OVT was completed in March 1993, having demonstrated that the reverse assembly incineration technology was effective and that JACADS operations met all environmental parameters. As the only shallow water and dry land area in 450,000 square miles of ocean, Johnston Atoll is an oasis for reef and bird life. Johnston was transferred to U.S. Air Force jurisdiction in 1948 and was associated with U.S. nuclear weapons tests until 1962. In 1858 it was claimed by Hawaii, and it later became a U.S. possession. Built to incinerate chemical munitions on the island, planning started in 1981, construction began in 1985, and was completed five years later. JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. All 12 survived and one wrote a first hand account of taking shelter from the storm in the JOC building. The islands were wired with 13 outgoing and 10 incoming commercial telephone lines, a 60-channel submarine cable, 22 DSN circuits by satellite, an Autodin with standard remote terminal, a digital telephone switch, the Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), a UHF/VHF air-ground radio, and a link to the Pacific Consolidated Telecommunications Network (PCTN) satellite. Johnston Atoll (ROV/Mapping) - EX1706. One of the easiest ways that anyone can support bird habitat conservation is by buying duck stamps. The United States Army leased 41 acres (17ha) on the Atoll to store chemical weapons held in Okinawa, Japan. [30] Several seaplanes made flights from Hawaii to Johnston, such as that of a squadron of six aircraft in November, 1935. LORAN whip antennas on Johnston and Sand Islands were removed, and the 625-foot LORAN tower and antenna were demolished on December 3, 1992. Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most isolated atolls in the world. [44], Satellite and Missile Observation System Project (SAMOS-E) or "E-6" was a relatively short-lived series of United States visual reconnaissance satellites in the early 1960s. Johnston Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. In 1958, Johnston Atoll was the location of the two "Hardtack I" nuclear tests firings. The USCG was granted permission to install a LORAN A and C station on Sand Island to be staffed by U.S. Coast Guard personnel through June 30, 1992. N. and the shoal will not be seen. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In lat. The base had six 2.5-megawatt electrical generators using diesel engines. [66], On December 9, 2007, the United States Coast Guard swept the runway at Johnston Island of debris and used the runway in the removal and rescue of an ill Taiwanese fisherman to Oahu, Hawaii. A facility for incinerating U.S. chemical weapons stockpiles operated on Johnston Island from the early 1990s to 2000, after which all facilities on the atoll were dismantled and all military personnel (the islands only inhabitants) removed. Omissions? Official reports of Generals Johnston and Beauregard of the battle of Manassas, July 21st, 1861. Johnston Atoll, unincorporated territory of the United States in the central Pacific Ocean, about 825 miles (1,330 km) southwest of Honolulu. Larger spills of nerve and mustard agent within the MCD at JACADS also took place. The formation of the atoll began 70 million years ago through a series of underwater volcanic eruptions. By 1958, the Coast Guard LORAN Station at Johnston Island began transmitting on a 24-hour basis, thus establishing a new LORAN rate in the Central Pacific. U.S. government vehicles were issued U.S. government license plates and private vehicles retained the plates from which they were registered. Three species were described Lepturus repens, Boerhavia diffusa, and Tribulus cistoides. buffalo bayou park stairs; Tags . Part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Johnston Atoll is home to a variety of wildlife, which includes one of the largest known nesting populations of red-tailed tropicbirds, more than 300 species of fish, and a shallow coral reef that encompasses approximately 32,000 acres. [6] Many other cetaceans possibly migrate through the area, but the species being most notably confirmed is Cuvier's beaked whales. McPHEE COMMANDER. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Amateur radio operators occasionally transmitted from the island, using the KH3 call-sign prefix. [21] A public comment period on the proposed draft permit was held from October 31, 2018 to December 19, 2018. Thor; [18] Tents were pitched on the southwest beach of fine white sand, and a rather thorough biological survey was made of the island. By 1947, over 1,300 B-29 and B-24 bombers had passed through the Marianas, Kwajalein, Johnston Island, and Oahu en route to Mather Field and civilian life. Johnston Island and Sand Island were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. At one time over 1,200 military and military contractor personnel lived at the Johnston Atoll. A distinct thermal pulse was felt on bare