 Satellite image of Kure Atoll (north is towards the upper-left corner) | |
  Kure Atoll  Kure Atoll | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 28°25′N178°20′W / 28.417°N 178.333°W /28.417; -178.333 |
| Archipelago | Northwestern Hawaiian Islands |
| Total islands | 2 |
| Major islands | Green Island |
| Area | 0.884 km2 (0.341 sq mi) |
| Length | 5.8 mi (9.3 km) |
| Width | 4.8 mi (7.7 km) |
| Administration | |
| State | Hawaii |
| County | Honolulu County |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 (2025) |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone |
|
Kure Atoll (/ˈkʊəriː/;Hawaiian:Hōlanikū,lit. 'bringing forth heaven';Mokupāpapa, 'flat island')[1] orOcean Island is anatoll in the Pacific Ocean 48 nautical miles (89 km; 55 mi) west-northwest ofMidway Atoll in theNorthwestern Hawaiian Islands at28°25′N178°20′W / 28.417°N 178.333°W /28.417; -178.333. A coral ring 6 miles (9.7 km) across encloses a lagoon several meters deep. The atoll's largest island is calledGreen Island, and is a habitat for hundreds of thousands of seabirds in the present day and wildlife staff. A short, unused, and unmaintained runway and a portion of one building, both from a formerUnited States Coast GuardLORAN station, are located on the island. Politically, it is part ofHawaii, though the nearest island is Midway, which is a separateunorganized territory. Kure Atoll, in addition to being the nesting grounds for tens of thousands of seabirds, has recorded several vagrant terrestrial birds, includingsnow bunting,eyebrowed thrush,brambling,olive-backed pipit,black kite,Steller's sea eagle andChinese sparrowhawk. It is currently managed as a Wildlife Bird Sanctuary by the State of Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resource–Division of Forestry and Wildlife as one of the co-trustees ofPapahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument with support from the Kure Atoll Conservancy. Kure is one of the westernmost islands of theNorthwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Kure is seasonally inhabited by small crews of two to eight volunteers and biologists who work to restore and manage the native ecosystem.
Kure was discovered in the early 19th century and was the site of several shipwrecks. In the early 20th century it became a bird nature reserve of the United States. In the late 20th century, it was home to a radio base that supported location finding (LORAN system before GPS), and in the 21st century it is mostly a nature reserve and for scientific research. Kure, or sometimes written Cure, used to be called Ocean Island up until 1924 when it was renamed; in 1987 this changed to Kure Atoll (atoll rather thanisland). There are also several native Hawaiian names; some depend on context.Moku Papapa is the generic name for a flat island like this atoll but became more associated with it, and another one isHōlanikū.
There are no more islands going west until reaching Japan, though historically it was thought there might be, none were confirmed (seephantom islands such as theByer's/Morrell's islands and theAnson Archipelago). To the west and south, across a great amount of ocean, are theBonin andVolcano Islands (such asIwo Jima);to the southwest areMarcus (Minamitorishim (Southern Bird Island)) andWake Island. TheAleutian island chain that extends out fromAlaska lies far to the north. The nearest feature to the west, but below sea level is the Hancock bank, and many seamounts that are continuation of theHawaiian–Emperor seamount chain continue as it turns to the northwest: these are all submerged, and Kure is the farthest west and north islands of the Hawaiian chain above sea level in the present day. Other underwater features in the region include theMid-Pacific Mountains, to the south, and to the north, the Hess rise (underwater features).
