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Kure Reef the outernmost of the Hawaii Group in eList Hawaii Directory

Kure is the farest offlaying island in the Hawaiian chain. It is seperated from Hawaii main islands by 2300 km of water. The mostly circular reef has an diameter of about 5 miles and several islands stands on the reef. The three largest islands are Green Island in the south, Sand Island in the mid of the eastern reef, and Core Island in the north. There is a deep and wide opening into the reef on the south west side, and the lagoon is also deep and mostly free of dangers. The major island is Green, composited by sand and coral, rising to an elevation of about 20 ft (6 meters). Green is about 1.5 miles from north-east to south-west and about 0.75 miles wide. There are several houses, abandoned today, and a disused radio base, frequently visited by the Hawaiian Coast-Guard. A 56 m high tower stands in the north-west corner of the island, and these tower is a part of a special astronomical observation station. The second largest island is Sand Island, about 0.9 by 0.5 miles in area, and up to 9 ft high. A tower, 195 m high is situated on the island. A small airport is situated on Green Island, used time-by-time by the coast-guard, and also by the scientific workers on the base. Several wrecks are located in the vicinity to the mostly drying reef. The largest wreck is located in the northwest corner of the reef. It is of a Taiwanese vessel of 10.000 tonnes, running on the reef in 1980. Kure Atoll was discovered in 1827 by Stanikowitch captain of the Russian vessel Moller, and named. Between 1876 and 1936 the Australian Copra & Guano Ltd mined guano from the islands. During WW II several military bases were built on the islands, and later on a Loran C station with two 158 m high masts, operated, till 1989, when the station was abandoned. Till today the island is owned by the US Navy. There is a scientific station on Sand Island, used by the University of California, but no permanent population. Landing is only possible by a special permit, while most of the islands are a bird sanctuary. The Kure Atoll is today completely closed for public, in order they became one of the major bases for the extremely rare Hawaii Monk Seal (monachus schauinslandi), a kind of seals living only on some of the outlaying Hawaiian Islands.

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