Indispensable Reefs
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The Indispensable Reefs are a chain of three large coral atolls in the Coral Sea, located about 50 km south of Rennell Island. They belong administratively to the Rennell and Bellona Province of Solomon Islands and are locally called 'Goto'akau'. The chain stretches over 114 km with an average width of 18 km, and the atolls are steep-to, each enclosing a large deep lagoon.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Coral Sea, about 50 km (31.1 mi) south of Rennell Island
- Administrative region
- Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands
- Local name
- Goto'akau
- Chain length
- 114 km / 70.8 mi
- Average width
- 18 km / 11.2 mi
- Number of atolls
- 3
- Atoll names
- North Reef
- Middle Reef
- South Reef
Facts from the source article.
Background
The Indispensable Reefs consist of three atolls aligned in a NW-SE direction: North Reef, Middle Reef, and South Reef. North Reef is 18 km long and up to 7 km wide, with two narrow openings in the north and northwest, and has no islets. Middle Reef is 51 km long and contains Little Nottingham Islet near its center, along with a separate smaller northern lagoon. South Reef is 21 km long and up to 8 km wide, enclosing a lagoon 18 to 35 meters deep.
Historically, the ship Neptune struck Indispensable Reef on 3 August 1868 and was lost, with the crew rescued by the SS Boomerang. During the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7 May 1942, two Japanese carrier attack planes B5N2 (EI-306 and probably EI-302) from the carrier Shokaku ditched on the reef due to lack of fuel.
In 1983, the Solomon Islands Government apprehended a vessel from Taiwan that had been poaching giant clam stocks around the reef. Corals and endangered fish species are also being plundered for the aquarium trade.
More in Coral Reefs
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Indispensable Reefs (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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