155-853: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center ( PTWC ), located on Ford Island , Hawaii , is one of two tsunami warning centers in the United States, covering Hawaii, Guam , American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific, as well as Puerto Rico , the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea. Other parts of the United States are covered by the National Tsunami Warning Center . PTWC
310-412: A U.S. state or Washington, D.C. can vote in presidential elections. Puerto Rico has eight senatorial districts , 40 representative districts , and 78 municipalities ; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the U.S. government. Municipalities are subdivided into wards or barrios , and those into sectors. Each municipality has a mayor and a municipal legislature elected for
465-490: A nonvoting representative to the U.S. Congress , called a Resident Commissioner , and participates in presidential primaries ; as it is not a state, Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the U.S. Congress , which oversees it under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950 . Congress approved a territorial constitution in 1952, allowing residents of the archipelago to elect a governor in addition to
620-628: A senate and house of representatives . The political status of Puerto Rico is an ongoing debate . Beginning in the mid-20th century, the U.S. government , together with the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company , launched a series of economic projects to develop Puerto Rico into an industrial high-income economy. It is classified by the International Monetary Fund as a developed jurisdiction with an advanced, high-income economy ; it ranks 40th on
775-436: A binding referendum. The bill does not decide PR's fate, it simply prepares the United States to respond the outcome of referendum. In the 5 November 2024 elections, there was three choices in a non-binding referendum which included Statehood, Independence, or Independence with Free Association on the ballot; Statehood won with 59%. In addition, on November 5, 2024, Jennifer Gonzalez won the office of Governor of Puerto Rico in
930-408: A courtship game. Those selected for ʻume (never virgins or the unmarried) would sing around a large bonfire while a tribal leader with a maile (wand) chanted, touching individual men and women. Those who were touched would find a secluded part of the island to have sex. Husbands and wives were not paired, and jealousy was discouraged. Children born of these unions were considered children of
1085-771: A few weeks and three others within a year, but Oklahoma and Arizona were total losses. The weakened state of the US Pacific Fleet would allow the Japanese Navy to hold the initiative until the Guadalcanal Campaign eight months later. Enterprise launched aircraft to patrol Ford Island and search for Japanese carriers. Five American pilots returning from missions to hunt down the Japanese fleet were mistakenly shot down by Ford Island anti-aircraft gunners while attempting to land. The island's commanding officer said about
1240-467: A four-year term. The municipality of San Juan is the oldest, founded in 1521; the next earliest settlements are San Germán in 1570, Coamo in 1579, Arecibo in 1614, Aguada in 1692 and Ponce in 1692. Increased settlement in the 18th century saw 30 more communities established, following 34 in the 19th century. Six were founded in the 20th century, the most recent being Florida in 1971. Since 1952, Puerto Rico has had three main political parties:
1395-792: A high-explosive payload of 450 pounds (200 kg), of which 12 are thought to have found their targets: two in California , one in Nevada and a possible total of nine in Oklahoma and West Virginia ; the latter two ships sank within minutes of being hit. Horizontal bomber aircraft delivering armor-piercing bombs attacked as the last torpedo planes finished, and other horizontal and dive bombers came in later. The aircraft registered many direct hits and damaging near-misses, including two each on California , Maryland and Tennessee and several more on West Virginia . A bomb meant for California hit Hangar 6 on
1550-414: A large steel-and-wood hangar, two concrete hangars for seaplanes and flying boats, a supply warehouse, a machine shop, a photography laboratory and a powerhouse. In 1919, the field was named Luke Field after Frank Luke , a World War I ace and Medal of Honor recipient. The U.S. Army's introduction of aviation to Ford Island triggered expansion throughout Hawaii with the development of civilian airports,
1705-537: A laundry and a theater. At the height of World War II, over 40,000 people lived or worked on the island. Beginning in the 1930s, Imperial Japan attempted to expand its territory into China. Opposed to these aggressive actions, the United States, Britain , and the Netherlands froze Japanese assets and imposed economic restrictions which prohibited the exportation of aircraft fuel as well as steel and iron to Japan, affecting 90% of Japan's war production needs. Japan
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#17328378092571860-478: A law forbidding further killing. Kaʻahupa-hau's brother Kahiʻuka (sometimes referred to by historians as her son, Ku-maninini) was said to live in an underwater cavern off Ford Island with Kanekuaʻana , a giant water lizard which supplied food to the people of ʻEwa Beach . Although no historical records provide an exact date, researchers at the Hawaiian Historical Society believe that the island
2015-752: A long history of service in the U.S. Armed Forces and, since 1917, they have been included in the U.S. compulsory draft when it has been in effect. Though the Commonwealth government has its own tax laws, residents of Puerto Rico, contrary to a popular misconception, do pay U.S. federal taxes: customs taxes (which are subsequently returned to the Puerto Rico Treasury), import/export taxes, federal commodity taxes, social security taxes, etc. Residents pay federal payroll taxes , such as Social Security and Medicare , as well as Commonwealth of Puerto Rico income taxes. All federal employees, those who do business with
2170-585: A mid-Pacific storm while it was being towed to the scrapyard. Nevada , California , West Virginia and the minelayer USS Oglala were re-floated and salvaged by the Navy. The entire salvage operation took 20,000 man-hours underwater and 5,000 dives to recover human remains, weapons, ammunition and artifacts of historic or military importance. The US Pacific Fleet established the Fleet Intelligence Center, Pacific (FICPAC) on Ford Island by 1955 as
2325-478: A network of aqueducts from freshwater reservoirs, transported to Waipio by barge and then by rail to the mills. In 1902, the nearby estate of Bernice Pauahi Bishop lost a crucial lawsuit brought by the United States to purchase land around Pearl Harbor for below its market value. Although the Bishop estate valued the land at $ 600 per acre, the United States was only willing to pay $ 30 per acre. A jury determined that
2480-430: A new Army airfield, Hickam Army Airfield , named after pioneer U.S. Army Air Corps pilot Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam . From 1936 to 1940 Pan American flew its Clipper service into Ford Island, using it as a refueling stop between the United States and Asia . The Navy built a $ 25,000 boathouse, spent $ 579,565 on a new crew barracks and built a firehouse, water-supply and lighting systems. In June 1936
2635-460: A result of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake , plans were announced to add 32 more DART buoys to be operational by mid-2007. These stations give detailed information about tsunamis while they are still far off shore. Each station consists of a sea-bed bottom pressure recorder (at a depth of 1000–6000 m) which detects the passage of a tsunami and transmits the data to a surface buoy via acoustic modem. The surface buoy then radios
2790-642: A significant degree of federal control involved in its establishment and operations. In particular, the authority to establish the control board derives from the federal government's constitutional power to "make all needful rules and regulations" regarding U.S. territories; The president would appoint all seven voting members of the board; and the board would have broad sovereign powers to effectively overrule decisions by Puerto Rico's legislature, governor, and other public authorities. There would be another referendum in 2017 in Puerto Rico, in favor of statehood although it
