U.S. Unincorporated Possessions

1634                       The reef is first shown on Dutch maps.
1654                       Named Bajo Nuevo Bank.
1660                       Re-discovered by the English pirate John Glover.
20 Nov 1803                Spanish royal decree resolved that the Archipelago of San Andrés,
                             be separated from the Captaincy General of Guatemala and placed
                             under the jurisdiction of the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada.
22 Nov 1869                Claimed for U.S. by James W. Jennett under the provisions of the
                             Guano Islands Act (also called Petrel Islands [Islas Petrel]).
 6 Mar 1930                Barcenas-Esguerra Treaty, signed in Managua on 24 Mar 1928, is
                             ratified. By that treaty Nicaragua abandoned territorial claims
                             to the San Andrés archipelago vis-à-vis Colombia.
 8 Sep 1972                Bajo Nuevo is specifically not mentioned by the U.S. in list of
                             guano islands renounced to Colombia (treaty ratified 31 Jul 1981).
 4 Feb 1980                The Sandinista government revived Nicaragua's territorial claims by
                             unilaterally declaring the Barcenas-Esguerra Treaty null and void.
1982                       A beacon was erected, and reconstructed by the Colombian Ministry
                             of Defense in Feb 2008.
 6 Aug 1982 -  2 Aug 1986  Colombia maintained a formal agreement with Jamaica, which granted
                             regulated fishing rights to Jamaican vessels within the
                             territorial waters of Bajo Nuevo Bank.
20 Dec 1999                Maritime Delimitation Treaty (of 2 Aug 1986) between Honduras and
                             Colombia ratified. Honduras recognizes Colombia's sovereignty over
                             Bajo Nuevo and nearby Serranilla Bank.
19 Nov 2012                The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Colombia had
                             sovereignty over both Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla Banks.
10 Feb 2014                Nicaragua formally accepted the ICJ's 2012 ruling of Colombian
                             sovereignty by a constitutional amendment.

Territorial Disputes: Colombia, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and the U.S. assert various claims to Bajo Nuevo; Colombia considers Bajo Nuevo Bank a part of the Providence Archipelago in the intendancy of San Andres y Providencia; Nicaragua disputed Honduras's legal right to hand over these areas before the ICJ.

Map of Baker Island

Population: Uninhabited; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service. 3 (1940) Capital: None (Meyerton 1935-1944)

1818                       Baker Island is discovered by Capt. Elisha Folger (b. 1770 - d.
                             1861) of the Nantucket whaling ship Equator and is given the name
                             New Nantucket.
Aug 1825                   Capt. Obed Starbuck (b. 1797 - d. 1882) of the U.S. whaler Loper
                             sights Baker Island, and the name Loper Island comes to be used
                             alongside New Nantucket.
1832                       The captain of U.S. whaling ship Gideon Howland, Michael Baker,
                             sights Baker Island, which ultimately comes to be named after him.
14 Aug 1839                Capt. Baker raises an American flag, and claims the island for the
                             United States. While digging a grave for a dead seaman, he
                             discovers guano deposits. He revisited it in 1844, 1845, 1851 and
                             1854 and never found it occupied.
1843                       Reported by Henry Foster, Chief Mate then of barque Sussex, sailing
                             from the Marquesas Islands for the Kingsmill Group (Gilbert
                             Islands) as Phoebe Island as at 176 degrees W and 0 degrees 12' N
                             (in the British Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1854).
 1 Sep 1855                Baker sells his interest in Baker Island to a group who later form
                             the American Guano Company, which claims the island in 1856 under
                             the Guano Islands Act and begins to mine guano there. Hawaiian
                             guano laborers working on the island name it Puaka'ilima.
10 Feb 1857                Arthur Benson and Charles H. Judd, representing the American Guano
                             Company, landed from the Hawaiian schooner Liholiho, to assert the
                             company's claim the island.
16 Aug 1857                Cmdr. Charles Henry Davis (b. 1807 - d. 1877) of the U.S. ship USS
                             St. Mary's surveys and makes formal claim to Baker Island in the
                             name of the United States.
27 Feb 1869                The British ship Shaftsbury, captained by John Davies, was wrecked
                             on Baker's Island reef. Later that year, the American ship Robin
                             Hood was destroyed by fire while loading guano.
1880's                     American guano companies abandon operations on Baker Island; however,
                             British guano companies continue mining.
 7 Dec 1886                The American Guano Company sold its rights to the British firm John
                             T. Arundel and Co. The company establishes their headquarters
                             on Baker Island for their guano digging enterprise in the central
                             Pacific from 1886 to 1891.
1910                       Baker Island is abandoned as the guano supply is exhausted.
Sep 1924                   The U.S. Whippoorwill expedition surveys Baker Island and finds old
                             deep-sea moorings, remains of a pier, walls of coral stone
                             buildings, boilers and buoys, and wooden headboards which indicate
                             remains of a graveyard.
 3 Apr 1935                A camp is established on Baker by the U.S. Army during the American
                             Equatorial Islands Colonization Project. The camp atop the
                             western ridge of Baker Island is named Meyerton (named after Capt.
                             Harold A. Meyer, U.S. Army, who assisted in establishing living
                             quarters and rainwater cisterns for the colonists).
 3 Apr 1935 - 31 Jan 1942  Colonized by U.S. (under Department of Commerce to 13 May 1936).
13 May 1936                President Franklin D. Roosevelt places Baker under the jurisdiction
                             of the secretary of the interior. An interest in developing these
                             islands for commercial aviation stopovers, as well as in firmly
                             establishing a U.S. presence, results in military personnel and
                             Hawaiian employees being placed for several months at a time
                             (unincorporated territory).
13 May 1936 - 27 Jun 1974  Administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior. 
 8 Dec 1941                Japanese air attack on Baker Island during World War II.
31 Jan 1942                American civilians are evacuated after Japanese air and naval
                             attacks in Dec 1941.
11 Aug 1943                U.S. troops build a new airstrip on Baker Island as a forward area
                             defense post. In Sep 1943 the base is occupied and the original
                             landing strip lengthened to permit bombers to land. The island
                             houses 120 officers and 2,000 men.
 1 Sep 1943 - Mar 1944     Baker Naval Air Station.
Mar 1944                   Considered no longer necessary to the war effort, Baker is evacuated.
Sep 1944 - Jul 1946        LORAN (Long Range Navigation) radio station on Baker operated. This
                             station, designated as Unit 91 with the radio call sign NRN-1.
15 Jun 1950                Congress enacts a law making Baker Island, along with several other
                             insular areas, subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District
                             Court in Honolulu for purposes of any criminal or civil cases that
                             might arise there.
27 Jun 1974                Administered by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Baker and Howland  
                             Islands National Wildlife Refuge).
 6 Jan 2009                Part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (83,000
                             square miles [210,000 km sq], expanded 25 Sep 2014 to 490,343
                             square miles [1,269,980 km sq]).
 6 Sep 2013                Kiribati and the U.S. sign a maritime boundary treaty formalizing
                             the boundary between Baker and Kiribati's Line and Phoenix Islands
                             (entered into force 19 Jul 2019).
 2 Jan 2025                The Monument is renamed Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National
                             Monument.
17 Apr 2025                President Donald Trump by Executive Order 10918 reduced the protected
                             status from areas of the national monument restoring commercial
                             fishing access from 50 to 200 nautical miles.

