Controversy revolves around the tropical paradise of Wake Island, part of Eneen-Kio Atoll, the collection of three islands also known as Wake Atoll, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The island is claimed by both the United States and the Marshall Islands. It is further claimed as an independent sovereignty in the name of the Kingdom of EnenKio.
Wake Island
The World Factbook, published by the CIA, states that the 2.5-square-mile Wake Island has no arable land, no crops, no forests or woodland, no indigenous inhabitants.
The population consists (as of the latest record from January 2001) of only one US Army civilian and 123 civilian contractor personnel. The island is economically insignificant, as all food and manufactured goods must be imported.
There is no domestic or international telephone system, no radio service, no television broadcasting. There isn’t even a harbor. However, despite its lack of agriculture or an economy, the island is rich in historical significance, warranting a lengthy and subsequently fascinating lesson on the history of Wake Atoll.
Discovered by Spain
According to Theodore Leverett’s history of the island on the Flags of the World website, “Wake Island was first discovered by the Spaniard Álvaro de Mendana in 1586, who named it San Francisco and claimed it in the name of the King of Spain. This claim was internationally recognized, the atoll being viewed as worthless…
In 1796 the Englishman Captain Samuel Wake of the merchant vessel Prince William Henry rediscovered it. He gave the atoll its present name, also carried by its largest island… On December 20, 1840, the USS Vincennes brought the explorer Charles Wilkes and the naturalist Titian Peale to the island where they conducted a series of surveys and eventually lent their names to the other two islands of the atoll…
The Treaties of Paris and Washington
During the Spanish-American War, an American troop convoy bound for the Philippines (then owned by Spain) stopped off at Wake. Major General Francis V. Greene hoisted the Stars and Stripes, then with 45 stars, there on July 4, 1898… The subsequent peace treaty [signed with Spain in December 1898 and approved by the US Senate in February 1899] which ended the war transferred Wake to the United States.”
The Treaty of Paris, signed by officials from the United States of America and the Spanish Empire on December 10, 1898, relinquished all Spanish claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba, Puerto Rico, the island of Guam in the Marianas, all islands in the West Indies under Spanish sovereignty, and all islands within approximately 116 degrees and 127 degrees longitude east near and including the Philippine Island archipelago.
Concept and Diagram © Richard D. LeCour
Satellite Imagery © TerraMetrics
An amendment three years later (the Treaty of Washington) added several additional islands located southwest of the island chain of Palawan that had been omitted from the original treaty. No other specific islands or locations of any kind were mentioned.
Wake Island did not fall within the boundaries of either the Treaty of Paris of 1898 or the Treaty of Washington of 1900 as the atoll is located at approximately 166 degrees of longitude east of Greenwich.
This directly contradicts the common misconception that Wake Island was included in the spoils of war between the United States and Spain, as insisted upon by such historians as Stanley K. Schultz, Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, but the language of both treaties is indisputable — neither of them include the tiny atoll 1,300 nautical miles east of Guam.
Wake as a US Military Base
However the island was acquired, the US Navy recognized the potential of Wake as a military base and contributed both materially and financially to the construction of Pan American facilities.
John Godfrey Borger
Photo © The Borger Family
The historical recollections of the original Pan American World Airways and the newsletter of The Pan Am Historical Foundation quote the then 21-year-old Junior Assistant Engineer for the S.S. North Haven, regarding the initial construction of the airbase.