2945-497: A territory of the United States, exercising substantial internal self-government, but subordinated to the U.S. Constitution in areas such as foreign affairs or defense. For this reason, it is not considered to be a full-fledged associated state under either international or U.S. domestic law. The history of Puerto Rico began with the settlement of the Ortoiroid people before 430 BC. At the time of Christopher Columbus 's arrival in
3100-474: A training ship, was also moored on the western side of the island and was sunk by torpedoes. A total of 58 officers and enlisted were killed and 461 survived. Attempts to use the same methods as "Oklahoma" to right the Utah were unsuccessful. There is now a memorial near the remains of the ship. The Japanese disabled all seven battleships on Battleship Row. Maryland , Tennessee and Pennsylvania were repaired in only
3255-554: Is Mokuʻumeʻume . The island had an area of 334 acres (135 ha) when it was surveyed in 1825, which was increased during the 1930s to 441 acres (178 ha) with fill dredged out of Pearl Harbor by the United States Navy to deepen the harbor. The island was the site of an ancient Hawaiian fertility ritual, which was stopped by Christian missionaries during the 1830s. The island was given by Kamehameha I to Spanish deserter Francisco de Paula Marín , and later returned to
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#17328378092573410-677: Is also the operational center of the Pacific Tsunami Warning System and issued tsunami warnings for dozens of countries from 1965 to 2014. In October 2014, the authority to issue tsunami warnings was delegated to individual member states. As a result, the center now issues advice rather than official warnings for non-U.S. coastlines, with the exception of the British Virgin Islands. The PTWC uses seismic data as its starting point, but then takes into account oceanographic data when calculating possible threats. Tide gauges in
3565-573: Is headed by the governor , currently Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia . The legislative branch consists of the bicameral Legislative Assembly , made up of a Senate as its upper chamber and a House of Representatives as its lower chamber; the Senate is headed by a president , currently José Luis Dalmau , while the House is headed by the speaker of the House , currently Tatito Hernández . The governor and legislators are elected by popular vote every four years, with
3720-474: Is land and 1,900 sq mi (4,900 km ) is water. Puerto Rico is larger than Delaware and Rhode Island but smaller than Connecticut . The maximum length of the main island from east to west is 110 mi (180 km), and the maximum width from north to south is 40 mi (64 km). Puerto Rico is the smallest of the Greater Antilles . It is 80% of the size of Jamaica , just over 18% of
3875-467: Is likely very similar to that on Naval Station Pearl Harbor . Wildlife is sparse and dominated by invasive species such as the house mouse , mongoose , brown rat , black rat , house sparrow , Java sparrow and common mynah . An endangered owl, the endemic pueo (a subspecies of the short-eared owl ), has been seen hunting on the island. Nearly all the plant life on the island is non-native, including edible cacti from California introduced in
4030-607: Is located in this range. Another important peak is El Yunque , one of the highest in the Sierra de Luquillo at the El Yunque National Forest , with an elevation of 3,494 ft (1,065 m). Puerto Rico has 17 lakes, all man-made, and more than 50 rivers , most of which originate in the Cordillera Central. Rivers in the northern region of the island are typically longer and of higher water flow rates than those of
4185-481: Is the coquí , a small frog easily identified by the sound of its call, from which it gets its name. Most coquí species (13 of 17) live in the El Yunque National Forest , the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. Forest Service system, located in the northeast of the island. It was previously known as the Caribbean National Forest. El Yunque is home to more than 240 plants, 26 of which are endemic to
4340-481: Is the older and larger of the two ferries, at 181 feet (55 m), with a capacity of 750 people and 33 vehicles. The other, Moko Holo Hele (meaning ' boat go back and forth ' ) was purchased for $ 1.1 million on May 25, 1970. At 162 feet (49 m), its capacity was 750 people and 42 vehicles. Both ferries were operated by US Navy personnel, and access to the island was restricted to US military personnel, their dependents and invited guests. In addition to
4495-628: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami , the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's responsibilities were expanded to include tsunami guidance for the Indian Ocean, the South China Sea and the Caribbean Sea, though its authority to issue warnings was limited to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands . For all other areas, the decision to issue tsunami warnings was left to individual countries. The responsibility for Puerto Rico and
4650-544: The American model , with separation of powers subject to the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States. All governmental powers are delegated by the United States Congress , with the head of state being the president of the United States . As an unincorporated territory , Puerto Rico lacks full protection under the U.S. Constitution. The government of Puerto Rico is composed of three branches. The executive
4805-640: The Cabo Rojo , Desecheo , Culebra and Vieques National Wildlife Refuges , and in the Caja de Muertos and Mona and Monito Islands Nature Reserves . Examples of endemic species found in this ecoregion are the higo chumbo ( Harrisia portoricensis ), the Puerto Rican crested toad ( Peltophryne lemur ), and the Mona ground iguana ( Cyclura stejnegeri ), the largest land animal native to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has three of
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4960-633: The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing Caribbean archipelago and island organized as an unincorporated territory of the United States under the designation of commonwealth . Located about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Miami , Florida , between the Dominican Republic in the Greater Antilles and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Lesser Antilles , it consists of
5115-540: The Department of War . A U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Ortega v. Lara , 202 U.S. 339, 342 (1906), involving the Foraker Act and referring to the island as "the acquired country", soon affirmed that the U.S. Constitution applied within its territory and that any domestic Puerto Rican laws which did not conflict with it remained in force. The Jones Act of 1917, which made Puerto Ricans U.S. citizens , paved
5270-513: The Greater Antilles , Puerto Rico was a stepping-stone in the passage from Europe to Cuba, Mexico, Central America, and the northern territories of South America. Throughout most of the 19th century until the conclusion of the Spanish–American War , Puerto Rico and Cuba were the last two Spanish colonies in the New World; they served as Spain's final outposts in a strategy to regain control of
5425-481: The Human Development Index . The major sectors of Puerto Rico's economy are manufacturing , primarily pharmaceuticals , petrochemicals , and electronics, followed by services , namely tourism and hospitality. Puerto Rico is Spanish for "rich port". Puerto Ricans often call the island Borinquen , a derivation of Borikén , its Indigenous Taíno name, which is popularly said to mean "Land of
5580-663: The Kermadec Islands ), Niue , Palau , Papua New Guinea , Samoa , the Solomon Islands , Tokelau , Tonga , Tuvalu , the United Kingdom (including the Pitcairn Islands ), and Vanuatu . Official tsunami warnings and watches are limited to U.S. coastlines, with the exception of the British Virgin Islands. PTWC messages for other regions do not include alerts, but rather advice, as the authority to issue tsunami warnings
5735-467: The Köppen climate classification is mostly tropical rainforest . Temperatures are warm to hot year round, averaging near 85 °F (29 °C) in lower elevations and 70 °F (21 °C) in the mountains. Easterly trade winds pass across the island year round. Puerto Rico has a rainy season , which stretches from April into November, and a dry season stretching from December to March. The mountains of