Heads of the Baker, Howland and Jarvis Islands Colonization Scheme (in U.S.)
Mar 1935 - May 1936        William T. Miller
                            (Superintendent of Airways Bureau of Air Commerce,
                             U.S. Department of Commerce)
May 1936 - Feb 1942        Richard Blackburn Black            (b. 1902 - d. 1992)
                            (field representative Division of Territories
                             and Island Possessions) 

Island Leaders
 2 Apr 1935 - 18 Apr 1935  Carl Summers                                            Mil
19 Jun 1935 - 19 Jan 1936  Abraham Piianaia (1st time)        (b. 1915 - d. 2003)
19 Jan 1936 - 18 Jun 1936  Herbert Hooper
18 Jun 1936 - 26 Oct 1936  Abraham Piianaia (2nd time)        (s.a.)
26 Oct 1936 - 24 Jun 1937  Albert K. Akana                    (b. 1917 - d. 2004)
24 Jun 1937 - 17 Nov 1937  Charles A. Ahia
17 Nov 1937 - 23 Jul 1938  Theodore Akana
23 Jul 1938 -  1 Dec 1938  Edward Mike McCorriston            (b. 1917 - d. 2005)
 2 Dec 1938 - 20 Mar 1939  Bernard Akana
20 Mar 1939 - 10 Mar 1940  Louis Suares                       (b. 1915 - d. 1997)
10 Mar 1940 - 24 Jul 1940  Melvin Paoa                        (b. 1914 - d. 1987)
24 Jul 1940 - 25 Mar 1941  Karl Jensen
25 Mar 1941 - 28 Jul 1941  Ernest W. Rankin
28 Jul 1941 - 31 Jan 1942  Walter Burke
U.S. Island Commanders
11 Aug 1943 -  1 Sep 1943  ....
 1 Sep 1943 - 1943         Edward Aiken Flanders              (b. 1917 - d. 1995)
                             (804th Aviation Engineer Battalion)
c.1943                     W.J. Jennings
1943 - Mar 1944            ....

Map of Howland Island

Population: Uninhabited; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service; 4 (1940) Capital: None (Itascatown 1935-1944)

1822                       Several U.S. whaling ships sight and chart Howland Island (56 km
                             north of Baker), including the whaling ship Oeno commanded by
                             George B. Worth (b. 1794 - d. 1842), who names it Worth Island.
 1 Dec 1828                Capt. Daniel McKenzie lands on Howland Island aboard the whaler
                             Minerva Smyth and names it for the ship's owners (Isaac Howland,
                             Jr., and Gideon Howland). It is placed on charts under the name
                             Howland Island. McKenzie had given the same name to an island he
                             thought he discovered in 1826, which however was likely the
                             already-discovered Vostok Island (in modern Kiribati); he probably
                             learned that it was not a discovery and retracted the name for
                             later use.
 9 Sep 1842                The U.S. whaling vessel Isabella, Capt. George E. Netcher (b. 1806 -
                             d. 1879), sights Howland Island. As Netcher finds it unmarked on
                             his chart, he supposedly names it again Howland's Island, after the
                             lookout who spotted it George F. Howland. Though uninviting, with
                             no natural anchorages and overrun with rats from an old shipwreck,
                             the guano deposits, when analyzed, are richer than those on either
                             Baker or Jarvis.
 5 Feb 1857                Arthur Benson and Charles H. Judd take possession of Howland Island
                             on behalf of A.G. Benson (father of Arthur) and the American Guano
                             Company, although Arthur Benson was authorized by Netcher to take
                             possession for Netcher's enterprise.
27 Oct 1858                Netcher and partners organize the United States Guano Company, and
                             on 3 Dec 1858 Howland Island is legally assigned to this company.
                             By the time the company arrives, the American Guano Company is
                             already in full operation. A dispute ensues but is settled in court
                             on 11 Jun 1865. Guano mining continues until about 1878 and again,
                             by the British firm John T. Arundel and Co., in 1886-1891.
                             Hawaiian guano laborers name the island Ulukou.
1860's                     During peak guano mining at Howland Island, many ships loaded with
                             guano wreck before they have a chance to leave the atoll. These
                             include the Monsoon (10 Jan 1864), Mary Robinson (28 Jun 1864),
                             Arno (9 Aug 1864), Kathay (20 Jan 1867), and Lizzie Oakford
                             (28 Sep 1868).
Sep 1924                   The U.S. Whippoorwill expedition surveys Howland Island.
30 Mar 1935                A camp is established on Howland by the U.S. Army. The camp is
                             is named Itascatown (after the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca).
30 Mar 1935 - 31 Jan 1942  Colonized by U.S. (under Department of Commerce to 13 May 1936) as
                             part of the American Equatorial Islands Colonization Project.
13 May 1936                President Franklin D. Roosevelt places Howland under the jurisdiction
                             of the secretary of the interior. An interest in developing these
                             islands for commercial aviation stopovers, as well as in firmly
                             establishing a U.S. presence, results in military personnel and
                             Hawaiian employees being placed at on the island for several
                             months at a time. An airstrip and a lighthouse are built on Howland
                             as a refueling site for the flight of Amelia Earhart
                             (unincorporated territory).
13 May 1936 - 27 Jun 1974  Administered by U.S. Department of the Interior. 
 2 Jul 1937                Aviator Amelia Earhart (f)(b. 1897 - d. 1937?) left Lae, New Guinea
                             during her planned round-the-world flight, headed for Howland
                             Island, but her airplane disappeared and was never found.
 8 Dec 1941                Japanese air attack from Kwajalein islands killed colonists Richard
                             "Dicky" Kanani Whaley and Joseph Kealoha Keli'ihananui. 10-11 Dec
                             shelling from a Japanese submarines destroyed what was left of
                             the colony's buildings. A single bomber returned twice during
                             the following weeks and dropped more bombs on the rubble.
31 Jan 1942                American civilians are evacuated after Japanese air and naval attacks
                             in Dec 1941.
1940's                     Earhart Light, near the middle of Howland's west coast, named in
                             memory of the famed aviatrix, is partially destroyed during World
                             War II; it is rebuilt as a day beacon during the 1960's.
 1 Sep 1943 - May 1944     Occupied by U.S. military forces (Howland Naval Air Station).
Mar 1944                   Considered no longer necessary to the war effort, Howland is
                             evacuated.
15 Jun 1950                Congress enacts a law making Howland Island, along with several other
                             insular areas, subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District
                             Court in Honolulu for purposes of any criminal or civil cases that
                             might arise there.
27 Jun 1974                Administered by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Baker and Howland
                             Islands National Wildlife Refuge).
 6 Jan 2009                Part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (83,000
                             square miles [210,000 km sq], expanded 25 Sep 2014 to 490,343
                             square miles [1,269,980 km sq]).
 2 Jan 2025                The Monument is renamed Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National
                             Monument.
17 Apr 2025                President Donald Trump by Executive Order 10918 reduced the protected
                             status from areas of the national monument restoring commercial
                             fishing access from 50 to 200 nautical miles.

Island Leaders
30 Mar 1935 - 18 Apr 1935  Henry Theise                                             Mil
19 Jun 1935 - 19 Jan 1936  James C. Kamakaiwi (1st time) 
19 Jan 1936 -  6 Aug 1936  Joseph Anakalea
 6 Aug 1936 - 26 Oct 1936  Killarney Opiopio                   (b. 1913 - d. 1977)
26 Oct 1936 - 25 Jun 1937  James C. Kamakaiwi (2nd time) 
25 Jun 1937 - 16 Nov 1937  William Kaina
16 Nov 1937 - 23 Mar 1938  Charles Ahia
23 Mar 1938 - 30 Nov 1938  James Kinney
30 Nov 1938 - 21 Mar 1939  William Tavares
21 Mar 1939 - 10 Jun 1939  Eugene Burke
10 Jun 1939 - 12 Oct 1939  Thomas McCorriston
12 Oct 1939 -  9 Mar 1940  Francis Stillman
 9 Mar 1940 - 23 Jul 1940  Edward "Mike" McCorriston           (b. 1917 - d. 2005)
23 Jul 1940 - 27 May 1941  Louis Suares                        (b. 1915 - d. 1997)
27 May 1941 - 31 Jan 1942  Thomas Wright Bederman              (b. 1921 - d. 1999)
U.S. Island Commanders
 1 Sep 1943 - Mar 1944        ....