Hess bank to the north has the historical undersea feature the Mellish bank.[2]
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TheInternational Date Line lies approximately 100 miles (87 nmi; 160 km) to the west. Although located to the west of Midway Atoll, Kure Atoll has a time zone 1 hour ahead atUTC−10:00 (the same as the rest of Hawaii). Kure is the northernmost coralatoll in the world.[3][4] It consists of a 6-mile-wide (9.7 km) nearly circularbarrier reef surrounding a shallow lagoon and several sand islets. There is a total land area of 213.097 acres (86.237 ha), with Green Island on the southeast side.[5] A growing number ofHawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) haul out on its beaches.[6] ThePolynesian rat (Rattus exulans) has been on the island since it was discovered.[7]
Thecoral reef is a rough ring shape about 6 miles (9.7 km) across and has two islands within, Sand Island and Green Island. Green Island is in the southeast quadrant of the ring, with an area of 235 acres. Sand Island is about one acre in size and lies to the west of Green Island.[7] Sand Island is not known to have plant life.[8]
Green Island has a wide variety of vegetation including groves ofbeach naupaka (Scaevola taccada), which are a popular habitat for birds.[7] Another type of tree on Green Island is the heliotrope tree (Tournefortia argentea), there are two groves ofironwood trees (Casuarina equisetifolia), and other common plants areVerbesina andBermuda grass.[8] A survey of plant life in 2001 counted about 50 different species of plant on Green Island.[8]
Green Island is roughly triangular with a point to the north and with a northwest beach extending down to a western point.[7] The east side arcs down from north point and the shore includes east beach, southeast beach, and south beach, which arcs around to West point on the south side of the island.[7] Overall Green Island is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and up to 0.5 miles (0.80 km) wide. The highest point is 25 feet (7.6 m).[7]
Seabirds known to be at Kure in one survey:[9]
As of 2002, 92 species of algae have been discovered in the central lagoon of Kure Atoll.[10]
The geological history of Kure is generally similar toMidway, but Kure lies close to what is called theDarwin Point, the latitude north of which the rate of natural reefsubsidence and destruction surpasses the rate of reef growth. At approximately 30 million years old, it is the oldest in the Hawaiian Island chain. As Kure continues to be slowly carried along to the northwest by the motion of thePacific Plate, it will move into waters too cool forcoral andcoralline algae growth to keep up withisostatic subsidence of the mountain. Currently the atoll is warmed by the pools of water at the ends of the warmKuroshio Current, keeping it in a very comfortable range in winter. Barring unforeseen evolution, it will then begin to join the other volcanic and reef-topped remnants of theHawaiian–Emperor seamount chain to the northwest, all of which are nowseamounts.[6][11]
The island was discovered in the early 19th century, and besides from shipwrecks was only occasionally visited. From the 1960s to 1992, it had LORAN radio station, which had a small staff and an airstrip. It has been a nature reserve since that time, and marine debris cleanup and scientific research on the nature is conducted.
In theHawaiian language the termMokupāpapa was used for any flat island with reefs.[12] The northwestern islands are associated withKāne Milohaʻi inHawaiian mythology, the brother ofPele, creator of the islands, who was left to stand guard for travelers.[13] Another Hawaiian name for Kure Atoll isHōlanikū, meaning "bringing forth heaven."[14]
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Before the mid-19th century, Kure Atoll was visited by several ships and given new names each time. Sometimes spelled Cure, its English name was for a Russian navigator who sighted the atoll.[15] It was officially named Kure Island in 1924 and then Kure Atoll in 1987.[16] The old name for the island was Ocean Island.[17]
Two shipwrecks in the early 19th century were theGledstanes and theParker, in 1837 and 1842 respectively.[18] TheGledstanes crewmembers were able to make it to the island and then were able to build a new vessel from the debris of their old ship. Some of the survivors then sailed it back to mainland Hawaii.[19] Once they reached Hawaii, they sent a ship back to rescue those who had stayed behind on the island.[17] The shipwreck of theGledstanes was found in 2008.[19]
TheParker's crew had a somewhat more difficult time but did manage to get to land by floating on a raft for several days.[18] They managed to survive on a diet of birds and other wildlife at the atoll, living on what is now Green island.[18] They even encountered the dog from theGledstanes who had been living wild on the island in the previous years.[18] They attempted to make contact with the outside world by attaching messages to seabirds.[18] TheParker had shipwrecked in September 1842 and having lived at Kure Atoll, many of the crew were finally rescued on April 16, 1843, with the remainder taken off on May 2, 1843.[18] The first rescue ship was theJames Stewart and the second rescue ship was the whalerNassau.[18]
Many crews were stranded on Kure Atoll after being shipwrecked on the surrounding reefs and had to survive on the local seals, turtles, and birds. The shipwrecks remain on the reef today, including theUSS Saginaw. Because of these incidents,King Kalākaua sent ColonelJ. H. Boyd to Kure as his Special Commissioner. On September 20, 1886, he took possession of the island for the Hawaiian government. The King ordered that a crude house be built on the island, with tanks for holding water and provisions for any other unfortunates who might be cast away there. However, the provisions were stolen within a year and the house soon fell into ruins.[7]