5890-756: The Minor Outlying Islands ), Vietnam , Australia (including Norfolk Island ), Cook Islands , Fiji , France (including French Polynesia , New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna ), Kiribati (including the Gilbert Islands , the Phoenix Islands and Kiritimati ), the Marshall Islands (including Kwajalein Atoll and Majuro ), the Federated States of Micronesia , Nauru , New Zealand (including
6045-534: The National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the island as one of the United States' most-endangered historic sites. By the late 1990s, hundreds of millions of dollars had been invested in real estate development and infrastructure on and around Ford Island, including a new bridge, the Admiral Clarey Bridge . The island continues to serve an active role in the Pacific, hosting military functions at
6200-596: The New World in 1493, the dominant indigenous culture was that of the Taínos . The Taíno people's numbers went dangerously low during the later half of the 16th century because of new infectious diseases carried by Europeans, exploitation by Spanish settlers, and warfare. Located in the northeastern Caribbean, Puerto Rico formed a key part of the Spanish Empire from the early years of the exploration, conquest and colonization of
6355-539: The New World . The island was a major military post during many wars between Spain and other European powers for control of the region in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. In 1593, Portuguese soldiers, sent from Lisbon by order of Phillip II, composed the first garrison of the San Felipe del Morro fortress in Puerto Rico. Some brought their wives, while others married Puerto Rican women, and today there are many Puerto Rican families with Portuguese last names. The smallest of
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6510-813: The Popular Democratic Party (PPD in Spanish), the New Progressive Party (PNP in Spanish) and the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP). The three parties stand for different political status. The PPD, for example, seeks to maintain the island's status with the U.S. as a commonwealth , while the PNP seeks to make Puerto Rico a U.S. state . Meanwhile, the PIP seeks to make Puerto Rico a sovereign nation free from U.S. authority. In terms of party strength,
6665-622: The Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources . There are many other even smaller islets , like Monito , located near Mona, and Isla de Cabras and La Isleta de San Juan , both located on the San Juan Bay . The latter is the only inhabited islet with communities like Old San Juan and Puerta de Tierra , which are connected to the main island by bridges. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has an area of 5,320 square miles (13,800 km ), of which 3,420 sq mi (8,900 km )
6820-737: The RSS feed or email alerts from the PTWC web site, and the UNESCO site. Email and text messages are also available from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service which includes tsunami alerts. In 1995, NOAA began developing the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) system. By 2001, an array of six stations had been deployed in the Pacific Ocean . Beginning in 2005, as
6975-572: The U.S. Treasury . Residents of Puerto Rico pay into Social Security, and are thus eligible for Social Security benefits upon retirement. They are excluded from the Supplemental Security Income , and the island receives a smaller fraction of the Medicaid funding it would receive if it were a U.S. state. Also, Medicare providers receive less-than-full state-like reimbursements for services rendered to beneficiaries in Puerto Rico, even though
7130-605: The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme : Luquillo Biosphere Reserve represented by El Yunque National Forest and the Guánica Biosphere Reserve . Species endemic to the archipelago number 239 plants, 16 birds and 39 amphibians / reptiles , recognized as of 1998. Most of these (234, 12 and 33 respectively) are found on the main island. The most recognizable endemic species and a symbol of Puerto Rican pride
7285-619: The Vietnam War escalated and an additional intelligence branch was needed in addition to the one in Guam . With little other use of the island, as naval and air operations were moved to facilities on the side of the Pearl Harbor previously owned by the Bishop estate, the Navy decommissioned Naval Air Station Ford Island in 1966. The island continued to be controlled by the Navy as a sub-component of Naval Station Pearl Harbor. On February 20, 1970,
7440-492: The eponymous main island and numerous smaller islands, including Vieques , Culebra , and Mona . With approximately 3.2 million residents , it is divided into 78 municipalities , of which the most populous is the capital municipality of San Juan , followed by those within the San Juan metropolitan area . Spanish and English are the official languages of the government , though Spanish predominates. Puerto Rico
7595-540: The monarchy . After the island was bought at auction by James Isaac Dowsett and sold to Caroline Jackson, it became the property of Dr. Seth Porter Ford by marriage and was renamed Ford Island. After Ford's death, his son sold the island to the John Papa ʻĪʻī estate and it was converted into a sugarcane plantation . In 1916, part of Ford Island was sold to the U.S. Army for use by an aviation division in Hawaii, and by 1939
7750-613: The #2 barracks. The island's gasoline tank was emptied and refilled with water; trenches were dug, and buildings camouflaged. Its runway was cleared of over three tons of scrap metal in two hours. The Marines who had picked up rifles for guard duty were tasked with feeding and clothing the soldiers and sailors. Twenty prisoners from the island's brig were marched to the Marine barracks and put to work without incident; some received commuted sentences for their efforts. That evening, Hawaiians were instructed to observe an indoor blackout , stay off
7905-485: The $ 50 million 16-acre (6.5 ha) Pacific Aviation Museum . Plans included 500 homes for Navy personnel, a child-development center and a Navy lodge. In planning the island's development, the Navy considered its operational needs and the island's historic value. However, the National Trust for Historic Preservation considered the Navy's communication style more directive rather than collaborative, restricting
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#17328378092578060-433: The 12-month period ending March 4, 1998, the airport had 39,992 aircraft operations, an average of 110 per day: 98 percent general aviation and two percent military . On July 1, 1999, all military and civilian general-aviation activity at NALF Ford Island ended when NAS Barbers Point was closed in a BRAC action and became the present civilian Kalaeloa Airport and Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point . The new airport
8215-452: The 1930s, the Navy contracted a $ 1.5 million dredging of Pearl Harbor to allow larger battleships and the fleet's carriers to enter it. Work began in May 1940 resulting in 13,000,000 cubic yards (9,900,000 m ) of material dredged from the opening of Pearl Harbor to build a channel to Ford Island as well as to create a turning channel around the island. Material was also dredged to deepen
8370-497: The 2008 general election. Four years later, the 2012 election saw the emergence of the Movimiento Unión Soberanista (English: Sovereign Union Movement) and the Partido del Pueblo Trabajador (English: Working People's Party) but none obtained more than 1% of the vote. Other non-registered parties include the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party , the Socialist Workers Movement , and the Hostosian National Independence Movement . The nature of Puerto Rico's political relationship with
8525-416: The 2024 general election, with nearly 40% of the vote, who is pro-statehood. Puerto Rico consists of the main island of Puerto Rico and various smaller islands, including Vieques , Culebra , Mona , Desecheo , and Caja de Muertos . Of these five, only Culebra and Vieques are inhabited year-round. Mona, which has played a key role in maritime history, is uninhabited most of the year except for employees of
8680-429: The 3 November 2020 general elections; the ballot asked one question: "Should Puerto Rico be admitted immediately into the Union as a State ?" The results showed that 52 percent of Puerto Rico voters answered yes. In the United States in the early 2020s, the Puerto Rico Status Act was being worked on by Congress, and H.R. 8393 passed the House in 2022- though it has not passed the Senate; this bill would support PR making