Map of Jarvis Island

Population: Uninhabited; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service; 3 (1940) Capital: None (Millersville 1935-1942, 1957-1958)

21 Aug 1821                The island is first discovered from the British whaler Eliza Francis,
                             commanded by Capt. Matthew Brown, owned by three brothers Jarvis
                             (Edward, Thomas, and William), after whom the island is named. It
                             is for some time also called Bunker Island.
20 Jan 1825                The British South Seas whaler Mary, commanded by Capt. Edward Reed
                             Lacy, is lost on the island while carrying 1,800 barrels of sperm
                             oil. The crew is rescued by two whaling ships after being stranded
                             on the island for 6 weeks. On 25 May, the ship's fittings and gear
                             are salvaged by the New Bedford whaler Minerva Smyth.
1835                       Michael Baker (see Howland and Baker Islands, above), of the whale
                             ship Braganza, lands and claims the island for the United States.
                             In 1836 and 1845 he visits the island again and, while searching
                             for seabird eggs, discovers large deposits of guano.
20 Dec 1840                The island is surveyed by Lt. Charles Wilkes (b. 1798 - d. 1877)
                             during the U.S. Exploring Expedition.
1855                       Baker sells his interest in Jarvis to a group who later form the
                             American Guano Company.
28 Oct 1856                American Guano Company claims Jarvis as a guano island, under the
                             Guano Islands Act.
Aug 1857                   The USS St. Mary's, under Commander Charles Henry Davis (b. 1807 - d.
                             1877), surveys and makes formal claim to the island in the name of
                             the United States.
1879                       The island is abandoned after tons of guano deposits were removed
                             for use in producing fertilizer. Hawaiian guano laborers named the
                             island Paukeaho.
1881                       Henry Winkelman and Harold Willey Hudson made an attempt to exploit
                             the remaining guano reserves on behalf of Henderson and MacFarlane,
                             and New Zealand firm, but departed after seven months.
 7 Nov 1882                Squire Flockton (b. 1839 - d. 1883) who was left alone on the island
                             as caretaker for several months commits suicide.
 3 Jun 1889                Commander Jasper E. Nichols of the British ship HMS Cormorant takes
                              possession of the island.
1906                       U.K. leased the island to John T. Arundel's Pacific Phosphate Co.,
                             but apparently never worked.
30 Aug 1913                The barquentine Amaranth (C.W. Nielson, captain) carrying a cargo
                             of coal from Australia to San Francisco, wrecks on southern shore.
Aug 1924                   The U.S. Whippoorwill expedition surveys the island and observes two
                             coral platforms which are found to be modern tombs.
25 Mar 1935                The U.S. occupies and reclaims the island, Britain offering no
                             objection. The Millersville settlement established on the western
                             side of the island on 26 Mar 1935 (named for William T. Miller,
                             superintendent of airways of the Bureau of Air Commerce) is
                             occasionally used as a weather station until World War II.
25 Mar 1935 -  9 Feb 1942  Colonized by U.S. (under Department of Commerce to 13 May 1936) as
                             part of the American Equatorial Islands Colonization Project.
13 May 1936                Formally re-claimed by U.S. (Javis Island)(unincorporated territory).
13 May 1936                Administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
 7 Feb 1942                The island is evacuated by the Coast Guard ship Roger B. Taney in
                             anticipation of a possible Japanese attack. All buildings are
                             burned to the ground.
15 Jun 1950                Congress enacts a law making Jarvis Island, along with several other
                             insular areas, subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District
                             Court in Honolulu for purposes of any criminal or civil cases that
                             might arise there.
 1 Jul 1957 - 31 Dec 1958  The island is re-occupied during the International Geophysical Year
                             by U.S. scientists.
27 Jun 1974                The island becomes a National Wildlife Refuge, with administrative
                             responsibility transferred from the U.S. Department of the
                             Interior's Office of Territorial Affairs to its Fish and Wildlife
                             Service (Jarvis Island National Wildlife Refuge).
 6 Jan 2009                Part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (83,000
                             square miles [210,000 km sq], expanded 25 Sep 2014 to 490,343
                             square miles [1,269,980 km sq]). 
 6 Sep 2013                Kiribati and the U.S. sign a maritime boundary treaty formalizing
                             the boundary between Jarvis and Kiribati's Line and Phoenix Islands
                             (entered into force 19 Jul 2019).
 2 Jan 2025                The Monument is renamed Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National
                             Monument.
17 Apr 2025                President Donald Trump by Executive Order 10918 reduced the protected
                             status from areas of the national monument restoring commercial
                             fishing access from 50 to 200 nautical miles.

Island Leaders
25 Mar 1935 - 22 Apr 1935  Austin Collins                                          Mil
15 Jun 1935 - 15 Jan 1936  Henry Ahia (1st time)
15 Jan 1936 - 19 Jun 1936  Edward Young
19 Jun 1936 - 30 Jul 1936  Henry Ahia (2nd time)
30 Jul 1936 - 18 Jan 1937  Solomon Kalama                      (b. 1913 - d. 1993)
18 Jan 1937 - 31 Oct 1937  Joseph Kim
31 Oct 1937 -  8 Aug 1938  Albert Akana
 8 Aug 1938 - 11 Dec 1938  Alexander Wong
11 Dec 1938 - 30 Mar 1939  Francis Lee
30 Mar 1939 - 15 Jun 1939  George Akana
15 Jun 1939 -  1 Aug 1940  James Kinney
 1 Aug 1940 - Nov 1941     Henry K. Lee
Nov 1941 -  7 Feb 1942     Karl E. Jensen
Station Chief for IGY
1957 - 11 Oct 1958         Otto H. Hornung, Jr.                (b. 1902 - d. 1958)