skin. Fish and Wildlife Service is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, state and territorial governments and others to conserve the ocean and remote islands and atolls in it. The American strategic tests of bioweapons were as expensive and elaborate as the tests of the first hydrogen bombs at Eniwetok Atoll. on those three islands beginning in 1935, but all three islands were evacuated in 1942 as a result of World War II. [33] By 1944, the atoll was one of the busiest air transport terminals in the Pacific. The island was regularly resupplied by ship or barge, and all foodstuffs and manufactured goods were imported. It drives everythingwe dofrom the purposearefuge is established,to the recreational activities offeredthere,to the resource management toolswe use. Mapping plays an important role in conservation. Located716 nautical miles southwest from Honolulu, the formation of theatoll began 70 million yearsago through a series of underwater volcanic eruptions. In February 1941 Johnston Atoll was designated as a Naval Defensive Sea Area and Airspace Reservation. There were no comments on the proposed draft permit. In an effort to continue with the testing program, U.S. troops were sent in to do a rapid cleanup. Three months of repairs, decontamination, and rebuilding the LE1 as well as the backup pad LE2 were necessary before tests could resume. Sand Island had barracks built for 400 men, a mess hall, underground hospital, radio station, water tanks and a 100 feet (30m) steel control tower. [2] By 1964, dredge and fill operations had increased the size of Johnston Island to 596 acres (241ha) from its original 46 acres (19ha), increased the size of Sand Island from 10 to 22 acres (4.0 to 8.9ha), and added the two new islands, North and East, of 25 and 18 acres (10.1 and 7.3ha) respectively.[3]. Located 716 nautical miles southwest from Honolulu, the formation of the atoll began 70 million years ago through a series of underwater volcanic eruptions. The facility and runway on Johnston Island were closed in June 2004 under the Johnston Atoll permit and Johnston Atoll is still under Air Force ownership and control. "Bluegill Prime," the second attempt to launch the payload which failed last time was scheduled for 23:15 (local) on July 25, 1962. By September 1941, construction of an airfield on Johnston Island commenced. Tour routes of great scenic drives on National Wildlife Refuges. These shipments followed a 1986 agreement between the U.S. and West Germany to move the munitions. Check alerts and local conditions on this website and call ahead for current information. The four islands compose a total land area of 2.67 square kilometers (1.03 square miles). A refuge for seabirds, Johnston is home to fourteen various species, including one of the largestred-tailed tropicbird colonies in the world. [59] The remainder of the chemical weapons was a small number of World War II era weapons shipped from the Solomon Islands. [17] On its July visit, however, the Palestine left two crew members on the island to gather phosphate. 16 52 N. long. [39], The Space Detection and Tracking System or SPADATS[43] was operated by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) along with the U.S. Air Force Spacetrack system, The Navy Space Surveillance System and Canadian Forces Air Defense Command Satellite Tracking Unit. In 1963, the U.S. Senate ratified the Limited Test Ban Treaty, which contained a provision known as "Safeguard C". As the only shallow water and dry land area in 450,000 square miles of ocean, Johnston Atoll is an oasis for reef and bird life. [46] Imaging was performed with film cameras and television surveillance from polar low Earth orbits with film canisters returning via capsule and parachute with mid-air retrieval. Missile launches and nuclear testing halted until the radioactive debris was dumped and soils were recovered and the launch emplacement rebuilt. Hundreds of sea birds, of a dozen kinds, were the principal inhabitants, together with lizards, insects, and hermit crabs. Johnston Atoll is an unincorporated territory of the United States and is one of the oldest and most remote atolls in the world. [22] USAF 18th Surveillance Squadron operated the Baker-Nunn camera at a station built along the causeway on Sand Island until 1975 when a contract to operate the four remaining Air Force stations was awarded to Bendix Field Engineering Corporation. The surrounding waters of the atollare made up of acoralreef the extends approximately 11 miles east-southeast and five miles south of Johnston. Johnston Atoll is #8 Most Wanted DXCC entity globally. Transition to full-scale operations started in May 1993, but the facility did not begin full-scale operations until August 1993. Permanent markers were placed at each corner of the landfill to identify the landfill area. An official website of the United States government. Johnston, the islands remained unclaimed