8835-411: The 4,000-foot (1,200 m) runway at NALF Ford Island was opened to civilian flight training operations, primarily local Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps flying clubs. Itinerant military helicopter training activities also continued at NALF Ford Island during this period. Hawaii (which achieved statehood in 1959) contracted with the US Navy to allow touch-and-go landings until 1972, when the airfield
8990-456: The 7th Baron Byron arrived, commanding HMS Blonde , to return the remains of Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu after their deaths in England of Measles . While on Oahu, he would map the Pearl River (known today as Pearl Harbor ). The ship's naturalist, Andrew Bloxam, spent time on Ford Island hunting rabbits and wild ducks; its surveyor, Lieutenant Charles Robert Malden , called it Rabbits Island . In 1826, Hiram Paulding became
9145-431: The American continents. Realizing that it was in danger of losing its two remaining Caribbean territories, the Spanish Crown revived the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 . The decree was printed in Spanish, English and French in order to attract Europeans, with the hope that the independence movements would lose their popularity and strength with the arrival of new settlers. Free land was offered to those who wanted to populate
9300-558: The Atlantic, is located about 71 mi (114 km) north of Puerto Rico at the boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates. It is 170 mi (270 km) long. At its deepest point, named the Milwaukee Deep , it is almost 27,600 ft (8,400 m) deep. The Mona Canyon , located in the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, is another prominent oceanic landform with steep walls measuring between 1.25 and 2.17 miles (2.01 and 3.49 km) in height from bottom to top. The climate of Puerto Rico in
9455-413: The Baptist , while the capital city was named Ciudad de Puerto Rico ("Rich Port City"). Eventually traders and other maritime visitors came to refer to the entire island as Puerto Rico, while San Juan became the name used for the main trading/shipping port and the capital city. The island's name was changed to Porto Rico by the United States after the Treaty of Paris of 1898 . The anglicized name
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#17328378092579610-431: The Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. On average, a quarter of its annual rainfall is contributed from tropical cyclones , which are more prevalent during periods of La Niña than El Niño . A cyclone of tropical storm strength passes near Puerto Rico, on average, every five years. A hurricane passes in the vicinity of the island, on average, every seven years. Since 1851, the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane (also known as
9765-414: The Cordillera Central create a rain shadow and are the main cause of the variations in the temperature and rainfall that occur over very short distances. The mountains can also cause wide variation in local wind speed and direction due to their sheltering and channeling effects, adding to the climatic variation. Daily temperature changes seasonally are quite small in the lowlands and coastal areas. Between
9920-537: The John Papa ʻĪʻī estate to build 6-inch (15 cm) gun batteries: Battery Boyd and Battery Henry Adair. In 1917, the John Papa ʻĪʻī estate agreed to sell part of the Island to the United States for construction of an airfield, despite the Oahu Sugar Company complaining in court that the sale would hurt their business. In 1917, the 6th Aero Squadron was created in Honolulu , with Captain John F. Currey as its commander. Although 50 were assigned, only 49 arrived; one deserted en route. Currey chose Ford Island as
10075-603: The NTHP's ability to share their concerns, and in 2001 designated Ford Island one of its 11 most-endangered sites. Although the Navy's plans included preserving important hangars, the control tower and seaplane ramps, they failed to protect the existing runway and 1920s housing and did not address preserving bullet holes on the seaplane ramps. As hoped by the Trust, after the designation the Navy agreed to delay development of some of these items until an agreement could be reached. Puerto Rico Puerto Rico ( Spanish for 'rich port'; abbreviated PR ), officially
10230-427: The Navy lengthened the island's landing field by 400 feet (120 m), to 3,000 feet (910 m). In March 1937 Amelia Earhart , on her second visit to Luke Field, crashed her Lockheed Electra on takeoff. In 1939, after three years of construction, Hickam Field opened. The Army transferred its operations there, leaving Luke Field under Navy control. The latter was renamed Naval Air Station Ford Island, and became
10385-408: The Oahu Sugar Cane Plantation) leased about 300 acres (120 ha) from the John Papa ʻĪʻī estate (after their purchase of the island in 1891) to harvest sugar in 1899. The business was successful, and the company sublet land from Benjamin Dillingham on the Waipi'o peninsula (southeast of present Waipio ) to build a 12-roller mill and railroad. Sugarcane was grown and harvested on Ford Island with
10540-419: The PPD and PNP usually hold about 47% of the vote each while the PIP holds about 5%. After 2007, other parties emerged on the island. The first, the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party was registered that same year. The party claims that it seeks to address the islands' problems from a status-neutral platform. But it ceased to remain as a registered party when it failed to obtain the required number of votes in
10695-600: The Pacific Ocean with data from 20 seismic stations around the world and 40 tide stations. In the aftermath of the 1964 Alaska earthquake and tsunami , which killed 131 people, it was decided to create another warning system to provide timely warnings about local events for coastal areas of Alaska. After Congress approved funding in 1965, the Alaska Regional Tsunami Warning System was launched in September 1967 with observatories in Palmer, Adak and Sitka. At that time, PTWC ended its coverage of Alaska. The 1975 Hawaii earthquake and tsunami , which killed several people, highlighted
10850-434: The Pacific Warfighting Center and civilian functions at NOAA 's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center . The island has been featured in films such as Tora! Tora! Tora! and Pearl Harbor and receives tourists from the U.S. and abroad at the USS Arizona memorial and the USS Missouri museum . Ford Island is inside Pearl Harbor, South Oʻahu of the Hawaiian Islands. Pearl Harbor is divided into three large bodies of water:
11005-401: The Puerto Rican broad-winged hawk ( Buteo platypterus brunnescens ) and the elfin woods warbler ( Setophaga angelae ). The Northern Karst country of Puerto Rico is also home to one of the remaining rainforest tracts in the island, with the Río Abajo State Forest being the first focus for the reintroduction of the highly endangered Puerto Rican parrot outside of the Sierra de Luquillo. In
11160-469: The Puerto Rican people to exercise fully their inalienable right to self-determination and independence. In November 2012, a two-question referendum took place, simultaneous with the general elections. The first question, voted on in August, asked voters whether they wanted to maintain the current status under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution. 54% voted against the status quo, effectively approving
11315-632: The San Felipe Segundo hurricane in Puerto Rico) of September 1928 is the only hurricane to make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane. In 2017, Puerto Rico was affected by Category 5 Hurricane Irma and Category 4 Hurricane Maria , causing widespread and devastating impacts , particularly to the electric grid. Puerto Rico is home to three terrestrial ecoregions: Puerto Rican moist forests , Puerto Rican dry forests , and Greater Antilles mangroves . Puerto Rico has two biosphere reserves recognized by
11470-450: The U.S. Constitution . Laws enacted at the federal level in the U.S. apply to Puerto Rico as well, regardless of its political status. Their residents do not have voting representation in the U.S. Congress . Puerto Rico lacks "the full sovereignty of an independent nation", for example, the power to manage its "external relations with other nations", which is held by the U.S. federal government. The U.S. Supreme Court has indicated that once
