Fayu Atoll (also called East Fayu) is an uninhabited

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

in the state of Chuuk,

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise a ...

. It is located 36 km to the west of

Nomwin Atoll Nomwin is a large atoll, part of the Hall Islands, as well as a village and municipality (together with uninhabited East Fayu) in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. It is located 9 km to the SW of Murilo Atoll and 82 ...

and 104 km north of

Chuuk Lagoon Chuuk Lagoon, previously Truk Atoll, is an atoll in the central Pacific. It lies about northeast of New Guinea, and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). A protective reef, around, encloses a natural harbou ...

. In order to distinguish this atoll from

West Fayu Piagailoe Atoll is an uninhabited atoll in the State of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, geographically part of the Caroline Islands. It is located 71 kilometers northeast of Lamotrek, 71 kilometers northwest of Satawal and 945 kilomete ...

(also called Piagailoe Atoll) in

Yap State Yap State, also known in the Yapese language as Nam nu Wa'ab (lit. "Island of Yap") or simply as Wa'ab, is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are Kosrae State, Pohnpei State, and Chuuk State. C ...

, located about 500 km to the west, this atoll is also known as East Fayu. The atoll is roughly 2.7 km long and 1.4 km wide in its widest place. It has a surface of 2,5 km². The atoll is composed of a reef shelf with a very shallow

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

on it. There are two islands in the middle of the lagoon, located closely together, with a total surface of about 40 ha. Although presently uninhabited, the atoll had a population of 50 inhabitants in 1860. The presence of fresh water in this atoll was the subject of a

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...

n legend, "The Sweet Waters of East Fayu". Although geographically not part of the

Hall Islands The Hall Islands are a group of two large atolls in the northern part of the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. In the broader sense, a third and smaller atoll is included. Nomwin, the western atoll, and Murilo, the eastern one, a ...

, administratively Fayu belongs to Nomwin municipality, of the northwestern region ( Oksoritod) of Chuuk State., On 26 August 2016, two people were rescued from the island after a

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

helicopter spotted their

SOS is a Morse code distress signal (), used internationally, that was originally established for maritime use. In formal notation is written with an overscore line, to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" ...

sign drawn into sand on East Fayu Island, and alerted the

US Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...

. Linus and Sabina Jack, both in their 50s, who were reported missing a week earlier when they failed to reach a nearby island. The couple had left Weno Island with limited supplies and no emergency equipment. The Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft crew spotted the boaters on the beach near their makeshift sign on Friday. A search and rescue team was called in by the Coast Guard and the survivors were rescued and transferred by patrol boat to Nomwin Atoll.

References

External links

Reptiles of the Hall Islands, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia
Atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia Islands of Yap {{Micronesia-geo-stub