 2 Sep 1796                The atoll is first encountered when the American brig Sally runs
                             aground on a nearby reef. Capt. Joseph Pierpont gives the earliest
                             recorded account and accurate position of the two islands, but did
                             not name or claim the land.
14 Dec 1807                The islands are sighted by British Capt. Charles James Johnston (b.
                             1765 - d. 1856) of the frigate HMS Cornwallis, from whom they take
                             the name Johnston (Johnston's) Island.
30 Nov 1841                Sighted by Lt. Knox aboard the Flying Fish with the U.S. Exploring
                             Expedition.  
19 Mar 1858                The atoll is claimed for the U.S. by Capt. W.R. Perriman of schooner
                             Palestine, which was chartered by two Americans, William Parker
                             and R.F. Ryan, specifically to find Johnston and Sand islands and,
                             if guano were discovered, to claim them under the Guano Islands
                             Act. The presence of guano being confirmed, a flag is raised and
                             signs are erected stating that the entire area is claimed for the
                             United States and for the owners and charterers of the schooner
                             (an unincorporated territory).
14 Jun 1858                Samuel Allen, sailing on the Kalama under the Hawaiian flag and
                             representing the Kingdom of Hawaii, tears down the U.S. flag and
                             signs on Johnston and raises the Hawaiian flag. On 27 Jul 1858 the
                             atoll is declared part of the domain of King Kamehameha IV. The
                             two islets are named Kalama Island and Cornwallis Island. However,
                             several months later, the king revokes the lease on guano he
                             granted to Allen when he learns that the atoll had been claimed
                             previously by the United States.
27 Jul 1858                Hawaiian King Kamehameha IV issued a proclamation claiming Johnston
                             Islands as part of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
14 Mar 1859                Re-examined and surveyed by Lt. John Mercer Brooke (b. 1826 - d.
                             1906) of the United States survey schooner USS Fenimore Cooper.
 9 Dec 1859                The Pacific Guano Co. receives the official certificate from the
                             secretary of state stating that they have entered sufficient bonds
                             to claim Johnston under the Guano Islands Act. Throughout their
                             time on Johnston, the guano company harvests and ships guano until
                             the highest grades are depleted and the island is abandoned in the
                             late 1880s.
12 Dec 1889                The American whaler Jacob A. Howland wrecks on the reef.
19 Jul 1892                Captain Eustace Rooke (b. 1844 - d. 1922) of the British warship HMS
                             Champion, lands at the uninhabited atoll and leaves an annexation
                             notice claiming it for Great Britain, which is planning a trans-
                             Pacific cable. He observes four old huts from the guano companies
                             and wreckage from the whaling bark Jacob A. Howland. In Sep 1892 it
                             is reported that, the guano beds having been exhausted and the
                             American firm having left the territory, State Department officials
                             say the United States has no further interest in the island and has
                             no right to interfere with Great Britain if she finds it of any use
                             to her. An agent for the Pacific Islands Guano Co. claims that they
                             did not abandon the islands and plan to resume work, but this does
                             not apparently come to pass. The Hawaiian government protests
                             British annexation of the atoll, and Britain later recognizes
                             Hawaiian sovereignty based on the annexation by the Kalama in 1858,
                             and apparently decides to run its cable through Tabuaeran (modern
                             Kiribati).
12 Aug 1898                Johnston is annexed by the U.S. along with Hawaii.
11 Sep 1909                The Territory of Hawaii leases Johnston to a private citizen, Max
                             Schlemmer (b. 1856 - d. 1935), for 15 years under a set of
                             stipulations, including the annual planting of coconut trees.
 8 Aug 1917                Edward M. May reports to the commissioner of public lands that during
                             his visit on the islands in 1914, they were uninhabited with no
                             sign of coconut trees.
 8 Aug 1918                After unsuccessful attempts to contact Schlemmer and reassert lease
                             agreements, the commissioner assigns the lease to C.K. Ai and Co.
                             A few men from the company are then sent to Johnston to begin
                             fishing operations but only last one day on the island before they
                             mutiny and return to Honolulu.
Jul 1923                   The island is first mapped during a visit by the USS Whippoorwill and
                             the USS Tanager for scientific research. A biological survey is
                             conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Bernice
                             Pauahi Bishop Museum of Honolulu.
29 Jun 1926                Executive Order 4467 designates Johnston Island and Sand Island a
                             bird refuge, to be known as the Johnston Island Reservation
                             (renamed 25 Jul 1940, Johnston Island National Wildlife Refuge).
29 Jul 1926 - 21 Dec 1934  Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
29 Dec 1934                Executive Order 6935 transfers administrative control to the U.S.
                             Navy. The island remains under the additional jurisdiction of the
                             Department of Interior for purposes of serving as a bird refuge.
29 Dec 1934 -  1 Jul 1948  Administered by U.S. Navy Department, subject to Department of
                             Interior.
14 Feb 1941                In World War II, the airspace above and the waters within the 3-mile
                             marine boundaries of Johnston and Sand islands are designated a
                             Naval Defensive Sea Area and Airspace Reservation (Executive Order
                             8692). During the course of the war, the islands are developed as
                             a military airbase and also serve as a submarine refueling base.
                             As use of the atoll increases, so does the land area; the military
                             dredges coral from the lagoon to increase the length of the
                             runways.
15 Aug 1941 - 13 Jun 1947  Naval Air Station Johnston Island (from Feb 1947, Naval Air Facility
                             Johnston Island) 
15 Dec 1941                The atoll was shelled outside the reef by a Japanese submarine,
                             which had been part of the attack on Pearl Harbor eight days
                             earlier. Several buildings, including the power station, were hit,
                             but no personnel were injured
22 & 23 Dec 1941           Additional Japanese shelling occurred. On all occasions, Johnston
                             Atoll's coastal artillery returned fire, driving off the sub.
26 May 1942                U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina wrecked at Johnston Atoll. 
Jul 1942                   Civilian contractors at the atoll were replaced by 500 men from the
                             5th and 10th Naval Construction Battalions. The 5th Battalion
                             departed in Jan 1943. In Dec 1943 the 99th Naval Construction
                             Battalion arrived at the atoll to lengthen the runway.
 1 Jul 1948                The U.S. Air Force assumes control.
 1 Jul 1948 -  1 Jul 1973  Administered by U.S. Air Force Department (Johnston Island Air Force
                             Base).
27 Mar 1949                A PBY-6A Catalina had to make a forced landing during a flight from
                             Kwajalein to Johnston Island. The plane was damaged beyond repair,
                             and the crew of 11 was rescued nine hours later by a Navy ship.
19 Jun 1950                Congress enacts a law making Johnston Atoll, along with several other
                             insular areas, subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District
                             Court in Honolulu for purposes of any criminal or civil cases that
                             might arise there.
 1 Nov 1957 - 30 Jun 1961  U.S. Coast Guard operates a LORAN-A station on Johnston Island.
 1 Aug 1958 - 10 Oct 1963  The site is used for high-altitude nuclear tests.
1960 - 1977                U.S. Air Force Space Detection and Tracking System (SPADATS)
                             satellite tracking camera station operated by North American
                             Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) on Johnston.
1961 - 1970s               Johnston Island Satellite Recovery Operations Center operates to
                             recover photograph film from reconnaissance satellites systems.
 1 Jul 1961 -  1 Jul 1992  U.S. Coast Guard operates a LORAN-C station on Sand Island.
20 Nov 1962 -  1 Apr 1975  Johnston Atoll an operational anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon system.
1963 - 1964                Johnston Island and Sand Island are further expanded by coral
                             dredging; additionally, two man-made islands are created, North
                             Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina), increasing the total land
                             mass to 2.6 sq km. At this time the decision is made to refer to
                             the area collectively as Johnston Atoll.
1964 - 1973                The U.S. Air Force is an active presence on the atoll.
Feb - Apr 1965             The atoll is used for testing of biological weapons (Operation Shady
                             Grove).
10 Jan 1971 - Dec 2000     Johnston Atoll became chemical weapon storage and destruction site.
10 Jan 1971                The first chemical weapons arrive on Johnston Island from Okinawa.
Apr 1972 - Sep 1977        Surplus Agent Orange defoliant from the Vietnam War is stored on
                             Johnston Island before being destroyed.
1973                       The Air Force agrees with the Defense Nuclear Agency that the latter
                             will assume operational control of the atoll.
 1 Jul 1973                Administered by the U.S. Defense Nuclear Agency (later called
                             Defense Threat Reduction Agency).
27 Sep 1985                Construction of the Army's chemical weapons disposal facility begins.
                             The Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS) is fully
                             operational 30 Jun 1990, full-scale operations began Aug 1993.
15 Oct 1989                The U.S. government agrees to remove artillery shells containing more
                             than 400 metric tons of nerve gas from West Germany, and destroy
                             them on Johnston Island.
30 Jun 1990 - 31 Jul 2001  U.S. Army Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS).
Late 1991                  Following expressions of protest to the U.S. government by the
                             nations of the South Pacific Forum and many environmental groups,
                             a team of scientists visits the chemical disposal facility to
                             monitor the safety and environmental effect of its activities.
May 1996                   It is reported that all nerve gases stored on the atoll have been
                             destroyed. However, 1,000 tons of chemical agents remain contained
                             in landmines, bombs, and missiles at the site.
 1 Oct 1999 -  1 Jan 2004  Administered by U.S. Air Force.
29 Nov 2000                The remaining stock of chemical weapons  are destroyed (the original
                             deadline for the destruction of 40,000 weapons stored on the
                             island was Aug 1995).
Sep 2001                   Population decreases significantly when the U.S. Army Chemical
                             Activity Pacific (USACAP) departs. In previous years there was an
                             average of 1,100 U.S. military and civilian contractor personnel
                             present.
 1 Jan 2004                Island turned over to Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife
                             Service (Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge); in the interim
                             Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it
                             remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of U.S.
                             Air Force.
15 Jun 2004                The closure and decontamination of the facility being completed, all
                             military personnel leave and control of the atoll is transferred
                             to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
23 Mar 2005                The U.S. Department of Defense announces the termination of the Air
                             Force mission on Johnston Atoll. A facility capable of performing
                             atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons remains operational.
Jul 2006                   Johnston Island (only) briefly listed for sale by the U.S. General
                             Services Administration (GSA) Office of Property Disposal,
                             Pacific Rim office.
22 Aug 2006                Johnston Island was struck by Hurricane Ioke.
 6 Jan 2009                Part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (83,000
                             square miles [210,000 km sq], expanded 25 Sep 2014 to 490,343
                             square miles [1,269,980 km sq]).
 2 Jan 2025                The Monument is renamed Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National
                             Monument.
 3 Mar 2025                It was announced as a planned location for the U.S. Air Force
                             Research Laboratory to test delivering cargo by reusable rocket
                             under the Air Force's Rocket Cargo program.
17 Apr 2025                President Donald Trump by Executive Order 10918 reduced the protected
                             status from areas of the national monument restoring commercial
                             fishing access from 50 to 200 nautical miles.

