Indispensable Reefs
Administratively the Indispensable Reef belongs to the Rennell and Bellona Province of Solomon Islands. They are locally called "Goto'akau".
The three atolls are steep-to and each encloses a large deep lagoon. They are separated by deep passages two to three km (1.2–1.9 mi) wide. The atolls of the Indispensable Reef are aligned in a NW-SE direction:
- North Reef is 18 km (11 mi) long, and up to 7 km (4.3 mi) wide. The rim of the atoll has two narrow openings in the north and northwest. The reef has a total area of 100 km (39 sq mi), including lagoon and reef flat. There are no islets.
- Middle Reef is 51 km (32 mi) long. Little Nottingham Islet is a small islet located near the centre of the reef. Besides its main lagoon, Middle Reef has a separate smaller northern lagoon. The total area is about 300 km (120 sq mi).
- South Reef is 21 km (13 mi) long and up to 8 km (5.0 mi) wide. It encloses a lagoon 18 to 35 metres (59 to 115 ft) deep. The total area exceeds 100 km (39 sq mi).
History
The ship Neptune struck Indispensable Reef on 3 August 1868, and was lost. The crew was rescued by the SS Boomerang.
During the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7 May 1942, two Japanese carrier attack planes B5N2 (EI-306 and probably EI-302) flying reconnaissance mission from the carrier Shokaku ditched on Indispensable Reef due to lack of fuel.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/80-G-7661.jpg/220px-80-G-7661.jpg)
In 1983, the Solomon Islands Government apprehended a vessel from Taiwan that had been poaching the giant clam stocks around Indispensable Reef. Corals and endangered fish species are also being plundered for the aquarium trade.
See also
References
- ^ "Sector 7. The Solomon Islands—East Part" (PDF). Publication 126. nss.nima.mil. n.d. pp. 183–201. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ LUNDSTROM, John B. The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway. Annapolis, Maryland : Naval Institute Press, 2005. ISBN 1-59114-471-X. page 205
- ^ Govan, H.; Nichols, P.V.; Tafea, H. (1988). "Giant clam resource investigations in Solomon Islands". In Copland, JW; Lucas, JS (eds.). Giant clams in Asia and the Pacific. ACIAR Monograph. pp. 54–57. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
External links
- https://web.archive.org/web/20080120072247/http://solomonislands.com.sb/indispensablereefs.html
- Corals: "Solomon Islands" (PDF). World Atlas of Coral Reefs. 19 May 2003. pp. 330–333. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2003. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- Sunken ships: [1]
- Ecological concern: [2]