“On March 27, 1935, the S.S. North Haven embarked from San Francisco for Honolulu, Midway, Wake, Guam, and Manila, to prepare bases for Pan Am’s flying boats to cross the Pacific. Wake was totally uninhabited; all we had on it were a hydrographic chart with no detail, and an article in National Geographic magazine…
We loaded into the ship 12 prefabricated buildings for Midway, and 12 for Wake. We loaded for each base two diesel engines to generate electricity, two windmills to pump water up and get water pressure, a Caterpillar tractor with interchangeable bulldozer blade and crane, and 4,000-gallon tanks for both aviation gas and water… On the deck we loaded two 38-foot power launches, one for Midway and one for Wake, and a 26-foot launch for Guam, intended for air-sea rescue…
Wake is made up of three islands. It’s true it was uninhabited except for birds; we had to wear hats. We’d planned to put the station on Wilkes Island, which is open to the sea, but the survey team found it was too low in the water. So was Wake Island. But Peale Island, on the far side of the lagoon, was okay. We unloaded the cargo into a storage yard on Wilkes Island, then built a 50-yard railroad (somebody by inspiration had brought light-gauge railroad track) to the lagoon. We put the small launch on a barge and, with the help of the tractor, we shoved it across the knee-deep channel between Wake and Wilkes. The launch towed the barges of cargo across the lagoon to Peale Island. Wake depended on rainfall for water, so we rigged canvases on the roofs, drained them into underground tanks, then pumped the water up to the windmills.
We had to clear the coral heads to provide a six-foot deep open landing area in the Wake lagoon for the M-130 to land. So we hung a length of a light-gauge railroad track six feet deep under a barge, and a launch towed the barge back and forth across the lagoon. When the track hit coral, it shook the barge, wakened the guy sleeping on it, and he threw a cork buoy with an anchor to mark the spot. Then Bill Mullahey and I, in a rowboat, rowed out to the buoys. Bill put on goggles he’d made out of bamboo, took a bamboo spear, and dove down and inspected the coral head… Bill surfaced and said, give me six, or eight, sticks of dynamite, dove back down and tied them to the coral. He resurfaced, I rowed us upwind as far as we could, and he pressed a magneto button and blew up the coral. We rowed back, picked up the fish the blast had killed, and brought them back for dinner. We did this [until] we cleared a pie-shaped landing area [where we] built a 400-foot dock.”
— John G. Borger
After the completion of the airbase and a 48-room hotel, Wake Island became one of the stopping points on regular Pan American flights for servicing and refueling of the famous “Pan Am Clippers”, four-engined flying boats. Pan American published a 24-page brochure in 1937 to promote the transpacific China Clipper service from San Francisco to Hawaii, Midway Island, Wake Island, Guam, Manila, and its final destination of Hong Kong.
“A tiny pinpoint on the vast Pacific’s map — five thousand miles from America’s mainland. A land unheard of until a few years ago — uninhabited, until the coming of the airway pioneers — became the scene of one of the most dramatic struggles in the history of American transportation. Here hardship, toil and thrilling courage overcame tremendous odds to set in final place four thousand tons of materials. Scarcely eight hours from Midway — another change in time — you are ashore in the early afternoon and the island is yours to explore… Down paths lined with magnolia are living quarters for the base staff, the power plant, the big refrigerators, a little hospital, a pergola where you will find an unusual collection of the little atoll’s lore – bits from ancient sailing craft that came to grief on the treacherous reefs that so effectively shelter the lagoon’s water for the flying clipper ships; heaps of coral in fantastic designs; sea shells of every form. Along the arcs of glistening beach you can find all these for yourself — and perhaps a dozen little hollow balls of glass — floats from Japanese fishing nets that have drifted half way across the Pacific…
Wake Island, so newly added to the world’s travel map, is already becoming a favorite vacation spot for travel-wise voyageurs. A beautiful, unspoiled land a world away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. A land reserved to those who fly, where every comfort and convenience, excellent food and expert attention are as much a part of your stay as the breath-taking sunsets, the soft thundering of the sea and its magnificent thirty-foot surf. Not soon can one forget these rainbow waters, soft deep sands, the friendly sun, the cool sweet trade winds blown from across the broadest sea.”
James W. Wensyel, in his article titled Odyssey Of The Wake Island Prisoners, states that the US Navy never lost sight of Wake Island’s military potential and turned the commercial airfield into a full-fledged defensive fortification, complete with 449 Marines, 71 Naval personnel, 5 Army radio operators, and 12 fixed-wing Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats fighter planes, all under the overall command of Commander Winfield S. Cunningham.