U.S. Island Commanders (16th Defense Battalion 15 Nov 1942 - 16 Apr 1944)
 9 Nov 1939 - 1941         .... 
 7 Dec 1941 - 1942         Francis Butler Loomis, Jr.         (b. 1903 - d. 1989)
                             (executive officer, Marine 1st Defense Battalion)
1942 - Nov 1942            James Marvin Masters               (b. 1911 - d. 1988)
15 Nov 1942 -  5 Jul 1943  Richard Potts Ross, Jr.            (b. 1906 - d. 1990)
 6 Jul 1943 - 14 Mar 1944  Bruce Tillman Hemphill             (b. 1912 - d. ....)
15 Mar 1944 - Aug 1944     August F. Penzold, Jr.             (b. 1913 - d. 1980)
c.1948 - c.1949            Thomas L. Wiper                    (b. 1916 - d. 2005)
1950s                      Jack L. Bentley
1944 - 2000                ....
2000 - 2001                James L. Pasquino                  (b. c.1955)
c.2002                     Timothy Bridges
  5 Aug 2003 - 200.        Mark Hostetter 
200. - 2004                Eric Sassi

Map of Kingman Reef

Population: Uninhabited

14 Jun 1798                The reef is discovered by Capt. Edmund Fanning (b. 1769 - d. 1841)
                             of the American whaler Betsey. He describes it as "a coral reef or
                             shoal, in the form of a crescent, about six leagues in extent from
                             north to south; under its lee, and within the compass of the
                             crescent, there appeared to be white and shoal water."
21 Jan 1853                The English ship Caldew, Capt. William Joseph Snow, runs aground on
                             a reef in the area which becomes known as Caldew Reef.
29 Nov 1853                The reef is re-discovered by Capt. W.E. Kingman of the American ship
                             Shooting Star, who says it was near the spot assigned to "Danger
                             Rock" on some charts. It ultimately takes the name from Kingman.)
19 Nov 1859                The captain William H. Thorndike (d. 1864), of the ship Alice
                             Thorndike, visits and reports the reef, which is thereafter known
                             in some accounts by the name of the ship Alice Thorndike Reef or
                             simply as Thorndike Reef or Shoal.
 8 Feb 1860                The reef is claimed by the American Guano Company under the Guano
                             Act, although there is no evidence that guano has existed there
                             (called Danger Rock).
24 Oct 1862                Captain E.G. Crane reports the reef aboard the schooner Maria, and it
                             is sometimes recorded as Maria Reef or Crane Shoal.
22 Jun 1874                The British steamship Tartar, commanded by James Smith Ferries,
                             strikes the reef and spends two days run aground before landing
                             safely in Honolulu on 28 Jun.
16 Apr 1888                The British iron barque Henry James, Capt. Ralph Lattimore, wrecks on
                             Kingman Reef. All 30 passengers and crew members remain at the
                             small boats until morning and reach Palmyra Atoll in the evening
                             (see Palmyra Atoll).
1897                       The entire reef area is surveyed by the British ship HMS Penguin,
                             commanded by Capt. Arthur Mostyn Field (b. 1855 - d. 1950), and is
                             considered identical to alternative names and points reported
                             within the vicinity. Such names are subsequently removed from
                             charts, including Caldew Reef and Maria Shoal.
10 May 1922                Lorrin A. Thurston (b. 1858 - d. 1931) hoists the American flag over
                             Kingman Reef, claiming it on behalf of the Palmyra Copra Company,
                             owned by Leslie and Ellen Fullard-Leo, for use as a fishing base
                             (an unincorporated territory). 
Jun 1926                   The U.S. Navy ship USS Whippoorwill surveys Kingman Reef.
 9 Jan 1933                The U.S. State Department concludes, in a study of islands claimed
                             under the Guano Islands Act, that claims made under the act to
                             Kingman Reef, under the name Danger Reef, are not valid. However,
                             an American had initially discovered it and no other nation claims
                             it.
29 Dec 1934                President Franklin D. Roosevelt places the reef under the control of
                             the U.S. Navy, formally asserting American rights to it.
29 Dec 1934 - 18 Jan 2001  Administered by the U.S. Department of the Navy.
1937 - 1938                Pan American Airways (PanAm), pioneering the new airmail service with
                             flying-boats between Hawaii and New Zealand, uses the sheltered
                             lagoon as a half-way station between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Pago
                             Pago, American Samoa. The route is abandoned after a flying-boat
                             was lost off Pago Pago in Jan 1938.
14 Feb 1941                Kingman is included in a naval defensive by President Roosevelt in
                             Executive Order 8682, establishing the Kingman Reef Naval Defensive
                             Sea Area and the Kingman Naval Airspace Reservation.
15 Jun 1950                Congress enacts a law making Kingman Reef, along with several other
                             insular areas, subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District
                             Court in Honolulu for purposes of any criminal or civil cases that
                             might arise there.
 1 Sep 2000                The Department of the Interior accepts restoration of its
                             administrative jurisdiction over Kingman Reef from the Department
                             of the Navy.
18 Jan 2001                Executive Order 3223 is signed establishing Kingman Reef National
                             Wildlife Refuge, including the surrounding waters out to the 12-
                             nautical-mile territorial sea limit, to be administered by the
                             the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 6 Jan 2009                Part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (83,000
                             square miles [210,000 km sq], expanded 25 Sep 2014 to 490,343
                             square miles [1,269,980 km sq]).
 6 Sep 2013                Kiribati and the U.S. sign a maritime boundary treaty formalizing
                             the boundary between Kingman Reef and Kiribati's Line and Phoenix
                             Islands (entered into force 19 Jul 2019).
 2 Jan 2025                The Monument is renamed Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National
                             Monument.
17 Apr 2025                President Donald Trump by Executive Order 10918 reduced the protected
                             status from areas of the national monument restoring commercial
                             fishing access from 50 to 200 nautical miles.

May 1838                   Midway Atoll sighted by U.S. Capt. William Daggett III (b. 1797 - d.
                             1872) on the New Bedford whaler Oscar, and later called by whalers
                             Massachusetts Island.
 8 Jul 1859                Discovered by Captain N.C. Middlebrooks, though he was most
                             commonly known as Capt. Brooks, of the Hawaiian barque Gambia,
                             which are originally named Middle Brook Islands. The name becomes
                             Midway later in the 19th century and reflects the islands' position
                             in the North Pacific Ocean roughly equidistant between North
                             America and Asia.
28 Aug 1867                Annexed for the U.S. by Capt. William Reynolds (b. 1815 - d. 1879) of
                             the U.S.S. Lackawanna (an unincorporated territory).
28 Jan 1869                The U.S. Navy adopts the name Midway Islands, according to a report
                             submitted to the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs.
1869                       Congress appropriates $50,000 for making Midway into a naval station
                             and for enlarging the channel through the reef into the lagoon.
20 Jan 1903                President Theodore Roosevelt issues an executive order placing Midway
                             under the jurisdiction and control of the U.S. Navy. The laying of
                             the trans-Pacific cable, which passes through the islands, brings
                             the first residents.
20 Jan 1903                U.S. Navy Department assumes control and names the Commercial Pacific
                             Cable Company as island custodians on 20 Jun 1903. The Secretary of
                             the Navy designated the Commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet
                             to act as its administrative authority.
1904 - 1908                U.S. Marine detachment garrisons Midway to protect the cable
                             station and prevent poaching. 
Apr 1935 - Sep 1947        Midway is used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. A
                             hostel is built on Sand Island for over-nighting plane passengers.
27 Mar 1940 - 31 Oct 1996  Administered by the U.S. Navy Department.
27 Mar 1940                Construction of a naval air station begins.
14 Feb 1941                By Executive Order 8682, Midway is designated a Naval Defense Sea
                             Area and Airspace Reservation.
 1 Aug 1941                U.S. Naval Air Station Midway
 7 Dec 1941                On the same day Pearl Harbor is bombed, Midway is attacked by a
                             Japanese raiding party of two destroyers - Sazanami and Ushio.
                             Four men are killed and ten are injured on Midway.
10 Feb 1942                A Japanese submarine bombarded the atoll.
 4-7 Jun 1942              Battle of Midway, the Japanese Combined Fleet suffered a decisive
                             defeat by two carrier strike groups of the U.S. Pacific Fleet near
                             Midway Atoll.
29 Jul 1942                U.S. Naval Operating Base Midway Islands
 6 Jun 1950 - Sep 1950     Naval base deactivated, only Commercial Pacific Cable remains.
15 Jun 1950                Congress enacts a law making Midway Island, along with several other
                             insular areas, subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District
                             Court in Honolulu for purposes of any criminal or civil cases that
                             might arise there.
31 Dec 1952                Commercial Pacific Cable turns over assets to Navy.
Apr 1953 - Jul 1953        Naval base again deactivated.
 1 Jul 1954 - Feb 1971     Eastern Island, hosted the Naval Security Group Activity (NSGA)
                             Midway Island, which was responsible for operating the High-
                             Frequency Direction Finding (HFDF) system.
1958 - 1960                The United States installed the Missile Impact Location System (MILS)
12 Jul 1960                Congress enacts a law making Palmyra Atoll subject to the
                             jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the District
                             of Hawaii.
 4 Sep 1962 - 31 Oct 1996  Administrative control by the Department of the Navy is confirmed by
                             Executive Order 11048.
13 Jan 1969                U.S. Naval Facility Midway Island
Mar 1971                   Eastern Island vacated and designated a wildlife habitat.
Oct 1978 - 30 Sep 1998     Midway Atoll is designated as an Overlay National Wildlife Refuge
                             (Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge).
30 Sep 1993                Naval Air Facility Midway is operationally closed, last U.S. Navy
                             personnel depart 30 Jun 1997.
31 Oct 1996                Administered by the Department of Interior under U.S. Fish & Wildlife
                             Service (Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge).
13 Sep 2000                The lands and waters of the Midway National Wildlife Refuge are also
                             designated as the Battle of Midway National Monument; Henderson
                             Airfield on Sand Island continues to serve as an emergency landing
                             field for military and civilian aircraft transiting the Pacific
                             Ocean.
15 Jun 2006                Midway included within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine
                             National Monument (on 28 Feb 2007, renamed Papahānaumokuākea
                             Marine National Monument; from 15 Jan 2025, Papahānaumokuākea
                             National Marine Sanctuary).
11 Mar 2011                A 1.5 Meter (4.9 FT) high wave, caused by the 2011 Sendai earthquake
                             in Japan, completely submerged the atoll's reef inlets and Spit
                             Island. It is reported that thousands of seabirds, including
                             albatrosses and other endangered species, were killed.

