Mili Atoll
Encyclopedia
Mili Atoll is a coral atoll of 92 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain
of the Marshall Islands
. It is located approximately 78 kilometres (48.5 mi) southeast of Arno
Its total land area is 14.9 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi) making it the second largest of the Marshall Islands after Kwajalein
. It encloses a much smaller lagoon than Kwajalein, with an area of 760 square kilometres (293.4 sq mi). The atoll is separated by a water channel
called the Klee Passage
from the Knox Atoll
which is considerably smaller. The population of Mili Atoll was 1032 as of 1999. The main village is also called Mili. Other villages include Nallu, Enejet, Lukonor, Tokewa, and Wau, Mili. Nallu, Enejet and Lukonwor are only accessible from Mili by land during lowtide. Only Mili, Mili and Enejet, Mili have runways for small planes. Mili Airport
and Enejet Airport are served by Air Marshall Islands
when its aircraft are operational.
, out of Nantucket, Massachusetts
, was brought to Mili Atoll by her mutinous
crew. After killing the ship's captain and its three officers, Samuel B. Comstock “Bloody Sam” sailed the ship here. A few days after anchoring, Comstock was murdered by his co-mutineer Silas Payne. Six of the crew fled in the ship and stranded nine men on the island. By the time the U.S. Schooner , commanded by Lieut. Com. John Percival
, arrived to rescue them two years later, all but two of the crew members had been murdered by the islanders.
The infamous blackbirder
Bully Hayes
owned Tokowa Islet on Mile during the late 19th century and used it as a base for his operations. Mili Atoll was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884. The Germans established a trading station and in 1870 a Christian church. After World War I, the island came under the South Pacific Mandate
of the Empire of Japan
. Mili housed a radio direction finding and weather station. In World War II the atoll was occupied by the Japanese. The garrison
was composed of 2,045 men of the IJN
and 2,237 men of the IJA
. In 1942 a seaplane base was developed. Between late 1942 and late 1943, the Japanese also constructed a land airfield with three runways (4750', 4550' + 4400'), and numerous support buildings, including a radar
station. The perimeter of the island was fortified with coastal defense and anti-aircraft guns. Between mid-1943 and Aug. 1945, Mili was bombed by United States Navy
carrier-based aircraft and shelled by warships. The attacks increased in frequency and severity after Majuro
and Kwajalein
had fallen to the United States. Of the 5100 man Japanese garrison (2600 Imperial Japanese Navy
and 2500 Imperial Japanese Army
) only half survived to the end of the war.
Following the end of World War II, Mili Atoll came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
. The island has been part of the independent Republic of the Marshall Islands since 1986.
Mili remains littered with thousands of World War II relics. The law forbids these items from being removed from the island. Mostly what remains are large bunker
systems, rail systems, old artillery pieces and remnants of aircraft. Examples includes Japanese Zeroes and a B-25 Mitchell
bomber sitting in just several feet of water. The ground is still covered with craters created by the artillery campaigns that lasted 30 days to "prep" the island for the Allied invasion.
Ratak Chain
The Ratak Chain is a chain of islands within the island nation of the Marshall Islands. Ratak means "sunrise". It lies just to the east of the country's other main island chain, the Ralik Chain...
of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. It is located approximately 78 kilometres (48.5 mi) southeast of Arno
Arno Atoll
Arno Atoll is a coral atoll of 133 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only . Unlike most other atolls, Arno encloses three different lagoons, a large central one, and two smaller ones in the north and...
Its total land area is 14.9 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi) making it the second largest of the Marshall Islands after Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
. It encloses a much smaller lagoon than Kwajalein, with an area of 760 square kilometres (293.4 sq mi). The atoll is separated by a water channel
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
called the Klee Passage
Klee Passage
Klee Passage is a shallow channel of water which separates Knox Atoll from Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands.A submarine sand bank is located directly under the water channel. Due to this sand bank, the passage is not accessible to large sea vessels which could easily get embedded in the sand...
from the Knox Atoll
Knox Atoll
Knox Atoll is an unihabited coral atoll of 18 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and is the southernmost atoll of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The total land area is only , but it encloses a largely sand-filled lagoon with an area of . The atoll measures in length and is wide...