Japan Seizes Wake in World War II
“War with Japan was imminent, and an airstrip on Wake, about 2,000 miles west of Hawaii, would allow American heavy bombers to strike the Japanese-controlled Marshall Islands. And, if Guam were lost to the Japanese, Wake would be one of the closest American outposts to the Japanese mainland… [Early on the morning of December 8, 1941,] at 8:50 the Marines raised the American flag on its staff, something Marines did every morning all over the world… Not long after the flag raising, 36 Japanese Mitsubishi G3M2 Nell bombers crossed Wake in three V-formations. Soon their fragmentation bombs, accompanied by a steady drumming of machine-gun fire, tore the island to pieces… Japanese land-based aircraft from Roi in the Marshalls, later joined by aircraft from approaching Japanese carriers, pounded the atoll day after day. Before each attack, a dwindling number of American Wildcat fighters rose to meet them.
At 3 a.m. on December 11, a Japanese invasion task force commanded by Rear Adm. Sadamichi Kajioka, consisting of a light cruiser, six destroyers, two troop carriers and two armed merchantmen, confidently approached Wake’s beaches. Marine gunners let them close to 4,500 yards before their 5-inch naval guns opened fire. Their patience was rewarded with the sinking of one Japanese destroyer and damaging of the cruiser and three additional destroyers.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy National Archives
Kajioka retreated, now knowing that Wake would not be taken without a fight. By the 21st, the last of the Wildcats had been destroyed in dogfights over the atoll… Japanese airplanes now roamed over the island at will, pounding American positions in preparation for a renewed attempt to seize the atoll.
In the dark, rain-swept early morning hours of December 23rd, Kajioka returned, his fleet bolstered by four heavy cruisers and various other warships, including landing craft, to assault Wake’s beaches with more than 900 well-trained infantrymen of the Special Naval Landing Force. At 2:35 a.m., the first Japanese landing barge ground ashore.
Soon a desperate battle was being fought across the atoll between groups of men fighting with rifles, bayonets, grenades and fists. The Americans fought hard, but more Japanese landed and pushed them toward the island’s center… Reports from the three islands were discouraging; there were simply too many Japanese and too few Americans… Cunningham, as the ranking officer, made the inevitable decision to surrender… Stunned defenders threw away rifle bolts, destroyed delicate range-finding instruments, drained hydraulic fluid from recoil cylinders and then surrendered. Eighty-one Marines, eight sailors and 82 civilian construction workers had been killed or wounded. The Japanese, however, paid a heavy price for their victory. The fight for Wake Island had cost them two destroyers and one submarine sunk, seven additional ships damaged, 21 aircraft shot down and almost 1,000 men killed.
Enraged by their losses, the Japanese treated their prisoners — military and civilian — brutally. Some were stripped naked, others to their underwear. Most had their hands tied behind their backs with telephone wire, with a second wire looped tightly from their necks to their wrists so that if they lowered their arms they would strangle themselves… The prisoners were then jammed into two suffocating concrete ammunition bunkers. Later they were herded to the airstrip and made to sit, naked, on the blistering hot concrete. When the Japanese set up machine guns nearby, most of the prisoners expected to be executed. That night, bone-chilling winds replaced the heat. The prisoners sat there, still waiting for food, water or medical treatment. The unfortunate prisoners remained sitting on the airstrip for two days. Finally, they were given food, much of it spoiled by the heat, and water, contaminated from being placed in unclean gasoline drums. Piles of assorted clothing seized earlier were placed before them… After returning his prisoners’ clothes, Kajioka, resplendent in white dress uniform and gleaming samurai sword, read a proclamation to the assembled prisoners. When he concluded, a Japanese interpreter informed the Americans that ‘the Emperor has graciously presented you with your lives.'”