In 1867, theUSSLackawanna surveyed the atoll to produce more accurate charts of the reefs.[7]
TheUSSSaginaw wrecked on the atoll in October 1870. The crew was able to abandon ship, but not much was saved. A crew of five sailed thecaptain's gig to the island ofKauai, but only 1 survived the difficult month-long voyage. Despite this, word did get to the authorities, which sent a rescue ship to the stranded crew which was able to rescue them in January 1871.[17]
The vesselDunnottar Castle shipwrecked in 1886, and the crew was able to reach Kauai eventually; however, some lives were lost.[17]
Largely neglected for most of its history, during World War II Kure was routinely visited by U.S. Navy patrols from nearby Midway to ensure that the Japanese were not using it to refuel submarines or flying boats from submarine-tankers for attacks elsewhere in the Hawaiian chain. During theBattle of Midway, a Japanese Nakajima B5N "Kate" bomber, operating from aircraft carrierHiryū, piloted byLieutenant Kikuchi Rokurō, and which had been involved in the initial Japanese attack on Midway's US installations, crash-landed near Kure after being damaged by US fighters.[20] Once ashore, Lt. Kikuchi and the two other members of his crew (Warrant Officer Yumoto Noriyoshi andPetty Officer (1st Class) Narasaki Hironori) refused capture and were either killed or committed suicide when an American landing party tried to capture them.[20]
In the 1950s, there was a radar reflector on the island, and the island was also used for a scientific study of Pacific birds.[9] In 1959 zig-zag stripes were cut through the groves ofScaevola bushes to make habitat space for albatrosses.[21]
In 1960, construction began on a LORAN base and it was finished in 1961.[22] Also in 1961, the tugPort of Bandon sank on the reef.[22] The base included buildings for the LORAN station, a 625-foot-long (191 m) LORAN radio tower, and a 4,000-foot (1,200 m) airstrip.[23][7]
Between 1963 and 1965, the Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) population was studied.[24]
In 1966, aBoeing 707 jet airliner made an emergency landing at Kure Atoll.[25]
Kure is located within a major current which washes up debris from theGreat Pacific Garbage Patch, such as fishing nets and large numbers of cigarette lighters, on the island. These pose threats to the local animals, especially birds, whose skeletons are frequently found with plastic in the stomach cavity.[6][26]
On October 16, 1998, the longline fishing vesselParadise Queen II ran aground on the eastern edge of Green Island of Kure Atoll, spilling approximately 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel before recovery operations could commence. Debris from that shipwreck continued to pollute the reef and shoreline for many years, endangering wildlife and damaging the coral reef. The long-term impact of this and other wrecks within theNorthwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) highlight the dangers to sensitive habitats in the area. To help ensure their protection, thePapahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument was designated aParticularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in 2008 by theInternational Maritime Organization.[27][28] In addition to avoiding specific areas, owners must identify when their ship enters and leaves the PSSA's 10-nautical-mile-wide (12 mi; 19 km) reporting area so a timely response can be taken should there be a maritime emergency.
From 1960 to 1992, aUnited States Coast GuardLORAN station was located on Green Island. A short coral runway was built on the island to support Coast Guard operations,[7] but it was abandoned and is currently unusable.[29] Although there is no permanent human population, the atoll is formally part of theCity and County of Honolulu.[30]It became a state wildlife sanctuary in 1981.[31]Since 1993, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and volunteers from the Kure Atoll Conservancy group have helped to restore the atoll to a more natural state.[32]Jean-Michel Cousteau produced a video on a voyage to Kure which first aired in 2006.[33] Since 2010 the Division of Forestry and Wildlife has had a year-round presence on Kure Atoll.[citation needed]
In 2002, the wreck of a 19th-century whaling ship was found at Kure Atoll.[18] This wreck was further explored in 2005, 2006, and 2008; it is thought it may be the wreck of the sailing shipParker.[18][34] TheParker was a whaling ship that wrecked on Kure Atoll in 1842.[18] The crew was rescued after a few months.
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The wreck of theUSSSaginaw was found in 2003.[35] The research dive studying the wreck was featured in the bookA Civil War Gunboat in Pacific Waters: Life on Board USS Saginaw.[36]
In 2008, the shipwreck of the vesselGledstanes was found.[19] TheGledstanes was a Britishwhaling ship that wrecked in 1837.[19]
In 2010, the wreck of a sailboat was recovered from Kure Atoll.[37] The sailboat was discovered in 2007, and was determined to be the boat of a sailor who departed fromFiji in 2006, but was lost at sea.[37]
In 2020, a crew of four stayed on the island from February through October.[38] While there is no television or cell phone service, limited internet connectivity allows for emails to be sent and received.[38] The island is occupied by two crews each year that are rotated in and out.[38] Their job is to keep an eye on the island, and they also try to clean up trash that washes up on the island.[38]
In the 2020s, removingghost nets andmarine debris from Kure and other northwest Hawaiian islands remains a big concern, which are known to endanger wildlife and pollute environment.[39]
Because of its particularly remote location, Kure Atoll has been the scene of severalamateur radioDX expeditions, orDX-peditions. Because the radio propagation path between Kure andEurope runs right over the North Polar region, opportunities for distant communication with Kure are particularly popular among European amateurs.
