The Maloelap Atoll (
Marshallese: , ) (also spelled Maleolap) is a
coral atoll
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class (biology), class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important C ...
of 71 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the
Ratak Chain
The Ratak Chain ( Marshallese: , ) is a chain of islands within the island nation of the Marshall Islands. Ratak means "sunrise". It lies to the east of the country's other island chain, the Ralik Chain. In 1999 the total population of the Rata ...
of the
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...
. Its land area is only , but that encloses a lagoon of . It is located north of the atoll of
Aur AUR, or aur, may refer to:
* Acute urinary retention
* African Union of Railways
* Alliance for Romanian Unity
* Alliance for the Union of Romanians
* American University of Rome
* Arch User Repository
* Aur Atoll, Marshall Islands
* Auriga const ...
. In 2011 the population of the islands of the atoll was 682.
The largest of the islands that make up the atoll are
Taroa
Taroa is an island in the east of Maloelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. During World War II, it was the site of a major Japanese airfield (Taroa Airfield). The airfield was destroyed towards the end of World War II, and wreckage and remnants of ...
(the administrative center of the atoll), in the northeast, and
Kaben Kaven (also Kaben) is a small island in the Maloelap Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Situated at the northwesternmost tip of the atoll, it is the largest island and one of the few inhabited ones on the atoll. Together with a few othe ...
in the northwest. Only three of the other islands in the atoll are inhabited: Airuk, Wolot and Jang. The island is served by
Air Marshall Islands
Air Marshall Islands is an airline based in Majuro, Marshall Islands. It is the flag carrier of the Marshall Islands, operating inter-island services in the Central Pacific. Its main base is Marshall Islands International Airport, Majuro.
Hi ...
via
Maloelap Airport
Maloelap Airport is a public use airport located on Taroa Island in Maloelap Atoll, Marshall Islands. This airport is assigned the location identifier 3N1 by the FAA and MAV by the IATA.
Facilities
Maloelap Airport is at an elevation of 4 feet ...
.
History
Maloelap Atoll was claimed by the
Empire of Germany
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884, and the Germans established a trading outpost. After World War I, the island came under the
South Seas Mandate
The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the "South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following Wo ...
of the
Empire of Japan
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...
.
In 1939, the Japanese built a seaplane base and landplane
Taroa Airfield
Taroa Airfield was a major air base approximately three miles long and one mile wide on Taroa Island in the Maloelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The runway, which spanned the length of the island, is still in use today and known as Maloelap Air ...
with two runways (4800' + 4100') and support buildings and facilities, including a
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
station. During World War II the Japanese garrison of 2,940 navy men and 389 army men was commanded by Rear Admiral Shoichi Kamada.
The perimeter of the island was heavily fortified with 12 heavy coastal artillery and 10 heavy anti-aircraft guns.
[ The island was attacked by the ]United States 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 ...
beginning in February 1942 starting with carrier-based aircraft and shelling by warships. The attacks grew in frequency and severity after Majuro
Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The ato ...
and Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...
had fallen to the Americans. Of the 3097-man Japanese garrison (1772 Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
, 368 Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
, and 957 civilians) only 1041 (34%) survived the war. Several Marshallese were also killed. A large number of war relics, including plane wrecks, mainly Mitsubishi A6M
The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was ...
Zero fighters and Mitsubishi G4M
The Mitsubishi G4M was a twin-engine, land-based medium bomber formerly manufactured by the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. Its official designati ...
Betty bombers remain scattered about.
Following the end of World War II, the island came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994.
History
Spain initially claimed the islands that later composed the territory of the Trus ...
until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986. Maloelap Atoll was the first to ratify the Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...
' constitution.
Education
Marshall Islands Public School System
Republic of Marshall Islands Public School System (PSS) is the public school system of the Marshall Islands, headquartered in Majuro. It was established in November 2013 by Public Law 2013-23.
It is a part of the Ministry of Education, Sports and ...
operates public schools:
* Aerok Elementary School
* Jang Elementary School
* Kaben Elementary School
* Ollet Elementary School
* Tarawa Elementary School
Northern Islands High School
Northern Islands High School (NIHS) is a secondary school in Wotje, Marshall Islands. It is a part of the Marshall Islands Public School System.
The school serves the following atolls and islands in the north of the country: Wotje, Ailuk, Aur, ...
on Wotje
Wotje Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 75 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands.
Geography
Wotje's land area of is one of the largest in the Marshall Islands, and en ...
serves the community.[Annual Report 2011-2012]
" Ministry of Education (Marshall Islands)
Ministry of Education, or the MOE, is a government branch in the Marshall Islands that controls and takes care of education, as well as all public schools in the Marshall Islands. The Minister of the MOE is one of the senators of the Marshall Is ...
. Retrieved on February 22, 2018. p. 54 (PDF p. 55/118). "Northern Islands High School takes students from the Ratak Ean zone including schools in Aur, Maloelap, Wotje, Ailuk, Utrik, Likiep and Mejit."
Notes
References
Marshall Islands site
*
Pacific Wrecks
*
{{authority control
Atolls of the Marshall Islands
Ratak Chain