After World War II
The defense of Wake was testimony to the valor and professionalism of the Marine garrison and its officers, December 11th being the only successful thwarting of an attempted amphibious landing by enemy forces in the Pacific throughout the war. The tale of the heroic battle for Wake Island inspired American soldiers worldwide. Almost four long years later, World War II ended, the prisoners were released, and control of the island was returned to the United States by the Japanese.
After a 7000-foot runway was paved over the existing coral runway in 1949, the island base also played a key role as a refueling stop for aircraft during the Korean War. And, as a result of the foresighted runway lengthening in 1959 to 9800 feet, the island was able to participate in Desert Storm in 1991, once again as a fueling station. Today, the former commercial airbase is used primarily by the US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command and for emergency landings of trans-Pacific flights. There are over 700 landings a year on the island.
An understanding of the history of Wake Island is fundamental for understanding the claims made by the Marshall Islands and the Kingdom of EnenKio.
I enjoyed your information on Wake Island… I met my wife there in 1986, we were on a flight crew for the Ohio Air National Guard (kc135) and spent 2 weeks on the island for our summer training. Still have fond memories of the island. Thanks Richard
Any chance of the government opening up Wake Island for domestic travel? [Unlikely any time soon. – RDL]
Again, a great article. I’m a KC135R crew chief. I’ve had the pleasure of dropping in on Wake several times. We stayed there for a week waiting for parts to fix Marine jets we were dragging across the pond. I made the dumb Air Force guy mistake of wearing my ballcap in the small club the first night. $55.00 dollars later the bar was drinking cans of Bud on me!! If you are ever in there look for a white Nike cap with a blue bill with my crew’s name written all over it hanging over the left side of the bar. Thanks for the great times though Wake, Dean
Very good history of the island.. One item that you should have mentioned is that the Japanese Forces kept 98 civilian prisoners on the island as forced labor to rebuild the destroyed airstrip and shot them all in 1943,the Japanese commandert of the forces was executed at Kwajalein for this atrocity. My Father, Archie H. Pratt was one of the 98 civilian prisoners killed. There is a monument to this men, called Prisoners Rock, a large coral boulder at tyhewaters edge that one of the prisoners carved ” 98 POW Oct 13 1943, which is the date they were killed., again, a fine history. TERRY
An excellent history, and I commend your thoroughness in unearthing the earlier history of Wake. The island did play several roles during the War in Vietnam, the last of which was to provide a refugee camp during 1975. My web site contains many pictures of the island and its refugees during that time and I hope you get a chance to pay it a visit. Good work!
I was on the same flight to Wake as Richard Baas was in ’86…Hi Richard! Came down with pneumonia and stayed a few days in the tiny hospital there. Wake was a beautiful place. Walking along and seeing the remnants the war left behind; POW rock, the japanese gun, the pill boxes and the military/civilian memorials…one could not help but feel the spirits of those lost on the island. I hope to be able to go back someday.
Hi Kathy! Richard Baas
During the summer of 1968, I worked for Mid-Pac Operations as an aircraft refueler on Wake Island. Wake Island was a major refueling point for air traffic going from the West Coast to Viet Nam. If I recall correctly, we serviced something like 30 C-141s, 8 C-130s, 6 C-124s each day, plus frequent charter DC-8s hauling troops, and a twice a week stopover by Pan Am flights 841/842, which offered scheduled airline serivce to the island. In 1968, the island was administered by the FAA and had a permanent population of close to 1000 people. These included FAA, USAF, Coast Guard, US civilian contractor personnel, and a large contingent of Philipino nationals working for FMC Corporation. Facilities included the FAA commissary, a branch of the Bank of Hawaii, four bars (Pan Am Club, FAA, Air Force, and the bowling alley) and two outdoor movie theatres. A 10 watt AM radio station provided music and news to inhabitants within its range (extremely limited: wouldn’t reach the far end of the runway). I’m interested in trading information and pictures with others with others with Wake Island experience.
