! scope="col" | hectares
|-
! scope="row" | Wake Islet
| 1,367.04
| 553.22
|-
! scope="row" | Wilkes Islet
| 197.44
| 79.90
|-
! scope="row" | Peale Islet
| 256.83
| 103.94
|-
! scope="row" | Wake Island (total of all three islets)
| 1,821.31
| 737.06
|-
! scope="row" | Lagoon (water)
| 1,480.00
| 600.00
|-
! scope="row" | Sand Flat
| 910.00
| 370.00
|}
[[File:Wake Jun 15 002 (18470450424).jpg|thumb|Looking west at Peacock Point, Wake Island in 2015]]
[[File:Wilkes Island Wake Atoll (170410).jpg|thumb|Looking North-west over Wilkes Island, which has almost been split by the old partially completed submarine channel.]]
[[File:Wake Jun 15 001 (18470438894).jpg|thumb|Looking southwest across eastern side of Wake island]]
Although Wake Island is officially called an island in its singular form, it is geologically an atoll composed of three [[Islet|islets]] (Wake, Wilkes and Peale islets).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bryan |first=E.H. Jr. |date=May 15, 1959 |title=Notes on the geography and natural history of Wake Island |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/6095/00066.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |volume=66 |pages=1–22 |doi=10.5479/si.00775630.66.1 |oclc=77749310 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227065046/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/6095/00066.pdf |archive-date=February 27, 2021 |access-date=August 13, 2017}}</ref> They enclose a shallow lagoon of {{Convert|3.3 by 7.7|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}}, with average depth of around {{Convert|1|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} and a maximum depth of {{Convert|4.5|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}}.<ref name="Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System">{{Cite web |title=Education Resources: Regional Information, Wake Island {{!}} PacIOOS |url=https://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/education/region-wake/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101132734/https://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/education/region-wake/ |archive-date=November 1, 2023 |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-06-11 |title=Wake Atoll {{!}} U.S. Department of the Interior |url=https://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/wakeatoll |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=www.doi.gov |language=en}}</ref> It is ringed by a sandy beach of around {{Convert|80|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} wide with an offshore fringing reef.<ref name="Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System" /> The atoll has an average elevation of about {{Convert|3.6|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} and maximum elevation of {{Convert|6.4|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}},<ref name="Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System" /> with a total land area of about {{convert|6.5|km2|sqmi|abbr=off|sp=us}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 15, 2012 |title=Wake Island, Pacific Ocean |url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/79392/wake-island-pacific-ocean |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026142253/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/79392/wake-island-pacific-ocean |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=earthobservatory.nasa.gov |language=en}}</ref>
The island is made of coral and sand, as it sits on a coral reef that grew on the top of a [[seamount]] made of the remnants of an old [[volcano]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wake Atoll National Wildlife Refuge |url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wake-atoll |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201192418/https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wake-atoll |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=FWS.gov |language=en-us}}</ref> This is consistent with many islands in the Pacific, which are formed when extinct volcanes are eroded by waves until they reach the surface of the ocean and coral grows on it, forming an atoll (see also [[guyot]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=Deepwater Wonders of Wake: Geologic Overview of the West Pacific: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research |url=https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1606/background/geology/welcome.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026140105/https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1606/background/geology/welcome.html |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=oceanexplorer.noaa.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref> The island is covered in boulders that average 5–6 feet in diameter (1–2 meters) especially on the southern side of Wake and Wilkes islands.<ref name="Wake Atoll">{{Cite web |date=June 11, 2015 |title=Wake Atoll |url=https://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/wakeatoll |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026144209/https://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/wakeatoll |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |access-date=October 26, 2023 |website=doi.gov |language=en}}</ref>
Wake is located two-thirds of the way from [[Honolulu]] to [[Guam]]; Honolulu is {{convert|2300|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the east, and Guam {{convert|1510|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the west. [[Midway Atoll]] is {{convert|1170|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the northeast. The closest land is the uninhabited [[Bokak Atoll]], {{convert|348|mi|km|abbr=on}} away in the [[Marshall Islands]] to the southeast. The atoll is to the west of the [[International Date Line]] and in the [[Wake Island Time Zone]] ([[UTC+12]]), the easternmost time zone of the United States and almost one day ahead of the [[U.S. state|50 states]].