until 1858, when both the United States (under the Guano Act of 1856) and the Kingdom of Hawaii laid claim. [65], Built in 1964, the JOC is a four-floor concrete and steel administration building for the island that has no windows and was built to withstand a category IV tropical cyclone as well as atmospheric nuclear tests. It too was a genuine disaster and caused the most serious plutonium contamination on the island. Test DTC 64-4 (Deseret Test Center) was originally called "RED BEVA" (Biological EVAluation) though the name was later changed to "Shady Grove", likely for operational security reasons. Access to the atoll is via ocean vessel. By 1941 a naval air station had been built, the landing strip taking up almost the full length of Johnston Island. The plane was damaged beyond repair and the crew of 11 was rescued nine hours later by a Navy ship which sank the plane by gunfire. The permit for a LORAN station to operate on Johnston Island was terminated in 1962. Then the ramp was covered and placed into a 25 acres (100,000m2) landfill on the island during 1962 dredging to extend the island. The Agent Orange was eventually destroyed during Operation Pacer HO on the Dutch incineration ship MT Vulcanus in the Summer of 1977. [72], In 2010, a Fish and Wildlife survey team identified a swarm of Anoplolepis ants that had invaded the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. As of 2003, the airfield at Johnston Atoll consisted of an unmaintained closed single 9,000 feet (2,700m) asphalt/concrete runway 5/23, a parallel taxiway, and a large paved ramp along the southeast side of the runway.[34]. The stripped Johnston Island was briefly offered for sale with several deed restrictions in 2005 as a "residence or vacation getaway," with potential usage for "eco-tourism" by the GSA's Office of Real Property Utilization and Disposal. [28], In 1970, operational control was handed back to the Air Force until July 1973, when Defense Special Weapons Agency was given host-management responsibility by the Secretary of Defense. [2], It is a dry atoll with less than 20 inches (510mm) of annual rainfall. When aircraft landed, soldiers surrounded the aircraft and passengers were not allowed to leave the aircraft. [76], Johnston Atoll has never had any indigenous inhabitants, although during the late part of the 20th century, there were averages of about 300 American military personnel and 1,000 civilian contractors present at any given time. [9] The island, with its surrounding marine waters, has been recognised as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for its seabird colonies. In 2004 Johnston Atoll was decommissioned as a military installation, and it was named a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge. [17] The United States Undersea Cable Corporation was awarded contracts to lay underwater cable in the Pacific. Remediation included a plutonium "mining" operation called the Johnston Atoll Plutonium Contaminated Soil Cleanup Project. The launch emplacement and portions of the island were contaminated with radioactive plutonium spread by the explosion, fire and wind-blown smoke. There were no official license plates issued for use on Johnston Atoll. In 1948, the USAF assumed control of the Atoll. It pumped enough radiation into the Van Allen belts to destroy or damage seven satellites in orbit. It launched on a nuclear-armed Nike-Hercules missile and was detonated at a lower altitude than the other tests: "At Johnston Island, there was an intense white flash. [29] In 1999, host-management responsibility transferred from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency once again to the Air Force until the Air Force mission ended in 2004 and the base was closed.[28]. Both tests detonated 3.8-megaton hydrogen bombs launched to high altitudes by rockets from Johnston Atoll. The new rate between Johnston Island and French Frigate Shoals gave a higher order of accuracy for fixing positions in the steamship lanes from Oahu, Hawaii, to Midway Island. "[51], In the lead up to biological warfare testing in the Pacific under Project 112 and Project SHAD, a new virus was discovered during the Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program by teams from the Smithsonian's Division of Birds aboard a United States Army tugboat involved in the program. Because of its remoteness and the important role it plays in wildlife conservation, Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is not open to the public and entry is only allowed through a Special Use Permit when the activity is deemed appropriate with purposes to the refuge establishment. [50], The atoll was subject to large-scale bioweapons testing over four years starting in 1965. Aerial survey and mapping flights over Johnston were conducted with a Douglas DT-2 floatplane carried on her fantail, which was hoisted into the water for takeoff. 