which is considerably smaller. The population of Mili Atoll was 1032 as of 1999. The main village is also called Mili. Other villages include Nallu, Enejet, Lukonor, Tokewa, and Wau, Mili. Nallu, Enejet and Lukonwor are only accessible from Mili by land during lowtide. Only Mili, Mili and Enejet, Mili have runways for small planes. Mili Airport
Mili Airport
Mili Airport is a public use airstrip in the village of Mili on Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands. This airstrip is assigned the location identifier 1Q9 by the FAA and MIJ by the IATA.- Facilities :...
and Enejet Airport are served by Air Marshall Islands
Air Marshall Islands
Air Marshall Islands is an airline based in Majuro, in the Marshall Islands. It is the flag carrier of the Marshall Islands, operating inter-island services in the South Pacific. Its main base is Marshall Islands International Airport, Majuro.- History :...
when its aircraft are operational.
History
In 1823 the whaleship GlobeGlobe (whaleship)
-External links:*...
, out of Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
, was brought to Mili Atoll by her mutinous
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
crew. After killing the ship's captain and its three officers, Samuel B. Comstock “Bloody Sam” sailed the ship here. A few days after anchoring, Comstock was murdered by his co-mutineer Silas Payne. Six of the crew fled in the ship and stranded nine men on the island. By the time the U.S. Schooner , commanded by Lieut. Com. John Percival
John Percival
John Percival known as Mad Jack Percival was a legendary officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the War of 1812, the campaign against West Indies pirates, and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:Born in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, Percival left home at thirteen to...
, arrived to rescue them two years later, all but two of the crew members had been murdered by the islanders.
The infamous blackbirder
Blackbirding
Blackbirding is a term that refers to recruitment of people through trickery and kidnappings to work as labourers. From the 1860s blackbirding ships were engaged in seeking workers to mine the guano deposits on the Chincha Islands in Peru...
Bully Hayes
Bully Hayes
William Henry "Bully" Hayes has been described as a South Sea pirate and "the last of the Buccaneers", who together with Ben Pease, engaged in blackbirding in the 1860s and 1870s. Hayes operated across the breadth of the Pacific in the 1850s until his murder on 31 March 1877 by his cook Peter...
owned Tokowa Islet on Mile during the late 19th century and used it as a base for his operations. Mili Atoll was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884. The Germans established a trading station and in 1870 a Christian church. After World War I, the island came under the South Pacific Mandate
South Pacific Mandate
The was the Japanese League of Nations mandate consisting of several groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean which came under the administration of Japan after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.-Early history:Under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, after the start of World...
of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. Mili housed a radio direction finding and weather station. In World War II the atoll was occupied by the Japanese. The garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
was composed of 2,045 men of the IJN
IJN
The abbreviation IJN may refer to:* International Justice Network or IJNetwork, a Human Rights Organization* Imperial Japanese Navy, the navy of Japan from 1868 until it was dissolved in 1947* Institut Jean Nicod, a French interdisciplinary research center...
and 2,237 men of the IJA
IJA
IJA can refer to:* Imperial Japanese Army* International Jugglers' Association* International Jousting Association* Instituto Justo Arosemena* The Internet Journal of Anesthesiology* International Judges Association* Empress Ija...
. In 1942 a seaplane base was developed. Between late 1942 and late 1943, the Japanese also constructed a land airfield with three runways (4750', 4550' + 4400'), and numerous support buildings, including a radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
station. The perimeter of the island was fortified with coastal defense and anti-aircraft guns. Between mid-1943 and Aug. 1945, Mili was bombed by United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
carrier-based aircraft and shelled by warships. The attacks increased in frequency and severity after Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
and Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
had fallen to the United States. Of the 5100 man Japanese garrison (2600 Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
and 2500 Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
) only half survived to the end of the war.
Following the end of World War II, Mili Atoll came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1986.-History:...
. The island has been part of the independent Republic of the Marshall Islands since 1986.
Mili remains littered with thousands of World War II relics. The law forbids these items from being removed from the island. Mostly what remains are large bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
systems, rail systems, old artillery pieces and remnants of aircraft. Examples includes Japanese Zeroes and a B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
bomber sitting in just several feet of water. The ground is still covered with craters created by the artillery campaigns that lasted 30 days to "prep" the island for the Allied invasion.