A shallow channel separates Wake and Peale while Wilkes is connected by a causeway to Wake. Also, Wilkes is almost split in half by the partially completed submarine channel, which at times has washed through.
The atoll has a number of named capes and points:<ref name="A Magnificent Fight" />
*[[Wilkes Island]] (Split islet on the south and west)
**Kuku Point (Western cape of Wilkes)
**Wilkes Channel (a channel to the small port/harbor area on the south side of the island)
**Submarine channel (a man-made channel for a partially completed World War II submarine harbor also called New Channel)<ref>{{Cite web |title=21. The never-completed submarine channel started at the beginning of... |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-never-completed-submarine-channel-started-at-the-beginning-of-WWII-through-the_fig15_225849247 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102235442/https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-never-completed-submarine-channel-started-at-the-beginning-of-WWII-through-the_fig15_225849247 |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref>
*[[Peale Island]] (on the north and west, separated from Wake by narrow channel)
**Toki Point (Western cape of Peale)
**Flipper Point (Tip of Peale island land that extends into the lagoon pointing west)
*Wake Island (excluding the islets)<ref name="Lobel-2008">{{Citation |last1=Lobel |first1=Phillip S. |title=Aspects of the Biology and Geomorphology of Johnston and Wake Atolls, Pacific Ocean |date=2008 |work=Coral Reefs of the USA |volume=1 |pages=655–689 |editor-last=Riegl |editor-first=Bernhard M. |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-6847-8_17 |isbn=978-1-4020-6846-1 |last2=Lobel |first2=Lisa Kerr |editor2-last=Dodge |editor2-first=Richard E.}}</ref>[[File:Wake Island air.JPG|thumb|Wake Island]]
**Heel Point (the north cape of Wake islet before it turns towards Peale)
**Peacock Point (the Southern and eastern point of Wake island)
**Causeway crossing Wilkes Channel to Wilkes Island
===Climate===
Wake Island lies in the tropical zone, but is subject to periodic [[temperate]] storms during the winter. [[Sea surface temperature]]s are warm all year long, reaching above {{convert|80|°F|°C}} in summer and autumn. [[tropical cyclone|Typhoons]] occasionally pass over the island.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCloskey |first=Meagan |date=September 16, 2006 |title=Military airfield at Wake Island still usable after Super Typhoon Ioke |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/military-airfield-at-wake-island-still-usable-after-super-typhoon-ioke-1.54162 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426183811/https://www.stripes.com/news/military-airfield-at-wake-island-still-usable-after-super-typhoon-ioke-1.54162 |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |access-date=April 26, 2021 |work=Stars & Stripes}}</ref> Temperatures range between {{convert|65|°F|°C}} and {{convert|95|°F|°C}} and it gets about 40 inches of rain each year, with the rainy season running from July through October. The island lies in the northeast [[trade winds]] of the Pacific.<ref name="Wake Atoll" />
{{Weather box
| location = Wake Island, US (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1953–2004)
| single line = yes
| Jan record high F = 89
| Feb record high F = 93
| Mar record high F = 92
| Apr record high F = 94
| May record high F = 93
| Jun record high F = 94
| Jul record high F = 94
| Aug record high F = 97
| Sep record high F = 96
| Oct record high F = 92
| Nov record high F = 90
| Dec record high F = 91
| year record high F = 97
| Jan high F = 83.2
| Feb high F = 83.3
| Mar high F = 84.0
| Apr high F = 85.4
| May high F = 86.8
| Jun high F = 88.8
| Jul high F = 89.1
| Aug high F = 89.4
| Sep high F = 89.1
| Oct high F = 88.1
| Nov high F = 86.0
| Dec high F = 84.4
| year high F = 86.5
| Jan mean F = 78.7
| Feb mean F = 78.3
| Mar mean F = 78.7
| Apr mean F = 80.0
| May mean F = 81.4
| Jun mean F = 83.3
| Jul mean F = 83.4
| Aug mean F = 83.7
| Sep mean F = 83.4
| Oct mean F = 82.8
| Nov mean F = 81.3
| Dec mean F = 79.9
| year mean F = 81.2
| Jan low F = 74.2
| Feb low F = 73.3
| Mar low F = 73.4
| Apr low F = 74.5
| May low F = 76.0
| Jun low F = 77.9
| Jul low F = 77.7
| Aug low F = 78.0
| Sep low F = 77.7
| Oct low F = 77.4
| Nov low F = 76.5
| Dec low F = 75.3
| year low F = 76.0
| Jan record low F = 63
| Feb record low F = 63
| Mar record low F = 60
| Apr record low F = 62
