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Roi–Namur Battlefield | |
 Roi-Namur | |
  | |
| Location | Kwajalein Missile Range,Kwajalein Atoll |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 9°23′46″N167°28′33″E / 9.39611°N 167.47583°E /9.39611; 167.47583 |
| Built | 1944 |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001758 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 4, 1985[1] |
| Designated NHLD | February 4, 1985[2] |
Roi-Namur (/ˌrɔɪnəˈmʊər/roy nə-MOOR) is an island in the north part of theKwajalein Atoll in theMarshall Islands. Today, the island is a major part of theRonald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, hosting severalradar systems used for tracking and characterizing missilereentry vehicles (RV) and theirpenetration aids (penaids).
Roi-Namur is a military base of the United States, leased from theRepublic of the Marshall Islands; however, defense of the Marshall Islands is the responsibility of the United States through theCompact of Free Association.
In 2024, a flooding event caused bywave overtopping made national news in the United States, with dramatic footage of water bursting through a door.[3]
The name of the island was coined after the then-separate islands Roi and Namur.Roi originates from theMarshallese wordRuot, whileNamur originates from the Marshallese wordNim̧ur.[citation needed]
The highest point on the island is called Mount Olympus, and is man-made mound that 17.5 meters elevation.[4]
Germany annexed the Marshall Islands in 1885 but did not place government officials on the islands until 1906, leaving island affairs to a group of German trading companies. DuringWorld War I, the Japanese seized the Marshall Islands, and later, under theTreaty of Versailles, Japan formally took over operations under theLeague of Nations mandate. The Japanese colonized the islands extensively, developing and fortifyinglarge bases on many of the islands, eventually using them to aid in their Pacific invasion in December 1941. ThePacific War between the United States eventually reached the Marshall Islands in 1944.
The fortified Roi-Namur was the target of theU.S. 4th Marine Division landing operation during theBattle of Kwajalein in February 1944, with a part of the island being blown up in an explosion that caused 120 American casualties. Marine Corps officersAquilla J. Dyess andJohn V. Power both earned posthumousMedals of Honor. A total of 313 Americans were killed and 502 wounded in the operation, with the Japanese garrison of an estimated 3,563 men being killed.[5]
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During the Japanese occupation, the two islands, (Roi to the west, and Namur to the east) were connected by a narrow strip of land and acauseway. After American occupation, US NavySeabees filled the remaining area between the islands by December 1944. The two now joined islands are presently called Roi-Namur, having a total area of about one square mile.
Roi-Namur was selected byDARPA as a host site for a series of radar experiments under theProject Defender umbrella, and Project PRESS. These experiments intended to use radar as a means to distinguish an enemy missile reentry vehicle (RV) from itspenetration aids by examination of their size, shape, and velocity, as well as examining the wake they left in the upper atmosphere. By building on Roi-Namur, they were able to examine the test shots used by theUS Army'sNike-X program installed onKwajalein Island andMeck Island further to the south.
The island was flooded in December 2008 by a “massive wave” which swamped coastal roads.[6][7] A similar flood from one or morerogue waves orsneaker wave damaged buildings and swamped runways on 20 January 2024.[8][9] The January 2024 event was a popular clip on social media and news sites in the United States.[10] The Army embarked a cleanup operation calledOperation Roi Recovery after the inundation wave on Roi-Namur.[11]
Roi-Namur is home to about 120 American and Marshallese employees of theReagan Test Site.
The Roi section of the island contains the main housing area, holding the retail and recreation facilities. Activities on Roi-Namur range from a nine-holegolf course, saltwater swimming pool, scuba club, movie theater, volleyball, and basketball court. Roi holds theFreeflight International Airport (Marshall Islands) with one runway for small planes commuting fromKwajalein. Additionally, Marshallese daytime workers come via ferry from the island ofEnniburr.
The Namur section is home to the ALCOR,ALTAIR, MMW and TRADEX radar tracking stations.
There is a small rocket launch facility on Roi-Namur, which usually shoots sounding rockets that ascend beyond the atmosphere but have a short range.
There are crumbling remnants of Japanese blockhouses and pillboxes around Roi-Namur.
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