190 26 E., having a dangerous reef to the east of them, and the whole not exceeding four miles in extent". The building remains standing but was gutted entirely in 2004, during an asbestos abatement project. Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most isolated atolls in the world. Johnston Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. After placement of the debris inside the bunkers, they were secured and the entries blocked with a concrete block barrier (a.k.a. [30]:160. The USSTanager left Honolulu on July 16 and joined up with the Whippoorwill to complete the survey and then traveled to Wake Island to complete surveys there. Updates? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). On June 29, 1926, by Executive Order 4467, President Calvin Coolidge established Johnston Island Reservation as a federal bird refuge and placed it under the control of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as a "refuge and breeding ground for native birds. A tour of Johnston Atoll, KH3. Sep 7, 2021 | 4. [52] First isolated in 1964 the tick-borne virus was discovered in Ornithodoros capensis ticks, found in a nest of common noddy (Anous stolidus) at Sand Island, Johnston Atoll. The Daegu, Korea site was closed due to encroaching city lights. [30], On May 26, 1942, a United States Navy Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina wrecked at Johnston Atoll. In 1892, HMSChampion made a survey and map of the island, hoping that it might be suitable as a telegraph cable station. Allen named the atoll "Kalama" and the nearby smaller island "Cornwallis."[16][17]. However, on January 6, 2009, under authority of section 2 of the Antiquities Act, the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument was established by President George W. Bush to administer and protect Johnston Island along with six other Pacific islands. 1 (LE-1) as a start for the cleanup program. When Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898, during the SpanishAmerican War, the name of Johnston Island was omitted from the list of Hawaiian Islands. [57], In 2003, structures and facilities, including those used in JACADS, were removed, and the runway was marked closed. Possessions", "Toxic Caviar: Using Fish Embryos to Monitor Contaminant Impacts", "Feds want to bury Johnston Island's radioactive matter", "Unusual Real Estate Listing # 6384-Johnston Island", "Coast Guard Successful on Risky Medevac from Johnston Island", "Biological Volunteers Needed - Johnston Atoll", "Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Volunteer Powerpoint", "Yellow Crazy Ant Eradication, Johnston Atoll Update, May 2011", "U.S. In 1936, the Navy began the first of many changes to enlarge the atoll's land area. From 1990 until 1993, the Army conducted four planned periods of Operational Verification Testing (OVT), required by Public Law 100456. [4], About 300 species of fish have been recorded from the reefs and inshore waters of the atoll. Keep the lat. Chemical weapons from West Germany and World War II era weapons from the Solomon Islands were also stored on the island after 1990. The 5th Battalion departed in January 1943. [2] Today it is uninhabited except for a handful of workers with the Crazy Ant Strike Team project, who live on the island for six months at a time with little outside contact.[1]. The atoll was discovered by Capt. Tour de Johnston Atoll - Full Island Tour 2019. Between 1958 and 1975, many scientific sounding rockets were also launched from Johnston Island. Johnston Atoll is an island located off the southwest coast of Hawaii. Following completion of construction and facility characterization, JACADS began operational verification testing (OVT) in June 1990. 15. The ship's captain, Joseph Pierpont, published his experience in several American newspapers the following year giving an accurate position of Johnston and Sand Island along with part of the reef, but did not name or lay claim to the area. The U.S. Air Force had ten Baker-Nunn camera stations around the world mostly from 1960 to 1977 with a phase-out beginning in 1964. [44], The Baker-Nunn space camera station was constructed on Sand Island and was functioning by 1965. The runway was also available to commercial airlines for emergency landings (a fairly common event), and for many years it was a regular stop on Continental Micronesia airline's "island hopper" service between Hawaii and the Marshall Islands. Returning on July 27, 1858, the captain of the Palestine again hoisted the American flag and tried to acquire the island in the name of the United States. national wildlife refuge The two federal agencies cooperatively manage four marine national monuments in the Seabirds that nest on the isolated islands and atolls of the Pacific evolved without predators. It is closed to public entry, and limited access for management needs is only granted by Letter of Authorization from the United States Air Force and a Special Use Permit from the U.S. See also Unix conspiracy. Published by at November 26, 2020. SAMOS was also known by the unclassified terms Program 101 and Program 201. The Air Force also initiated research on methods to remove dioxin contamination from soil resulting from leakage of the stored herbicide Agent Orange. The climate is tropical but generally dry. Law enforcement issues should be referred to the deputy refuge manager or refuge manager. USNSNeptune surveyed the route and laid 769 nautical miles (1,424km; 885mi) of cable and 45 repeaters. 