| May record low F = 64
| Jun record low F = 70
| Jul record low F = 65
| Aug record low F = 65
| Sep record low F = 64
| Oct record low F = 63
| Nov record low F = 61
| Dec record low F = 64
| year record low F = 60
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 1.64
| Feb precipitation inch = 1.48
| Mar precipitation inch = 2.07
| Apr precipitation inch = 1.50
| May precipitation inch = 2.03
| Jun precipitation inch = 1.78
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.10
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.38
| Sep precipitation inch = 5.91
| Oct precipitation inch = 5.18
| Nov precipitation inch = 2.39
| Dec precipitation inch = 2.14
| year precipitation inch = 34.60
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 9.6
| Feb precipitation days = 8.6
| Mar precipitation days = 11.9
| Apr precipitation days = 13.2
| May precipitation days = 13.2
| Jun precipitation days = 13.5
| Jul precipitation days = 18.0
| Aug precipitation days = 18.4
| Sep precipitation days = 19.6
| Oct precipitation days = 18.4
| Nov precipitation days = 14.4
| Dec precipitation days = 13.4
| year precipitation days = 172.2
| source 1 = NOAA<ref name="NOAA txt">{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=WQW00041606&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020 |access-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523111042/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=WQW00041606&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |url-status=live }}</ref>
| source 2 = XMACIS2<ref name = XMACIS2>
{{cite web
|url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = xmACIS2
|access-date = June 21, 2024
}}
</ref>
}}
====Typhoons====
[[File:Wake Island Memorial Chapel damaged by Hurricane-Typhoon Ioke 2006.jpg|thumb|Damaged trees and debris left by [[Hurricane Ioke|Super Typhoon Ioke]] in 2006 at the Memorial Chapel on Wake Island]]
On October 19, 1940, an unnamed typhoon hit Wake Island with {{convert|120|kn|km/h}} winds. This was the first recorded typhoon to hit the island since observations began in 1935.<ref name="CP1967">{{cite web |date=May 4, 2007 |title=1967 Central Pacific Tropical Cyclone season |url=http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/summaries/1967.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702145238/http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/summaries/1967.php |archive-date=July 2, 2017 |access-date=December 10, 2011 |publisher=Central Pacific Hurricane Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref>
[[Typhoon Olive (1952)|Super Typhoon Olive]] impacted Wake on September 16, 1952, with wind speeds reaching {{convert|150|kn|km/h}}. Olive caused major flooding, destroyed approximately 85% of its structures, and caused {{currency|1.6 million|USD|passthrough=yes}} in damage.<ref name="CP1967" />
On September 16, 1967, at 10:40 pm local time, the eye of [[Super Typhoon Sarah (1967)|Super Typhoon Sarah]] passed over the island. Sustained winds in the eyewall were {{convert|130|kn|km/h}}, from the north before the eye and from the south afterward. All non-reinforced structures were demolished. There were no serious injuries, and the majority of the civilian population was evacuated after the storm.<ref name="CP1967" />
On August 28, 2006, the United States Air Force evacuated all 188 residents and suspended all operations as Category 5 [[Hurricane Ioke|Super Typhoon Ioke]] headed toward Wake. By August 31 the southwestern eyewall of the storm passed over the island, with winds well over {{convert|185|mph|km/h}},<ref>{{cite news |date=September 1, 2006 |title='Super' Typhoon Slams Tiny Wake Island |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,211537,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080427021116/https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,211537,00.html |archive-date=April 27, 2008 |work=Fox News Channel}}</ref> driving a {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on|0}} [[storm surge]] and waves directly into the lagoon inflicting major damage.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 31, 2009 |title=Monster' Typhoon Ioke Makes Direct Hit on Wake Island |url=http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-2006-08-31-voa11/313383.