Superintendents of the Commercial Pacific Cable Company Station, Midway
29 Apr 1903 - 1906?        Benjamin W. Colley 
1906 - 1921                Daniel Morrison
1921 - 27 Mar 1940         ....
 6 Jun 1950 - Sep 1950     ....
U.S. Island Commanders (commander Midway Naval Air Station from 1 Aug 1941)
27 Mar 1940 - 1940         D.B. Ventries (officer in charge)
Jun 1940 - Jul 1940        Samuel G. Taxi                     (b. 1909 - d. 1984)
Jul 1940 - 29 Sep 1940     Kenneth Wachter Benner             (b. 1904 - d. 1975)
29 Sep 1940 - 14 Feb 1941  Harold Cyrus Roberts               (b. 1898 - d. 1945) 
14 Feb 1941 - 1941         Robert H. Pepper                   (b. 1895 – d. 1968)
1941 - 18 Aug 1941         Bertram "Bert" Allison Bone        (b. 1893 - d. 1961)
18 Aug 1941 - Jul/Sep 1942 Cyril Thomas Simard                (b. 1895 – d. 1976)
Jul/Sep 1942 - 30 Jun 1997 ....

Commanders, Marine 6th Defense Battalion
15 Mar 1941 - 14 Oct 1941  Raphael Griffin (arrives Sep 1941)
15 Oct 1941 -  5 Aug 1942  Harold Douglas Shannon             (b. 1896 - d. 1943)
 6 Aug 1942 -  9 Sep 1942  Lewis A. Hohn (1st time)           (b. 1907 - d. 1967)
10 Sep 1942 - 26 Oct 1942  Rupert R. Deese
27 Oct 1942 -  3 Nov 1942  Robert E. Hommel
 4 Nov 1942 -  3 Nov 1943  Lewis A. Hohn (2nd time)           (s.a.)
 4 Nov 1943 - 25 Dec 1943  John Houghton Griebel              (b. 1901 - d. 1969)
26 Dec 1943 - 27 Mar 1944  Charles T. Tingle
28 Mar 1944 - 30 Dec 1944  Frank P. Hager, Jr.
31 Dec 1944 - 29 Apr 1945  Robert L. McKee
30 Apr 1945 -  1 Jul 1945  Herbert R. Nusbaum
 2 Jul 1945 -  4 Oct 1945  Wilfred Weaver
 5 Oct 1945 - 24 Jan 1946  Bruce F. Hillman
25 Jan 1946 -  1 Feb 1946  George R. Helmer

Map of Navassa Island

Population: Uninhabited; note: transient Haitian fishermen  and others camp on the island Capital: None (Lulu Town 1865-1901)

1504                       The flat island is named "Navaza" by some of Christopher Columbus'
                             sailors; the name derives from the Spanish term nava meaning "flat
                             land, plain, or field." They declare the island worthless when they
                             visit briefly, finding no food or water but an abundance of
                             scorpions, poisonous plants, and razor-sharp rocks that slice
                             through boots and demolish boats (later called La Navase in French)
 9 Jul 1801                Haiti begins to claim the island. The successive constitutions of
                             Haiti claimed sovereignty over adjacent islands, both named and
                             unnamed, although Navassa was not specifically enumerated until
                             6 Aug 1874. It has also since 1801 been claimed by Colombia, Cuba,
                             Honduras, Jamaica, and Mexico.
1803                       The island is surveyed by Francis Owen, British Royal Navy, who
                             describes it as "a flat level rock, apparently of volcanic origin;
                             it is covered with small shrubs, and is about 300 feet [91 m] in
                             height."
1804 - 1867                Successive constitutions of Haiti claimed sovereignty over "adjacent
                             islands", both named and unnamed, although Navassa was not
                             specifically enumerated until 1874.
Oct 1857                   The uninhabited island is claimed for the U.S. by Peter Duncan (d.
                             1876) under the Guano Islands Act of 1856. By 1866 the population
                             consists of 30 white men, officers, and mechanics and 180 black
                             laborers.
 7 Jul 1858                U.S. President James Buchanan issued an Executive Order supporting
                             the American claim, calling for military action to enforce it.
 5 Aug 1869 - 12 Jan 1889  Under Navassa Guano Company of Wilmington, North Carolina.
12 Jan 1889 - 1898         The island's actual operation passes to the Navassa Phosphate
                             Company.
14 Sep 1889                The Navassa Revolt, workers revolt, killing three supervisors.
 2 May 1891 - 20 Jun 1891  U.S.S. Kearsarge lands a party of Marines on the island.
1898                       Mining operations are terminated due to the Spanish-American War.
1901                       Navassa Phosphate Co. filed for bankruptcy and abandoned Lulu Town
                             and rest of the island.
1903 - 1917                Dependency of U.S. Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
 4 Feb 1916                By proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson, the island is declared
                             to be under the sole exclusive jurisdiction of the United States.
21 Oct 1917 -  1 Jul 1939  Administered by U.S. Lighthouse Service (Lighthouse is automated
                             1929, dismantled 29 Aug 1996). The Navassa Island Light, a 46-m
                             tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island, was built in
                             1971 to safeguard the increased number of ships passing the area
                             following the opening of the Panama Canal.
 1 Jul 1939 - 16 Jan 1997  Administered by U.S. Coast Guard.
16 Jan 1997                Administration of Navassa Island is transferred to the Department of
                             the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs.
27 Mar 1997                The Department of the Interior denies a claim for a permit to mine
                             guano on Navassa presented by an American salvager to the
                             Department of State under the Guano Islands Act. It is argued that
                             the act applies only to islands which at the time of the claim are
                             not "appertaining to" the United States and that Navassa is
                             accordingly unavailable to be claimed.
 2 Sep 1999                Navassa Island National Wildlife Refuge established, which
                             encompasses 1,344 acres (5.44 km sq) of land and a 12-nautical-mile
                             (22 km; 14 mi) radius of marine habitat around the island. It is
                             part of the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Complex. Annual
                             scientific expeditions have continued.
 3 Dec 1999                Administration of Navassa is transferred from the Department of the
                             Interior Office of Insular Affairs to the Fish and Wildlife
                             Service.

Territorial Dispute: Haiti's 1987 constitution maintains its claim to the island, which is considered part of the department of Grand'Anse; the dispute dates to 1857, when the U.S. claimed the Navassa Island under the 1856 Guano Act; Haiti claims it has had ownership over Navassa Island continuously since its 1801 constitution laid claim to "adjacent lands"; the dispute has prevented the definitive delimitation of the maritime zones between the U.S. and Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti.