169, 38 W. from London, on my passage from the Sandwich Islands to China, the 2d. More wreckage along with plutonium contamination was found on nearby Sand Island. A comprehensive radiological survey was completed in 1980 to record transuranic contamination remaining from the 1962 THOR missile aborts. [54] During Project SHAD, Bacillus globigii was used to simulate biological warfare agents (such as anthrax), because it was then considered a contaminant with little health consequence to humans; however, it is now considered a human pathogen. Following V-J Day on August 14, 1945, Johnston Atoll saw the flow of men and aircraft that had been coming from the mainland into the Pacific turn around. southerly round to W.S.W.but how far we were not able to determine. 14. However, partly because of the Vietnam War, in October 1970 the Department of Defense had transferred Program 437 to standby status as an economic measure. Thors were removed from Johnston Atoll and were stored in mothballed war-reserve condition at Vandenberg Air Force Base from 1970 until the anti-satellite mission of Johnston Island facilities was ceased on August 10, 1974, and the program was officially discontinued on April 1, 1975, when any possibility of restoring the ASAT program was finally terminated. The other three islands are Sand Island, a natural islet, and North (Akau) and East (Hikina) Islands, which are manmade. Program 437 used modified Thor missiles that had been returned from deployment in Great Britain and was the second deployed U.S. operational nuclear anti-satellite operation. [2] With elevation ranging from sea level to 5m (16ft) at Summit Peak, the islands contain some low-growing vegetation and palm trees on mostly flat terrain, and no natural fresh water resources. However, the Department of Agriculture had no ships, and the United States Navy was interested in the atoll for strategic reasons, so with Executive Order 6935 on December 29, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt placed the islands under the "control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy for administrative purposes", but subject to use as a refuge and breeding ground for native birds, under the United States Department of the Interior. The Johnston Atoll Chemical Agents Disposal System (JACADS) facility was completed in July 1990. It created a very brief fireball visible over a wide area, plus bright artificial auroras visible in Hawaii for several minutes. This was evidently an elaboration of the system to allow visual verification of the target before destroying it. Afterward, the Johnston Island launch complex was heavily damaged and contaminated with plutonium. Remediation at the Radiation Control Area included the construction of a 61-centimeter-thick cap of coral sealing the landfill. Studies at the atoll on the impact of PCB contamination in reef damselfish (Abudefduf sordidus) demonstrated that embryonic abnormalities could be used as a metric for comparing contaminated and uncontaminated areas. This film shows. Some of the other weapons stored at the site were shipped from U.S. stockpiles in West Germany in 1990. The U.S. [22], The atoll was placed up for auction via the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in 2005 before it was withdrawn. A fourth site was operational in 1985 at Diego Garcia and a proposed fifth site in Portugal was cancelled. Tern Island 863.2 km Nonopapa 1131.0 km Port Allen 1191.9 km Nawiliwili Bay 1215.2 km Ahukini Landing 1219.9 km The Port of Johnston Atoll is a very small port in United States Minor Outlying Islands. [77][78], National nuclear weapon test site 19581963, BakerNunn satellite tracking camera station, Johnston Island Recovery Operations Center, Chemical weapon demilitarization mission 19902000, Board on Army Science and Technology (BAST) building, Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System: Storage and Disposal of the European Munition Stock Pile: Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 2, 1990, pp.86, "DISCOVERY. Prior to the beginning of destruction operations at JACADS, the atoll held about 6.6% of the entire U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons. Reel 1: 1) Photographic and recording equipment. "Starfish", a high altitude Thor launched nuclear test scheduled for June 20, 1962, was the first to contaminate the atoll. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. [28] Over the years, sequential descendant organizations have been the Defense Atomic Support Agency (DASA) from 1959 to 1971, the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) from 1971 to 1996, and the Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA) from 1996 to 1998. Small releases of chemical weapon components from JACADS were cited by the EPA. Selecting the righttoolshelps usensure the survival oflocal plants and animals and helpsfulfill the purposeof the refuge. On July 10, 1961, work was initiated on four buildings of the Johnston Island Recovery Operations Center for the National Reconnaissance Office. The details of the offering were outlined on GSA's website and in a newsletter of the Center for Land Use Interpretation as unusual real estate listing # 6384, Johnston Island. The fisherman was transported to the island, and then picked up by a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules rescue plane from Kodiak, Alaska. The 2000 census counted 315 people on Johnston Atoll and 1 person on Wake There has been no indigenous population, except at the 1940 census. Fish and Wildlife Service, who achieved a 99% reduction in ant numbers by 2013. "Tightrope" was the final test of Operation Fishbowl and detonated on November 3, 1962. Established as a bird refuge in 1926,and managed today as a national wildlife refuge However, the "Starfish", "Bluegill Prime", and "Bluegill Double Prime" test launch failures in 1962 scattered radioactive debris over Johnston Island contaminating it, the lagoon, and Sand Island with plutonium for decades.[27][42]. [17], The Tanager Expedition was a joint expedition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Bishop Museum of Hawaii, which visited the Atoll in 1923. Program 437 turned the PGM-17 Thor into an operational anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon system, a capability that was kept top secret even after it was deployed. [22], After the military mission on the island ended in 2004, the Atoll was administered by the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The warhead high explosive detonated in 1-point safe fashion, destroying the warhead without producing nuclear yield. The runway was complete by December 7, 1941, though in December 1943 the 99th Naval Construction Battalion arrived at the atoll and proceeded to lengthen the runway to 6,000 feet (1,800m). Sighted in 1807 by an English mariner, Captain C.J. [citation needed] On September 11, 1909, Johnston was leased by the Territory of Hawaii to a private citizen for fifteen years. It is also visited by green turtles and Hawaiian monk seals. Buildings on Sand Island were transferred to other activities. It consists of four small islandsJohnston Island, Sand Island, Hikina Island, and Akau Islandwhich lie on a 9-mile-long reef. population consists of temporarily stationed scientific and military personnel. In about 1977, the camera at Sand Island was moved to Daegu, South Korea. [49] Johnston Atoll was accidentally discovered on September 2, 1796 by Captain Joseph Pierpont of the American Brig Sally. Welcome to Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge! [2] The atoll, which is located on a coral reef platform, has four islands. Under a 2017 review of all national monuments extended since 1996, then-Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke recommended to permit fishing outside the 12-mile limit. On July 9, 1962, "Starfish Prime" had a 1.4-megaton explosion, using a W49 warhead at an altitude of about 400 kilometers (250 miles). invasive species During World War II Johnston Atoll was used as a refueling base for submarines, and also as an aircraft refueling stop for American bombers transiting the Pacific Ocean, including the Boeing B-29 Enola Gay. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. [citation needed] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that 1,800,000 gallons of Herbicide Orange were stored at Johnston Atoll and that an additional 480,000 gallons stored at Gulfport, Mississippi, was brought to Johnston Atoll for destruction. The possibility of humpback whales using the waters as a breeding ground has been suggested, albeit in small numbers and with irregular occurrences so far. Wildlife conservation is at the heart of therefuge system. The plutonium-contaminated rubbish was dumped in the lagoon, polluting the surrounding marine environment. It consists of four small islands on a raised coral atoll formation that are partially enclosed on the north and west by a 7.5-mile (12-km) semicircular reef. On July 9, 1962, at 09:00:09 Coordinated Universal Time, which was nine seconds after 10 p.m. on July 8, Johnston Island local time, the Starfish Prime test was successfully detonated at an altitude of 400 kilometres (250 mi). A board shed was built on the southeast side of the larger island, and a small tramline run up onto the slope of the low hill, to facilitate the removal of guano.