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604180131/https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2006-08-31-voa11/313383.html |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |access-date=October 27, 2014 |work=VOA News}}</ref> A U.S. Air Force assessment and repair team returned to the island in September 2006 and restored limited function to the airfield and facilities leading ultimately to a full return to normal operations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vadnais |first=Chris |date=September 15, 2006 |title=Airmen add up damage at Wake Island |url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/129764/airmen-add-up-damage-at-wake-island/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920213118/https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/129764/airmen-add-up-damage-at-wake-island/ |archive-date=September 20, 2021 |access-date=September 20, 2021 |work=Air Force Print News |language=en-US}}</ref>
===Ecology===
[[File:Air Force partners for environmental conservation on Wake Atoll.jpg|thumb|left|Ecologists on Wake Atoll spraying herbicide into the bark of an invasive ironwood tree, 2017.]]
[[File:Gallirallus wakensis.jpg|thumb|The now extinct [[Wake Island rail]], a flightless bird that was native to the atoll]]
[[File:Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos wake.jpg|thumb|A Grey Reef shark in the waters near Wake]]
Wake Island is home to the Wake Atoll National Wildlife Refuge<ref>{{cite web |title=Wake Atoll National Wildlife Refuge |url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wake-atoll |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125032911/https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wake-atoll |archive-date=November 25, 2022 |access-date=November 24, 2022 |publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service}}</ref> and comprises a unit of the [[Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument]].
Native vegetation communities of Wake Island include scrub, grass, and wetlands. ''[[Tournefortia argentia]]'' (heliotrope tree) dominated scrublands exist in association with ''[[Scaevola taccada]]'' (beach cabbage), ''[[Cordia subcordata]]'' (sea trumpet), and ''[[Pisonia grandis]]''. Grassland species include ''[[Dactyloctenium aegyptium]]'' and ''[[Tribulus cistoides]]''. Wetlands are dominated by ''[[Sesuvium portulacastrum]]'', and ''[[Pemphis acidula]]'' is found near intertidal lagoons.<ref name="rat">{{cite journal |last1=Griffiths |first1=Richard |last2=Wegmann |first2=Alex |last3=Hanson |first3=Chad |last4=Keitt |first4=Brad |last5=Howald |first5=Gregg |last6=Brown |first6=Derek |last7=Tershy |first7=Bernie |last8=Pitt |first8=William |last9=Moran |first9=Matthew |last10=Rex |first10=Kristen |last11=White |first11=Susan |last12=Flint |first12=Beth |last13=Torr |first13=Nick |date=2014 |title=The Wake Island Rodent Eradicaation – Part Success, Part Failure, but Wholly Instructive |journal=Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference |volume=26 |doi=10.5070/V426110487 |s2cid=86982575 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
The atoll is home to multiple species of land crabs, with ''[[Coenobita perlatus]]'' being especially abundant.<ref name="rat" />
The atoll, with its surrounding marine waters, has been recognized as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] for its [[sooty tern]] [[bird colony|colony]], with some 200,000 individual birds estimated in 1999.<ref name="bli">{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021 |title=Wake Island |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wake-island-iba-united-states-minor-outlying-islands-(to-usa) |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118072550/http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wake-island-iba-united-states-minor-outlying-islands-(to-usa) |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |access-date=January 23, 2021 |website=BirdLife Data Zone |publisher=BirdLife International}}</ref> 56 bird species have been sighted on the atoll.<ref name="rat" /> Wilkes Island is largely designated as a bird refuge and includes a field that is mowed annually to attract sooty terns and other birds that might otherwise seek to nest on the mowed apron of the airfield runway.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rauzon |first1=Mark J. |last2=Boyle |first2=David |last3=Everett |first3=William T. |last4=Gilardi |first4=John |date=2008 |title=The Status of the Birds of Wake Atoll |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/6793/561_Rauzon_BirdsofWakeAtoll.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |volume=561 |page=25 |doi=10.5479/si.00775630.561.1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026172036/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/6793/561_Rauzon_BirdsofWakeAtoll.pdf |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |access-date=October 26, 2023}}</ref>