Two comments: 1) The nose cowling of a Grumman F4F “Wildcat” fighter of VMF-211 (not VMF-221) was salvaged from Wake in 1959 and is now on a F4F in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. 2) Read Professor Gregory J. W. Urwin’s monumental and extremely detailed account of the battle for Wake Island titled: “Facing Fearful Odds: The Seige of Wake Island” published in 1997 by the University of Nebraska Press. This accounting was Professor Urwin’s thesis when he was a doctoral candidate at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Urwin is now a professor of history at Temple University, Philadelphia.
I live on the Oregon coast and found a glass float its got Wake Island engraved on it and the date 8-3-54 with the name steven R. Goodson thought it might be interesting to post it on this web site, after reading about Wake Island it was probably put in the ocean by a member of the military
Have you tried searching the web for a “Steven R Goodson” to see if you might find him? Could make for a good story if you could!
A quick Google finds one hit for “Steven R Goodson” at http://www.prayeroutreach.com/military_marines.htm:
Although, if he’s waiting for deployment now, he’s probably too young to have been on Wake in ’54.
my name is jim kocher i was working as the personnel support services manager on the island from 1991 -92 and the tractor that you mentioned they used to build the pan am facility it is now in the lagoon about 15 ft and surprisingly it’s in tact. had a great time on the island and hopefully i can go back for a few days
Memories of Wake. I spent 1957-58 there with good old Transocean Airlines. The Suwa Maru was still beached, no law on the island which at that time was run by the FAA. The three users were Pan American, Transocean and Southern Air Transport. Back then the Island had a one room library with the most popular book a diary that had been kept by a Japanse soldier. He described the conditions as they deteriorated, the birds had gone, the fish were gone due to the bombings and starvation faced the Japanese garrison, and starve they did. Although the island was blockaded by American submarines, the Suwa Maru was able to make it through and beach itself to the joy of the island defenders. From what I understand, the ship didn’t contain the expected food and arms, but had a load of cement. Interesting web site.
I worked at Wake 59-62 for Transocean, M&T, FMC, worked for Jim Pierce, Stu Brown, Lucky Aiello, Deacon Hedrick, OOF,(he was married on the island way back when). I worked with Jerry Baranow later at Tachikawa Field on the 124 IRAN,62-63 for Mike Trigo, Jerry Cornwell, et al. Jeez, where have the years gone!! Left there almost 42 years ago but the memories are still vivid, it was a wonderful experience for a young man just starting out in aviation, remember the Hunter brothers? Lots of good memories of a lot of nice guys from that time.I have a lamp I made from a fire hose fitting I found on the reef in front of the Suwa Maru sitting along side me as I write, still have a couple of data plates from the Japanese landing craft that were wrecked west of the Suwa Maru adjacent to the curve in the road at the end of the runway. Does anyone remember Dennis Everton? Another good guy. Whatever became of Amy? Most enjoyable site, glad I found it.
I was on Wake last month in Nov. It’s still as nice as you remember it. Major doings there…the runway is being repaved, so only c-130 can now land on the taxiway, the harbor has been refitted with steel pilings, the avi-fuel tanks repaired. A lot of money flowing into Wake infrastructure now, as Johnston Atoll is closing to flights. Wake wildlife is also flourishing with rat and cat control. But the biggest news to share is that the Peale Island bridge burned to the waterline on Dec. 2. Seems that someone left a cigarette butt on the wooden bridge and it didn’t rain that night. Costs to rebuild are around 3 million so it may remain down for the near term. Interesting website. Thanks, Mark rauzon
This is a great synopsis of Wake very colorful history. I was one of the few kids who had the unique opportunity of growing up on Wake Island back in the 60’s and early 70’s. Besides the historical importance of the Island, there was also a very unique community that thrived there from the late 40’s till the early 70’s. I’ve been publishing a quasi-quarterly newsletter for the last 12 years that has over 200 subscribers of former Wake Island former residents and those with special ties to the island. In addition, I’ve organized quite a few Wake Island reunions in those last 12 years bringing together former Islanders who have renewed old friendships and found new ones as well. I am in the process of organizing another Reunion in 2005. If you’re interested in more information, feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from any former Wake Islanders.