 7 Nov 1802                Captain Cornelius Sowle (b. 1769 - d. 1818) of the USS Palmyra
                             discovers the atoll, which gets named for the ship.
15 Sep 1840                Sighted by U.K. Capt. James Scott (b. 1790 - d. 1872) aboard the HMS
                             Samarang.
20 Oct 1859                Gerrit P. Judd (b. 1803 - d. 1873), landed from the Josephine, takes
                             possession of Palmyra for the United States as an agent of the
                             American Guano Company. However, due to local environmental
                             conditions, the availability of commercial guano is highly unlikely
                             and no claim is ever formally filed nor is there evidence of guano
                             companies ever occupying or operating at Palmyra.
15 Apr 1862                Capt. Zenas Bent (b. 1815 - d. 1867) claims the atoll for the
                             Kingdom of Hawaii in accordance with a royal commission issued to
                             him by King Kamehameha IV. On 18 Jun 18 Hawaii issues a
                             proclamation announcing the annexation.
24 Dec 1862                Capt. Zenas Bent (s.a.) sold his rights to Kalama Wilkinson
14-27 Dec 1873             The atoll is surveyed by surgeon William H. Jones of the USS
                             Portsmouth, Commander Joseph S. Skerrett (b. 1833 - d. 1897), who
                             creates the first standard chart of the area. They encounter an
                             American businessman, Clayton L. Strawn, who is living on the
                             island curing copra.
1885                       Rights to Palmyra are sold to the Pacific Navigation Company, which
                             pays taxes to Hawaii for Palmyra from 1885 to 1888. During that
                             time, the company contracts a man named Dillon and his wife to live
                             on the island for a year to plant coconuts, cut firewood, and seek
                             commercial endeavors for fish and shells.
17 Apr 1888                The 30 passengers and crew members from the Henry James, wrecked on
                             Kingman Reef, arrive at Palmyra. Although they find the islands
                             uninhabited, they observe several huts and firewood that is cut and
                             piled. With few provisions left by 21 Apr, it is decided that the
                             mate, boatswain, and several seamen will head to Samoa in one of
                             the boats. They arrive in Apia after 19 days and charter the
                             schooner Vindex to pick up the stranded party. Meanwhile, aboard
                             the steamship Mariposa, Capt. H.M. Hayward learned of the wreck
                             from Lt. Cressap, of the USS Mohican in Apia. Capt. Hayward rescues
                             the party on 29 May, and everyone makes it to Honolulu in good
                             health. Capt. Ralph Lattimore reports that during their six weeks
                             on Palmyra, all hands procured fresh water and subsisted on
                             coconuts, fish, eels, birds, land-crabs, and pepper-grass.
28 May 1889                Commander Nichols, of HMS Cormorant, annexes Palmyra for Great
                             Britain during its plans to construct a trans-Pacific cable.
16 Jul 1897                The Hawaiian Star publishes a report from Captain Rosehill, of the
                             schooner Norma, regarding British claims to the atoll. He reports
                             that during his brief landing on the island, he found a weathered
                             flagpole with a proclamation declaring the islands under possession
                             of Great Britain, along with scattered remnants of clothing and
                             items marked "HMS Penguin." Following this report, Palmyra owners
                             follow up to successfully dispute British claim through rights
                             secured from the Pacific Navigation Company and the Hawaiian
                             government via the 1862 annexation.
12 Aug 1898                Palmyra annexed to the U.S., along with the overall annexation of
                             the Hawaiian Islands.
16 Dec 1898                President William McKinley's message to Congress especially mentions
                             Palmyra among the Hawaiian Islands that have been annexed by the
                             United States.
12 Jun 1911                The Pacific Navigation Company's rights are conveyed to Judge Henry
                             E. Cooper (b. 1857 - d. 1929) of Hono­lulu. He sells all but two
                             islets to Leslie and Ellen Ful­lard-Leo on 19 Aug 1922 for $15,000
                             who establish the Palmyra Copra Company. When Cooper dies 14 May
                             1929 his two islets (Home Islands) are passed to his heirs.
21 Feb 1912                Knowing that Great Britain has lingering interests in Palmyra, the
                             U.S. takes formal possession of the atoll through Admiral William
                             Henry Hudson Southerland (b. 1852 - d. 1933) of the USS West
                             Virginia. Four months later, the attorney general of Hawaii having
                             disclaimed any territorial interest in the land, the Land Court of
                             Hawaii confirms Cooper's title as owner of Palmyra.
Jul 1913                   Cooper, Joseph F. Rock, and Dr. C.M. Cooke, Jr., travel to Palmyra
                             aboard the Luka and survey the atoll. Along with his comprehensive
                             botanical surveys and many photographs, Rock provides detailed
                             descriptions of Palmyra Island as well as Bird, Eastern, Home,
                             Holei, and Cooper islets. Among his observations are references to
                             Japanese inhabitants: "On Home Islet were signs of previous
                             habitation. We found a wooden shack, covered with corrugated iron,
                             full of wood and boxes with Japanese characters written on them..."
1920 - 1921                The island is leased to Col. William Meng, his wife Idell Meng, and
                             Edwin Benner, Jr., who live on Palmyra to investigate commercial
                             copra production and fishing possibilities. At that time there are
                             about 25,000 bearing coconut trees on the atoll.
19 Sep 1921                As part of a national push to better document the coastal and
                             outlying areas owned by the United States, a small naval detachment
                             under Lt. Cmdr. Kirkpatrick of the USS Eagle conducts the first
                             aerial surveys of Palmyra.
19 Aug 1922                Cooper sells parts of the atoll for $15,000 to Leslie and Ellen
                             Fullard-Leo, who establish the Palmyra Copra Company. Over the next
                             few years, the Fullard-Leos acquire all of the atoll, except for
                             the two islets retained by Cooper's heirs (after Cooper's death in
                             1929).
29 Dec 1934                Placed under the administration of the U.S. Navy Department.
1938                       The Navy begins to seek to lease Palmyra from the Fullard-Leos, but
                             negotiations are suspended when the attorney general in 1939
                             concludes that Palmyra is U.S. public land and that the Fullard-Leo
                             claim is invalid. Congress then authorizes the construction of
                             naval aviation facilities on Palmyra. The Navy subsequently
                             occupies Palmyra and builds a runway and several buildings
                             (Palmyra Atoll Airfield).
Nov 1939 - 1945            Major shoreline changes occur when military construction creates a
                             dredged channel into the lagoon, enlarges several islands, joins
                             most islands around the lagoon system into a continuous roadway,
                             constructs a causeway separating two lagoons, and creates several
                             new islands. Overall, land area approximately doubles and land
                             volume approximately trebles during this period. A total of 52
                             islands is made into 25. The U.S. Navy has 6,000 men on the island
                             during World War II.
14 Feb 1941                Palmyra is included in the naval defensive area established to
                             protect Hawaii as Palmyra Island Naval Defensive Sea Area and the
                             Palmyra Island Naval Airspace Reservation.
15 Aug 1941 - 15 Feb 1947  Palmyra Island Naval Air Station (transferred to the Coast Guard on
                             16 Jan 1946).
24 Dec 1941                A Japanese submarine attack causes only minor damage.
12 May 1947                After a protracted legal battle, the Supreme Court rules 5-4 that
                             property rights to Palmyra belong to Leslie Fullard-Leo and his
                             family, and the U.S. government cannot own it, although Palmyra is
                             under U.S. jurisdiction. The Fullard-Leos wanted to colonize it as
                             a place of "peace and graceful living." (Australian-born Leslie
                             Fullard-Leo dies in Honolulu, aged 83, on 20 Feb 1950).
15 Jun 1950                Congress enacts a law making Palmyra Atoll, along with several other
                             insular areas, subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District
                             Court in Honolulu for purposes of any criminal or civil cases that
                             might arise there.
21 Aug 1959                The Hawaii Statehood Act specifically excludes Palmyra Atoll from the
                             State of Hawaii. Palmyra is an incorporated territory.
12 Jul 1960                Section 48 of the Hawaii Omnibus Act permits the president to vest
                             authority for the civil administration of Palmyra in such person
                             as he may choose and makes Palmyra Atoll subject to the
                             jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the District
                             of Hawaii.
10 Oct 1961                Executive Order restated that the Secretary of the Interior was
                             vested with the civil administration of Palmyra.
1962                       A Californian firm tries to promote Palmyra as a resort and tourist
                             area, but it does not occur.
1974                       The atoll becomes briefly famous when a yachting couple is murdered
                             there, lawyer and author Vincent Bugliosi (b. 1934 - d. 2015)
                             publishes "And the Sea Will Tell", and a television movie is made.
21 Aug 1979                The family owners of Palmyra say that the island is not for sale at
                             "any price" as a nuclear waste dump. Reports from Washington, D.C.,
                             indicated that the government wanted to use Palmyra as a dumping
                             ground for nuclear wastes. The U.S. government reportedly had set
                             $20 million as a "fair price." "We do not feel we are being
                             unpatriotic or un-American," says Ainsley Fullard-Leo, who along
                             with his two brothers owns the island. "We think Palmyra is the
                             wrong place for storing nuclear wastes, and we don't want to have
                             it used for this purpose." Administration officials confirmed that
                             a nuclear survey team had secretly visited Palmyra earlier in 1979
                             and concluded that it would be an excellent storage site for
                             nuclear waste, particularly the spent rods from Asian atomic
                             reactors. Fullard-Leo says his family would publicly oppose the
                             government if it attempted to condemn Palmyra and through the
                             courts force his family to sell.
mid 1996                    It is announced that the owners (the Fullard-Leo family in Hawaii)
                             are to sell the atoll to a U.S. company, which, it is believed,
                             plans to establish a nuclear waste storage facility in the
                             territory. The government of neighboring Kiribati expresses alarm
                             at the proposal, and reiterates its intention to seek the re-
                             inclusion of the atoll within its own national boundaries. However,
                             in Jun 1996 one of Hawaiian representatives to the U.S. Congress
                             proposes legislation to prevent the establishment of such a
                             facility, and a U.S. government official subsequently announces
                             that the atoll will almost certainly not be used for that purpose.
 4 May 2000                The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a private conservation group,
                             announces plans to purchase and preserve Palmyra Atoll. TNC says
                             it will create a nature preserve on the atoll, which is home to
                             the rare coconut crab and a large population of red-footed booby
                             birds, and is one of the few nesting habitats for migratory birds
                             within the surrounding 1.2-million-sq-km area. TNC will purchase
                             the atoll from the Fullard-Leo family at a price not disclosed,
                             but reportedly far less than the $47 million the family originally
                             sought. The purchase occurs in Dec 2000.
18 Jan 2001                The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12-nautical-mile U.S.
                             territorial seas, which have been transferred to the U.S. Fish and
                             Wildlife Service, are designated a National Wildlife Refuge. This
                             is extended later this year by the purchase of about 2.75 sq km of
                             emergent land from TNC by the Fish and Wildlife Service (Palmyra
                             Atoll National Wildlife Refuge).
Mar 2003                   The Nature Conservancy conveyed 416 acres (1.68 km sq) of the
                             emergent land of Palmyra to the U.S. to be included in the refuge.
                             It subsequently adds 28 more acres to the conveyance in 2005.
Nov 2005                   An international team of scientists joins with TNC to establish a
                             scientific research station at Palmyra with accommodations for up
                             to 20 researchers.
 6 Jan 2009                Part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (83,000
                             square miles [210,000 km sq], expanded 25 Sep 2014 to 490,343
                             square miles [1,269,980 km sq]).
 6 Sep 2013                Kiribati and the U.S. sign a maritime boundary treaty formalizing
                             the boundary between Palmyra and Kiribati's Line and Phoenix
                             Islands (entered into force 19 Jul 2019).
 2 Jan 2025                The Monument is renamed Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National
                             Monument.
17 Apr 2025                President Donald Trump by Executive Order 10918 reduced the protected
                             status from areas of the national monument restoring commercial
                             fishing access from 50 to 200 nautical miles.