11625-693: The U.S. Constitution has been extended to an area (by Congress or the courts), its coverage is irrevocable. To hold that the political branches may switch the Constitution on or off at will would lead to a regime in which they, not this Court, say "what the law is". Puerto Ricans "were collectively made U.S. citizens" in 1917 as a result of the Jones–Shafroth Act . U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections, though both major parties, Republican and Democratic, hold primary elections in Puerto Rico to choose delegates to vote on
11780-701: The U.S. Virgin Islands was passed to the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in June 2007, while PTWC continued to issue advice for other parts of the Caribbean Sea. In 2013, the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center became known as the National Tsunami Warning Center. PTWC discontinued its messages for the Indian Ocean in 2013 after regional tsunami warning centers were opened in Australia, India and Indonesia. In October 2014,
11935-465: The U.S. is the subject of ongoing debate in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Congress, and the United Nations . Specifically, the basic question is whether Puerto Rico should remain an unincorporated territory of the U.S., become a U.S. state, or become an independent country. Constitutionally, Puerto Rico is subject to the plenary powers of the U.S. Congress under the territorial clause of Article IV of
12090-533: The U.S. strategic center in the Pacific consisted of the seven battleships moored along Battleship Row and the six pairs of interrupted quays along the east side of Ford Island. Quay F-2 (the southernmost), which usually berthed an aircraft carrier, was empty. The Pacific Fleet flagship California was moored northeastward, at F-3. Side by side with Maryland was Oklahoma (outboard), followed by Tennessee with West Virginia outboard. Behind Tennessee
12245-507: The U.S., and Kamehameha III sought reciprocity. As early as 1873, a United States military commission recommended attempting to obtain Ford Island in exchange for the tax-free importation of sugar to the U.S. At that time Major General John Schofield , U.S. commander of the military division of the Pacific, and Brevet Brigadier General Burton S. Alexander arrived in Hawaii to ascertain its defensive capabilities. U.S. control of Hawaii
12400-665: The United States Congress agreed to seven years of reciprocity in exchange for Ford Island. At the end of the seven-year reciprocity agreement, the United States showed little interest in renewal. On January 20, 1887, the United States began leasing Pearl Harbor. Shortly afterwards, a group of mostly non-Hawaiians calling themselves the Hawaiian Patriotic League began the Rebellion of 1887 . They drafted their own constitution on July 6, 1887. The new constitution
12555-512: The United States still seemed uninterested in reciprocity, he threatened to forge more favorable export agreements with Australia or New Zealand. Congress feared that a treaty between Hawaii and Australia or New Zealand would result in annexation by one of those countries instead of the United States. Although Kalākaua was loath to give any foreign country land in Hawaii, he signed the treaty in September 1887. The Oahu Sugar Company (also known as
12710-504: The Valiant Lord". The terms boricua , borinqueño , and borincano are commonly used to identify someone of Puerto Rican heritage, and derive from Borikén and Borinquen respectively. The island is also popularly known in Spanish as La Isla del Encanto , meaning "the island of enchantment". Columbus named the island San Juan Bautista , in honor of Saint John
12865-452: The West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WCATWC). As a result, PTWC's area of responsibility was further reduced. On December 1, 2001, the PTWC was re-dedicated as the Richard H. Hagemeyer Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, in honor of the former U.S. Tsunami Program Manager and National Weather Service Pacific Region Director who managed the center for many years. In 2005, in the aftermath of
13020-500: The West Loch, East Loch, and Middle Loch for the mooring of battleships. With dredged material used as land fill, the island's size was increased from 334 acres (135 ha) to 441 acres (178 ha). The Navy replaced its PK, F5L, and H16 aircraft with newer models (see table below). In 1933 VP-8F arrived on station, and in 1935 the army bombers had become too large to be maintained and stored at Luke Field. Construction began on
13175-501: The West Loch, Middle Loch and East Loch, with Ford Island in the center of the East Loch. It is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and 0.75 miles (1.21 km) wide, and was enlarged from 334 to 441 acres (135 to 178 ha) between 1930 and 1940 with landfill dredged from the surrounding harbor. The land is a relatively flat plain rising from 5 to 15 feet (1.5 to 4.6 m) above mean water level, and slopes toward Pearl Harbor. It connects to
13330-438: The annual operating cost of the Pacific Tsunami Warning System was estimated to be between 50 and 80 million U.S. dollars. In April 2017, the responsibility for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands returned to PTWC, along with the British Virgin Islands, to consolidate Caribbean responsibilities under one warning center. As of 2023, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System has access to about 600 high-quality seismic stations around
13485-506: The area of the earthquake are checked to establish if a tsunami has formed. The center then forecasts the future of the tsunami. Up until the late 1940s, the United States had no way to warn the public about tsunami threats. After the 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake , which generated a tsunami and killed more than 170 people in Hawaii , a plan was devised to warn the public of possible tsunami inundation. The facility became operational in 1948 and
13640-411: The attackers. Some of these search planes were again shot down on their return by friendly fire from the Ford Island defense, which was on high alert. In addition to Battleship Row and the island's naval field, the fixed moorings on the western side of Ford Island (capable of securing battleships or aircraft carriers) were high-priority targets. Just west of the island, the seaplane tender Curtiss
13795-434: The authority to issue official tsunami warnings for coastlines in the Pacific was delegated to individual member states. This happened because warnings and watches issued by PTWC caused confusion when they conflicted with a country's independently derived level of alert. As a result, the center now issues advice rather than official warnings for all non-U.S. coastlines, with the exception of the British Virgin Islands. In 2015,
13950-503: The ceremony ( ʻume ) held during the Makahiki festival for married couples who were having difficulty conceiving children. In the Hawaiian language the word moku means to cut or sever in two, as well as an island or inlet. The word ʻume means to draw, attract or entice and was used to name the ceremony for the common people. Hawaii historian Herb Kawainui Kāne considered ʻume to be
14105-644: The commissioner's power to vote in the Committee of the Whole , but the commissioner can vote in committee. Puerto Rican elections are governed by the Federal Election Commission and the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico . Residents of Puerto Rico, including other U.S. citizens, cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections, but can vote in primaries . Puerto Ricans who become residents of
14260-519: The creation of the Hawaii chapter of the National Aeronautic Association , and a national flying code. The Navy decided that a Hawaiian base was a necessity, considering the Army field at Ford Island an ideal candidate. Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor, consisting of nine officers and fifty-five men, was commissioned on December 19, 1919. Although the Navy attempted to displace the Army from
14415-463: The dry and wet seasons, there is a temperature change of around 6 °F (3.3 °C). This change is due mainly to the warm waters of the tropical Atlantic Ocean , which significantly modify cooler air moving in from the north and northwest. Coastal water temperatures during the year are about 75 °F (24 °C) in February and 85 °F (29 °C) in August. The highest temperature ever recorded