I have come across some rare footage of wake Island hidden in some holiday film. We have veiwed the film which is of high colour quality, and with a professional touch to it the film is dated.1960’s the camera man was a pilot, or a navigator.BREIF DESCRIPTION 8ML, colour film not to sure about sound, duration of the film is about twenty minutes, beautiful aerial shots of wake island from the cockpit, shots of major gun placements and bunkers, etc, aircraft wreckage, and the japanese war ship in the sea and the salvage ship coming in to collect the wreckage. Basically telling you the story of the island. Just a nice piece of history.
Doing some research, I came across your site. I spent the 1976-77 season at the USCG LORAN Station on lovely Wake as the Engineering Petty Officer. While considered isolated duty for the 9 of us on Peale Island, it goes down as one of the best tours I had in 20 years in the Coast Guard. It had a great mix of folks (USCG, USAF, RAF, NOAA, American contractors, & about 150 Philipino nationals as support personnel), a phenomenal lagoon, great beach combing, and tranquility – a Jimmy Buffet paradise (with no fresh water). Nice synopsis.
Hi. My husband, Chris’, father was caught on Wake Island before WWII and spent four years in a prison of war camp. Chris has always wanted to visit Wake Island. I was thinking of taking him to Hawaii with a side trip to Wake Island. Is that feasible? Any suggestions?
Enjoyed comments about Wake Island very much. My father was a member of Pan Am’s 2nd Expedition on the S.S. North Haven to Wake Island – to build the hotel. He was on the island from Feb. 6- May 14, 1936, and returned in late 1936. I have his journal, which describes unloading the ship, getting supplies to the island over the reef, blasting the coral, the gorgeous sunsets, the rats, hermit crabs, love birds, and sharks, and lastly, the beautiful China Clipper. In 1965, I stopped at Wake enroute to Guam on Pan Am, and would like to return, now that I have a better sense of the island’s history and my father’s role in it. I appreciate all the comments. Carol NIckisher
Excellent overview of Wake Island history. I was on Wake for 9 months in 1991 and again for 11 months in 1996-97. Both times on construction contracts. It is my favorite place out of the world. The island is beautiful and the scuba diving is fantastic. It is the best kept secret in the pacific and is closed to travel except with military orders. There are about 130 personnel on the island last I heard. Most are Thai nationals(workforce) some USAF, NOAA and civilian contractors.
I spent two months on Wake in 1966 as a customer service rep for Pan Am. We assisted in the handling of troops on the way to Vietnam and civilian flights stopping for fuel on westbound trips ( especially JAL). Also greeted the crews on the oil spurting DC6 & 7 cargo flights i.e. Slick Airways, Riddle, ONA, Capital. The mess hall , staffed by those wonderful Phillpino crew, offered up some great food. Our laundry of course was stiff from the brackish water. Great memories of the water sports in lagoon off beach on Peale. Pan Am bar was an oasis. Some civilian workers had assembled a small single engine airplane and flipped it over taxiing behind a military cargo plane. Someone gave me a book on aerodynamics to read and it lead to a 24 year career as a commercial pilot.
anyone know how to find out a list of the decesed from the war on wake island, i seen a program on a&e their wase a memorial with my last name, i would like to reserch it. thank you.
I have enjoyed the history on Wake Island! I lived on Wake Island from 1965-1969. My father was the Station Manager for FMC. (Bud Dreyer) What a great place to grow up. I have many memories of the historical sites. I would love any photos anyone may have.
You may not remember me but I was one of the Filipino workers of FMC on Wake Island from Jul 1969 until Sep 1974. I worked at the Base Office as Accountant and also at Bank of Hawaii with Mrs. Betty Skates, wife of Mr. Tom Skates, Assistant Station Manager at that time. I now live at the Republic of Nauru since 1975. I have old photos of Wake Island hidden somewhere that I have to search and share them with you. Vic and Lydia Gabriel were on those photos too.