U.S. Island Commanders
Nov 1939 - 1941            ....
1941 - af.Jul 1942         Gordon Rowe                        (b. 1890 - d. 19..)
Dec 1941 - May 1942        Bertram "Bert" Allison Bone        (b. 1893 - d. 1961)
                             (commander Marine 1st Defense Battalion)
Jul 1942 -  1? Feb 1943    J.R. Dudley
bf.1May 1943 - Nov 1943    R.N. Hunter
Nov 1943 - 1944?           Bert Haddow Creighton              (b. 1897 - d. 1975)
Sep 1944 - Sep? 1945       Walter M. Hanson
Sep? 1945 - 15 Feb 1947    ....

1529                       Serranilla Bank first shown in the map of the Americas prepared by.
                             Spanish royal cartographer Diogo Ribeiro as Placer de la
                             Serranilla (Shoal of the Serranilla).
20 Nov 1803                Spanish royal decree resolved that the Archipelago of San Andrés,
                             be separated from the Captaincy General of Guatemala and placed
                             under the jurisdiction of the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada.
May/Jun 1820               French pirate Capt. Louis-Michel Aury (b. 1788 - d. 1821) and
                             his crew shipwrecked on the bank, subsequent to their rescue
                             and return to a base on Old Providence Island, 
23 Jun 1822                The San Andrés y Providencia archipelago was declared the sixth
                             district of the Province of Cartagena (it became the Intendencia
                             de San Andrés y Providencia on 26 Oct 1912, renamed Departamento
                             de San Andrés y Providencia on 4 Jul 1991) of New Granada
                             (Colombia), which expressly included all islands.
 8 Sep 1879                Claimed by the U.S under the provisions of the Guano Islands Act.
30 Sep 1880                United States officially finalized its claim over Serranilla Bank
                             under the provisions of the Guano Islands Act.
25 Feb 1919                By a proclamation of 25 Feb 1919 the President of United States made
                             known "that Quita Sueño Banks are the sole and exclusive
                             jurisdiction of the United States and out of the jurisdiction of
                             any other Government."
10 Apr 1928                By an exchange of notes the United States and Colombia agreed that
                             "... the status quo in respect to the matter shall be maintained
                             and the Government of Colombia will refrain from objecting to the
                             maintenance by the United States of the services which it has
                             established or may establish for aids to navigation and the
                             Government of the United States will refrain from objecting to
                             the utilization by Colombian nationals of the waters appurtenant
                             to the Islands for the purpose of fishing."
 6 Mar 1930                Barcenas-Esguerra Treaty, signed in Managua on 24 Mar 1928, is
                             ratified. By that treaty, Nicaragua abandoned territorial claims
                             to the San Andrés archipelago vis-à-vis Colombia, albeit in ex-
                             change for the recognition of Nicaraguan sovereignty over the
                             Mosquito Coast and two adjacent islands, Great and Little Corn
                             Island, previously claimed by Colombia.
 8 Sep 1972                Serranilla Bank specifically not mentioned by U.S. in list of guano
                             islands renounced to Colombia (treaty ratified 31 Jul 1981).
 4 Feb 1980                The Sandinista government revived Nicaragua’s territorial claims by
                             unilaterally declaring the Barcenas-Esguerra Treaty null and void.
 6 Aug 1982 -  2 Aug 1986  Colombia maintained a formal agreement with Jamaica, which granted
                             regulated fishing rights to Jamaican vessels within the
                             territorial waters of Serranilla Bank.
20 Dec 1999                Maritime Delimitation Treaty (of 2 Aug 1986) between Honduras and
                             Colombia ratified. Honduras recognizes Colombia's sovereignty over
                             Serranilla Bank and nearby Bajo Nuevo.
19 Nov 2012                The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Colombia had
                             sovereignty over both Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla Banks.
10 Feb 2014                Nicaragua formally accepted the ICJ's 2012 ruling of Colombian
                             sovereignty by a constitutional amendment.

Territorial Disputes: Colombia, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and the U.S. assert various claims to Serranilla Bank; Colombia considers Serranilla Bank a part of the Providence Archipelago in the intendancy of San Andres y Providencia; Nicaragua disputed Honduras's legal right to hand over these areas before the ICJ; Nicaragua filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Colombia in 2013 over the delimitation of the Continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical miles from the Nicaraguan coast, as well as over the alleged violation by Colombia of Nicaraguan maritime space in the Caribbean Sea, which contains rich oil and fish resources.