14570-638: The establishment of the Pacific Tsunami Warning System under the auspices of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission , with the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System as its operational center. As a result, the name of the facility was changed to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The expanded system became operational in April 1965 but, like its local predecessor, was limited to teletsunamis – tsunamis which are capable of causing damage far away from their source. The system covered all countries of
14725-399: The federal government, Puerto Rico-based corporations that intend to send funds to the U.S., and some others, such as Puerto Rican residents that are members of the U.S. military, and Puerto Rico residents who earned income from sources outside Puerto Rico also pay federal income taxes. In addition, because the cutoff point for income taxation is lower than that of the U.S. IRS code, and because
14880-405: The first American naval officer to visit the island. Marín's ownership claim to the island was cloudy; Hawaiians generally refused to recognize land ownership by foreigners. Kamehameha II believed that the island had been loaned to Marín and by the 1850s the island was split between Kamehameha IV —who purchased 214 acres (87 ha)—and High Chiefess Kekauōnohi , granddaughter of Kamehameha I, who
15035-459: The friendly-fire losses, "Somebody let fly and I never saw so many bullets in the air in my life and never expect to ... all tracer bullets at night." After the attack, ROTC cadets from the University of Hawaii were assigned to active duty guarding strategic buildings. Because of the island's lack of fresh water and electric power to the dispensary, a temporary hospital had to be set up at
15190-487: The government to move rapidly to provide for the general welfare contributed to political activism by opponents and eventually to the rise of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party . On 7 January 2020, the country experienced its largest earthquake since 1918, estimated at magnitude 6.4. Economic losses were estimated to be more than $ 3.1 billion. The Puerto Rico Trench , the largest and deepest trench in
15345-488: The harbor from the island. After the naval hangars were commissioned on January 17, 1923, by Lieutenant Commander John Rodgers , the detachment moved onto Ford Island and received Naval Aircraft Factory TS , Felixstowe F5L , Curtiss H-16 , Keystone PK-1 and Douglas DT type aircraft. To accommodate ship berthing the Navy built a concrete-and-stone quay around the entire island, and in 1926, they received Vought FU , Vought VE-7 and Vought VE-9 biplanes . During
15500-459: The headquarters of Patrol Wing 2 ; its former namesake was re-honored with a new base, Luke Air Force Base in Arizona . A September 8, 1939, presidential emergency proclamation spurred the rapid construction of new facilities to prepare the island for additional operations. This included additional barracks, a new assembly and repair hangar, an administration building, a dispensary, a control tower,
15655-417: The husband, not the biological father. By 1830, this activity was forbidden by Christian missionaries. The native Hawaiian people of the area were called Ke Awalau o Puʻuloa . They used the island to cultivate watermelon and to harvest pili grass for the construction of thatched roofs . According to Hawaiian legend, the goddess Kaʻahupahau killed a girl on the island; remorseful, she then proclaimed
15810-623: The information to the PTWC via the GOES satellite system. The bottom pressure recorder lasts for two years while the surface buoy is replaced every year. The system has considerably improved the forecasting and warning of tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean. Ford Island Ford Island ( Hawaiian : Poka ʻAilana ) is an islet in the center of Pearl Harbor , Oahu , in the U.S. state of Hawaii . It has been known as Rabbit Island , Marín's Island , and Little Goats Island ; its native Hawaiian name
15965-527: The island and designate it solely for naval use, U.S. Secretary of War Newton D. Baker divided the island equally between the military branches. The Army received the west side of the island, and the Navy the southeastern side. Lieutenant Commander Robert D. Kirk-Patrick was sent to establish a naval station on the island with four airplanes and fifty-five men. Kirk-Patrick's men had two Curtiss HS2L flying boats and two N-9 planes salvaged from World War I, which they stored in two large canvas hangars across
16120-459: The island at 07:57 local time, prompting the historic dispatch: "Air Raid, Pearl Harbor—this is no drill." The battleships ringing Ford Island were the Japanese attackers' primary targets. Twenty-four of the forty Japanese torpedo planes were assigned to attack Battleship Row, and five more came over to that side of Ford Island after failing to find battleships in other parts of the harbor. The planes carried 29 Type 91 aerial torpedoes , each with
16275-499: The island was taken over by the U.S. Navy as a station for battleship and submarine maintenance. From the 1910s to the 1940s, the island continued to grow as a strategic center of operations for the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Ocean. Ford Island was at the center of the attack on Pearl Harbor and on the U.S. Pacific Fleet by the Imperial Japanese fleet on December 7, 1941. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, and
16430-480: The island, Enterprise , and the planes. However, he reported that although he attempted to communicate with Enterprise by radio from Ford Island, the communications systems there were inadequate, and he attributed the friendly fire to ineffective radio communications. After attempting to notify as many ships and anti-aircraft batteries as possible, several planes from Enterprise and others from Ford Island's complement were again airborne within hours to search for
16585-416: The island, igniting it. Additional bombs hit Hangar 38 (a dud), the dispensary courtyard (leaving a large crater) and the road outside the repair-and-assembly hangar. Only one man, Theodore Wheeler Croft, was killed on the island while standing guard duty. The bombers' most notable success was Arizona . A bomb exploded near the forward magazines, triggering a catastrophic explosion which immediately sank
16740-509: The island. It is also home to 50 bird species, including the critically endangered Puerto Rican amazon . In addition to El Yunque National Forest, the Puerto Rican moist forest ecoregion is represented by protected areas such as the Maricao and Toro Negro state forests . These areas are home to endangered endemic species such as the Puerto Rican boa ( Chilabothrus inornatus ), the Puerto Rican sharp-shinned hawk ( Accipiter striatus venator ),
16895-451: The island: Mokunui and Mokuiki. In 1991, the Navy discovered nine metals, two semi-volatile organic compounds and a polychlorinated biphenyl in Ford Island's soil , groundwater and marine sediment . Suspected sources were nine 225,000-U.S.-gallon (850-cubic-meter) fuel tanks on the east-central side of the island (from 1924 to 1954), a 4.4-acre (1.8 ha) landfill on the southwestern shore (from 1930 to 1960) and ordnance bunkers on
17050-567: The islands on the condition that they swear their loyalty to the Spanish Crown and allegiance to the Catholic Church . In 1898, during the Spanish–American War , Puerto Rico was invaded and subsequently became a possession of the U.S. The first years of the 20th century were marked by the struggle to obtain greater democratic rights from the U.S. The Foraker Act of 1900 established a civil government, ending rule by American generals and
17205-456: The land would be sold to the United States at $ 75 per acre. Facing a similar lawsuit and interest in its land on Ford Island, the John Papa ʻĪʻī estate settled with the United States to deed twenty-five acres at no cost. In exchange, the U.S. dropped its suit for the entire island. The military leased sections of the north and south sides of the island—25.83 acres (10.45 ha) for $ 3,000—from
17360-445: The larger island of Oʻahu, surrounding Pearl Harbor, via a 4,672 ft (1,424 m) bridge at its northern tip that crosses east to Halawa Landing. The island's soil is composed primarily of volcanic material, lagoonal deposits and coralline debris, with silty sand from the dredging. Its volcanic material is Aeolian ash , weathered tuff and basalt . Ford Island proper is a coral outcrop. There are two smaller islets near
