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| Location Lat 16° 44′ 13″ N, 169° 31′ 26″ W Johnston Atoll is located in the northern Pacific Ocean. Johnston Atoll consists of Johnson Island, Sand Island (Sand Islet), North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina). More recently, two artificial islands were created by coral dredging. Johnston Atoll is roughly a third of the way between Hawaii and the Marshall Islands. Today it is an United States Minor Outlying Islands (Unincorporated Unorganized Territory) of the United States of America. History On September 2, 1796 the island was first discovered by an American ship Sally that ran aground on a nearby shoal but did not name or lay claim to the island. On December 14, 1807 visited by HMS Cornwallis under the command of Captain Charles J. Johnston who named it Johnston Island. On March 19, 1858 visited by American schooner Palestine chartered by William Parker and R. F. Ryan to collect guano and claimed the island for the United States. During June 1858 visited by Hawaiian sailboat Kalama that claimed the island for the Kingdom of Hawaii and renamed it Kalama and the smaller Sand Island to the northeast Cornwallis Island. On July 22, 1858 schooner Palestine returned and again claimed it for the United States and left two crew on the island to gather phosphate. Regardless, the island also remained under claim by the Kingdom of Hawaii. By 1890 the guano deposits were removed. During 1892 HMS Champion surveyed the island as a potential telegraph cable station but instead chose to use Fanning Island (Tabuaeran). In 1898 the United States took possession administered by the U.S. Territorial government. On September 11, 1909 the island was leased to Mr. Max Schlemmen for agricultural development but was never developed. On August 9, 1918 leased to a Japanese fishing company based in Honolulu that built a wooden shed on the southeast of the island and constructed a tram line to transport guano but the project was soon abandoned. During July 1923 Johnston Atoll was the focus of the "Tanager Expedition" with USS Whippoorwill (AM-35) conducting an initial survey and used a Douglas DT-2 floatplane for an aerial photographic survey. Next, joined by USS Tanager (AM-5) that made biological survey of animals and marine life. On June 29, 1926 U.S. President Calvin Coolidge established the Johnston Island Reservation as a bird refuge managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1940, renamed Johnston Island National Wildlife Refuge. On December 29, 1934 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6935 and placed Johnston Atoll under U.S. Navy (USN) control and jurisdiction under the 14th Naval District at Pearl Harbor to establish an airfield with the wildlife managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior. In 1935, U.S. Navy Patrol Wing Two (PatWing 2) prepared Johnston Atoll for use by seaplanes. In 1936, the U.S. Navy began to enlarge Johnston Island and blasted coral to create a seaplane landing area that measured 3,600' allowing six seaplanes from Hawaii to arrive in November 1935. In November 1939 civilian contractors were hired to develop Sand Island to support one squadron and a seaplane tender and dredged a portion of the lagoon to 8' deep and expanded the island with a parking area with a 2,000' causeway from Johnston Island to Sand Island plus three seaplane landing areas: 11,000' x 1,000' and two cross landings 7,000' x 800'. Wartime History On February 14, 1941 U.S. President F. D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8682 to create Naval defense areas in the central Pacific and established the Johnston Island Naval Defensive Sea Area and the Johnston Island Naval Airspace Reservation. Only U.S. Navy authorized vessels were allowed in the vicinity. During September 1941, construction began on Johnson Airfield on Johnston Island that was completed by the start of the Pacific War. During December 1943, the U.S. Navy 99th Naval Construction Battalion (NCB) lengthened the runway and expanded the island. During the Pacific War, Johnston Atoll was further developed and expanded and used by U.S. Navy submarines and Johnson Airfield was part of the ferry route across the Pacific. Postwar During 1948, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) assumed control of Johnston Atoll. On April 22, 1958 until August 19, 1958 assigned to the U.S. Navy Joint Task Force 7 for Operation Hardtack nuclear test. Between 1963 to 1970 controlled by the U.S. Navy Joint Task force 8 and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). In 1970 returned to USAF control. During July 1973, Johnston Atoll was managed by the Defense Special Weapons Agency by the Secretary of Defense. In 1999, host-management responsibility transferred from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) then back to the U.S. Air Force until 2004. Johnston Island Largest island with Johnson Airfield. Johnston Island Seaplane Base Seaplane operating area off Sand Island and Johnson Island. Japanese missions against Johnston December 15, 1941–June 1942 Contribute
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