Due to human use, several [[invasive species]] have become established on the atoll. Feral cats were introduced in the 1960s as pets and for pest control. Eradication efforts began in earnest in 1996, and were deemed successful in 2008.<ref name="Rauzon-2008">{{cite journal |last1=Rauzon |first1=Mark J. |last2=Everett |first2=Wlliam T. |last3=Boyle |first3=David |last4=Bell |first4=Louise |last5=Gilardi |first5=John |date=2008 |title=Eradication of feral cats at Wake Atoll |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |volume=560 |pages=1–22 |doi=10.5479/si.00775630.560.1}}</ref> Two species of rat, ''[[Rattus exulans]]'' (Polynesian rat) and ''[[Rattus tanezumi]]'' (Asian house rat), have colonized the island. ''R. tanezumi'' populations were successfully eradicated by 2014, however, ''R. exulans'' persists.<ref name="rat" /> ''[[Casuarina equisetifolia]]'' (ironwood or coastal she-oak) was allegedly planted on Wake Island by boy scouts in the 1960s for use as a windbreak. It formed large mono-cultural forests that choked out native vegetation. Concerted efforts to kill the populations began in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Anastasia |date=April 26, 2017 |title=Air Force partners for environmental conservation on Wake Atoll |url=https://www.jber.jb.mil/News/News-Articles/Article/1163481/air-force-partners-for-environmental-conservation-on-wake-atoll/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914193858/https://www.jber.jb.mil/News/News-Articles/Article/1163481/air-force-partners-for-environmental-conservation-on-wake-atoll/ |archive-date=September 14, 2021 |access-date=September 14, 2021 |work=Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson}}</ref> Other introduced plant species include ''[[Cynodon dactylon]]'' (Bermuda grass) and ''[[Leucaena leucocephala]]'' (miracle tree). Non-native species of [[ant]]s are also found on the atoll.<ref name="rat" /> Overall, the island is a mixture of tropical scrub brush and grass with trees; some of the trees are over 25 feet tall (over 7 meters).<ref name="Wake Atoll" />
The lagoon, surrounding reef, and ocean is noted for its diverse collection of marine life. Wake waters are noted for the largest known population of [[Bumphead parrotfish]] (''Bolbometopon muricatum)''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=Deepwater Wonders of Wake: Wake Island and Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Management: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research |url=https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1606/background/monument-mgmt/welcome.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007221306/https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1606/background/monument-mgmt/welcome.html |archive-date=October 7, 2023 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=oceanexplorer.noaa.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref> The coral reef that surrounds the island is home to at least 100 species of coral and over 320 species of fish.<ref name="www.fws.gov">{{Cite web |title=Wake Atoll National Wildlife Refuge {{!}} U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wake-atoll |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201192418/https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wake-atoll |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |access-date=November 2, 2023 |website=fws.gov |language=en-us}}</ref> There are many types of life on the island including birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.<ref name="www.fws.gov" /> Some of the species were imported to the island, such as the feral cats; these were exterminated in the early 21st century in an attempt to restore balance to the other wildlife there.<ref name="Rauzon-2008" /> In the coral reef, there is a diverse collection of shark species, including [[Grey reef shark|grey reef]], [[Blacktip reef shark|blacktip]], and [[dusky shark]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Shark Island: Wake Atoll |url=https://www.discovery.com/nature/welcome-to-shark-island--wake-atoll |access-date=November 3, 2023 |website=Discovery |language=en}}</ref>
==Demographics==
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