17515-585: The last election held in November 2020 . The judicial branch is headed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico , currently Maite Oronoz Rodríguez . Members of the judiciary are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Puerto Rico is represented in the U.S. Congress by a nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives, the resident commissioner , currently Jenniffer González . Current congressional rules have removed
17670-498: The late 1700s by Francisco de Paula Marín. The island's harbor was important to ancient Hawaiians for its ample supply of fish, including mullet , milkfish and Hawaiian anchovy . The National Park Service oversees and administers the Pearl Harbor National Memorial sites at Pearl Harbor and Ford Island. Ancient Hawaiians called the island Mokuʻumeʻume ("isle of attraction" or "island of strife"), after
17825-561: The late 19th century, a distinct Puerto Rican identity began to emerge, centered around a fusion of European , African , and indigenous elements. In 1898, following the Spanish–American War , Puerto Rico was acquired by the United States . Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917 and can move freely between the archipelago and the mainland . However, residents of Puerto Rico are disenfranchised from federal elections and generally do not pay federal income tax . In common with four other territories , Puerto Rico sends
17980-502: The location for the new squadron and bought it from the John Papa ʻĪʻī land trust for $ 236,000, citing its access to water and winds as assets. When Currey was transferred to Washington , command of the squadron was given to Captain John B. Brooks and then Major Hugh J. Knerr , who built hangars and a runway. Early soldiers had to level the island, removing hills and boulders. All housing and major hangars were completed in 1918, including
18135-607: The lochs, although his wife, Bernice Pauahi Bishop , privately disapproved of selling Hawaiian lands. As monarch, William Charles Lunalilo , was content to let Bishop run almost all business affairs but the ceding of lands would become unpopular with the native Hawaiians. Many islanders thought that all the islands, rather than just Pearl Harbor, might be lost and opposed any cession of land. By November 1873, Lunalilo canceled negotiations and returned to drinking, against his doctor's advice; his health declined swiftly, and he died on February 3, 1874. Lunalilo left no heirs. The legislature
18290-583: The most dangerous geologic hazards in the island and in the northeastern Caribbean. The 1918 San Fermín earthquake occurred on 11 October , 1918 and had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale . It originated off the coast of Aguadilla , several kilometers off the northern coast, and was accompanied by a tsunami . It caused extensive property damage and widespread losses, damaging infrastructure, especially bridges. It resulted in an estimated 116 deaths and $ 4 million in property damage. The failure of
18445-444: The mouth of Pearl Harbor(blocking the entire harbor), the decision was made to run Nevada aground at "Hospital Point". Several planes from the aircraft carrier Enterprise , near Hawaii after a mission to Wake Island , arrived in the midst of the attack; four were shot down by American air-defense friendly fire. H. L. Young, commander of Enterprise air group, attempted to man the control tower to provide communications between
18600-445: The need for better control of the US Pacific Fleet, its headquarters moved to Ford Island. During the next few weeks, the Navy set up twenty-one large winches on the island to turn Oklahoma upright so it could be re-floated and patched before being scrapped. Coral was piled between the ship and the island so the ship would roll upright, instead of sliding toward the shore. Despite recovery efforts and patching, Oklahoma sank during
18755-541: The next 400 years. The decline of the indigenous population , followed by an influx of Spanish settlers, primarily from the Canary Islands and Andalusia , and African slaves vastly changed the cultural and demographic landscape of the archipelago. Within the Spanish Empire , Puerto Rico played a secondary but strategically significant role compared to larger and wealthier colonies like Peru and New Spain . By
18910-452: The northeastern side. An investigation suggested covering the contaminated areas with clean soil. In 1994, the Navy considered removing the contaminated soil and installed six wells to monitor groundwater, but decided to follow the original recommendation in 1995 and capped the contaminated soil with topsoil and erosion-resistant vegetation (including Bermuda grass ). The containment system was completed in 1996. The wildlife on Ford Island
19065-496: The parties' presidential candidates. Since Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory and not a U.S. state, the U.S. Constitution does not fully enfranchise U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico. Only fundamental rights under the American federal constitution and adjudications are applied to Puerto Ricans. Various other U.S. Supreme Court decisions have held which rights apply in Puerto Rico and which ones do not. Puerto Ricans have
19220-473: The per-capita income in Puerto Rico is much lower than the average per-capita income on the mainland, more Puerto Rico residents pay income taxes to the local taxation authority than if the IRS code were applied to the island. This occurs because "the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico government has a wider set of responsibilities than do U.S. State and local governments." In 2009, Puerto Rico paid $ 3.742 billion into
19375-500: The population applying for assistance after the storms. See also Effects of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico It is thought that a combination of the debt crisis and two major hurricanes in the late 2010s, caused further departures from the island. Overall the population has decreased by about half a million in the 21st century, with many seeking better opportunities on the mainland. Puerto Rico held its statehood referendum during
19530-418: The second question to be voted on in November. The second question posed three alternate status options: statehood, independence, or free association . 61.16% voted for statehood, 33.34% for a sovereign free-associated state, and 5.49% for independence. In 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 5278: PROMESA , establishing a Control Board over the Puerto Rican government. This board will have
19685-646: The seven year-long bioluminescent bays in the Caribbean: Laguna Grande in Fajardo , La Parguera in Lajas and Puerto Mosquito in Vieques . These are unique bodies of water surrounded by mangroves that are inhabited by the dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense . However, tourism, pollution, and hurricanes have highly threatened these unique ecosystems. Puerto Rico has a republican form of government based on
19840-409: The ship. The island's freshwater supply was cut off when Arizona severed the main water line and the auxiliary line was destroyed at the Pearl Harbor end. USS Nevada , which was the battleship division's duty ship that morning, eventually got underway during the attack. She was hit repeatedly by dive bombers who spotted a ship escaping from Ford Island. In order to not chance blocking the channel to
19995-675: The size of Hispaniola and 8% of the size of Cuba, the largest of the Greater Antilles. The topography of the island is mostly mountainous with large flat areas in the northern and southern coasts. The main mountain range that crosses the island from east to west is called the Cordillera Central (also known as the Central Mountain Range in English). The highest elevation in Puerto Rico, Cerro de Punta 4,390 feet (1,340 m),
20150-465: The south, since the south receives less rain than the central and northern regions. Puerto Rico is composed of Cretaceous to Eocene volcanic and plutonic rocks, overlain by younger Oligocene and more recent carbonates and other sedimentary rocks . Most of the caverns and karst topography on the island occurs in the northern region. The oldest rocks are approximately 190 million years old ( Jurassic ) and are located at Sierra Bermeja in
20305-473: The southwest part of the island. They may represent part of the oceanic crust and are believed to come from the Pacific Ocean realm. Puerto Rico lies at the boundary between the Caribbean and North American Plates and is being deformed by the tectonic stresses caused by their interaction. These stresses may cause earthquakes and tsunamis . These seismic events, along with landslides , represent some of