Thecallsign prefix for Kure Atoll as of 2017 is KH7K, and for nearby Midway Atoll KH4, on the DXCC list.[40] They were briefly deleted from the DXCC list and had to be re-added after a review, due to a legal change of the overall regions status.[40]
Some of the DXpeditions to Kure were:
Kure's Green Island was home to a radio geolocation station from the early 1960s to 1992.[46] CalledLORAN (short for LOng RAnge Navigation), the base was operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and supported the LORAN-C system. This land-based electronic navigation aid helped ships and aircraft locate themselves on the Earth's surface.[46] This base was shut down because the LORAN system was superseded by theGlobal Positioning System (GPS), which uses satellites inEarth orbit rather than ground stations like at Kure Island.[46] The LORAN station was commissioned on 18 March 1961 and was decommissioned on 2 July 1992.[25]
Kure's LORAN base had a 625-foot high (191 m) radio tower that was later demolished when operations ended.[7]
Theham radio call sign for the Kure LORAN Station was KH6EDY.[25]
The site was surveyed in 1959 and construction began in 1960.[25] The survey team was attacked by rats in the night.[25] The base was staffed by about 20–30 or so personnel, and the base received many awards over its history including theCoast Guard Unit Commendation in 1986–1989.[25]
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The Kure airport had one 3800 ft. long runway, and is now closed. ItsICAO code was PM64.[47]
Aircraft that routinely operated from the airstrip included U.S. Coast GuardHC-123B Provider andHC-130H aircraft and several types of U.S. Navy fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters from Midway. Flights routinely carried mail, cargo, and passengers to Kure Atoll since its completion in the 1960s.[47]
The airstrip was also known to have been used foremergency landings, including aLockheed Constellation (C-121) in 1961[48] and aBoeing 707 in 1966.
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Kure Atoll is noted as the location of various shipwrecks:Some of the noted wrecks at the atoll include:[7]
The wreck of the whaling shipGledstanes was found in 2008. Many of the crews survived by living on Kure until they could leave the island.[49]
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Temperatures at Kure Atoll range from about 45 to 90 °F (7–32 °C).[7] There is usually a wind of about 10–15 mph (16–24 km/h) that blows from the northeasttrade winds.[7]
The data chart below is taken fromMidway Atoll due to a lack of any weather stations present on Kure Atoll.
Kure Atoll features atropical savanna climate (KöppenAw) with high year-round temperatures. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, with only two months being able to be classified asdry season months (May and June).
| Climate data for Kure Atoll | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) | 81 (27) | 81 (27) | 82 (28) | 87 (31) | 89 (32) | 92 (33) | 92 (33) | 92 (33) | 89 (32) | 88 (31) | 82 (28) | 92 (33) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 70 (21) | 70 (21) | 71 (22) | 72 (22) | 76 (24) | 81 (27) | 83 (28) | 84 (29) | 84 (29) | 80 (27) | 76 (24) | 73 (23) | 77 (25) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 66 (19) | 66 (19) | 67 (19) | 69 (21) | 72 (22) | 77 (25) | 79 (26) | 80 (27) | 80 (27) | 77 (25) | 73 (23) | 69 (21) | 73 (23) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 62 (17) | 62 (17) | 63 (17) | 64 (18) | 68 (20) | 73 (23) | 75 (24) | 75 (24) | 75 (24) | 72 (22) | 69 (21) | 65 (18) | 69 (20) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 49 (9) | 50 (10) | 51 (11) | 53 (12) | 55 (13) | 61 (16) | 63 (17) | 64 (18) | 64 (18) | 59 (15) | 55 (13) | 51 (11) | 49 (9) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 5.0 (130) | 3.8 (97) | 3.0 (76) | 2.5 (64) | 2.3 (58) | 2.2 (56) | 3.3 (84) | 4.3 (110) | 3.5 (89) | 3.5 (89) | 3.8 (97) | 4.1 (100) | 41.3 (1,050) |
| Average precipitation days | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 160 |
| Source: Weatherbase[50] | |||||||||||||
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