20460-641: The southwest, the Guánica State Forest and Biosphere Reserve contain over 600 uncommon species of plants and animals, including 48 endangered species and 16 that are endemic to Puerto Rico, and is considered a prime example of the Puerto Rican dry forest ecoregion and the best-preserved dry forest in the Caribbean. Other protected dry forests in Puerto Rico can be formed within the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge complex at
20615-442: The telephone, keep extra buckets of water available for fighting fires and keep cars off the streets (parking them on lawns, if necessary). Sixty concrete revetments were constructed to protect aircraft from another attack, and the Navy laid down a 16-inch (410 mm) water main from across the harbor. A new control tower was commissioned on May 1, 1942, and the Navy built bomb shelters and gas-decontamination chambers. Due to
20770-709: The threat of tsunamis caused by nearby events. As a result, PTWC began issuing tsunami warnings for local events near Hawaii. In 1982, the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center's area of responsibility was enlarged to include California, Oregon and Washington, as well as British Columbia in Canada, but only for earthquakes in the vicinity of the West Coast. PTWC continued to provide coverage of teletsunamis. The Alaska center's responsibilities were expanded in 1996 to include all Pacific-wide sources, after which it became known as
20925-643: The two car ferries, there were several smaller "foot ferries" allowing pedestrians to travel between Ford Island and alternate landings around Pearl Harbor. Initially called "the bridge to nowhere", the Admiral Clarey Bridge was instrumental in Senator Daniel Inouye 's "rebirth" of Ford Island and enabled over $ 500 million in development with special legislation (2814 US Code). It connected 45 families and 3,000 civilian workers to Kamehameha Highway , and visitor access enabled construction of
21080-592: The way for the drafting of Puerto Rico's Constitution and its approval by Congress and Puerto Rican voters in 1952. Puerto Rico is one of five territories with less representation in the Federal government, along with the Federal District. In 2009, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization approved a draft resolution calling on the U.S. government to expedite a process that would allow
21235-729: The world and about 500 coastal and deep-ocean sea level stations. It has 46 member states: Brunei , Cambodia , Canada , Chile (including Easter Island and the Juan Fernández Islands ), China (which is considered to include Hong Kong and Macau ), Colombia , Costa Rica , East Timor , North Korea , Ecuador (including the Galapagos Islands ), El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Mexico , Nicaragua , Panama , Peru , Philippines , South Korea , Russia , Singapore , Thailand , United States (including Guam , Northern Mariana Islands , and
21390-947: Was Arizona alongside the repair ship Vestal . Closing the row was Nevada , alone at F-8. These battleships, from eighteen to twenty-five years old, represented all but two of those available to the Pacific Fleet. Pennsylvania was also in Pearl Harbor, being dry-docked at the Navy Yard. The ninth battleship of the fleet, Colorado , was being overhauled on the West Coast . These nine battleships taken together were one short of equaling Japan's active battle fleet. 1: California 2: Maryland 3: Oklahoma 4: Tennessee 5: West Virginia 6: Arizona 7: Nevada 8: Pennsylvania 9: Ford Island NAS 10: Hickam Field A: Oil storage tanks B: CINCPAC C: Submarine base D: Naval yard The initial bombs struck
21545-460: Was 110 °F (43 °C) at Arecibo , while the lowest temperature ever recorded was 40 °F (4 °C) in the mountains at Adjuntas , Aibonito , and Corozal . The average yearly precipitation is 66 in (1,676 mm). Climate change in Puerto Rico has had a large impact on the ecosystems and landscapes. Puerto Rico experiences the Atlantic hurricane season , similar to the rest of
21700-526: Was awarded 147 acres (59 ha) in the Great Māhele . On August 28, 1865, the island was bought at public auction for $ 1,040 by James I. Dowsett, who sold it to Caroline Jackson for $ 1 on December 28. Dr. Seth Porter Ford arrived in 1851 from Boston, and practiced medicine at the U.S. Seamen's Hospital. Ford married Caroline Jackson in June 1866, taking control of the island and changing its name from Marín Island to Ford Island. When Ford died in 1866, it
21855-596: Was boycotted by some political opponents of it. (see 2017 Puerto Rican status referendum ) In 2017, Puerto Rico suffered back-to-back large hurricanes: the Category 5 Hurricane Irma (September 7, 2017) and the Category 4 Hurricane Maria (September 20, 2017). The storms caused an extreme amount of damage to the island, causing the following effects: all power was knocked out, 95% cell service, 43% of waste water treatment plants, 40 thousand land slides, 97% of roads blocked, 28% of health facilities damaged, leading to over 90% of
22010-585: Was called the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System (SSWWS), headquartered at the Coast and Geodetic Survey 's seismological observatory in Honolulu , Hawaii. Initially, the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System covered only the Hawaiian Islands and was limited to teletsunamis (distant events), using data from 4 seismic stations and 9 tide gages. The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami , which killed thousands of people, led to
22165-522: Was considered vital for the defense of the west coast of the United States, and they were especially interested in Pu'uloa , Pearl Harbor. The sale of one of Hawaii's harbors was proposed by Charles Reed Bishop , a foreigner who had married into the Kamehameha family , had risen in the government to be Hawaiian Minister of Foreign Affairs , and owned a country home near Pu'uloa. He showed the two U.S. officers around
22320-503: Was delegated to member states in 2014 to avoid confusion among the public. The alert levels below were retired on October 1, 2014. Local populations in the United States of America receive tsunami information through radio and television receivers connected to the Emergency Alert System , and in some places (such as Hawaii) civil defense sirens and roving loudspeaker broadcasts from police vehicles. The public can subscribe to
22475-495: Was empowered by the constitution to elect the monarch in these instances and chose David Kalākaua as the next monarch. The new ruler was pressured by the U.S. government to surrender Pearl Harbor to the Navy. Kalākaua was concerned that this would lead to annexation by the U.S. and to the contravening of the traditions of the Hawaiian people, who believed that the land ('Āina) was fertile, sacred, and not for sale to anyone. In 1875,
22630-484: Was forced to either give up its expansion plans or find alternative raw materials to continue producing equipment for the war. Japan chose to continue with its plans, but decided it needed to neutralize any threat from the United States first. Ford Island was the headquarters of Patrol Wing Two, an important target for the first-wave airborne raiders in the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . Before dawn,
22785-480: Was given to Francisco de Paula Marín on February 9, 1818, and later named after him for his assistance in providing weapons used by Kamehameha I to conquer the island of Oʻahu . However, Marín wrote in an 1809 journal entry that he was given the island and its adjacent fishing waters as early as 1791. He used the land to raise sheep, hogs, goats and rabbits as provisions for ships, and grew plants and vegetables which he had imported. In 1825, Admiral George Byron,
22940-459: Was hit by a crashing dive bomber, a bomb and fragments of another bomb. She was then unsuccessfully attacked by a Japanese midget submarine , which fired a torpedo before being sunk by the destroyer Monaghan . Hangar 6 and several patrol seaplanes and other aircraft on Ford Island (33 out of 70 of the island's planes) were destroyed. The USS Utah (BB-31) , a Florida class battleship- an older ship launched December 1909 and by 1941 in service as
23095-423: Was open to general aviation and rendered NALF Ford Island redundant. Before the completion of the Admiral Clarey Bridge , access to Ford Island was by ferry . Two diesel-powered ferries, Waa Hele Honoa (YFB-83) and Moko Holo Hele (YFB-87), served the island. The Waa Hele Honoa (meaning ' canoe go to land ' ) was purchased in 1959 for $ 274,000, and pressed into service by the Navy on March 3, 1961. It
23250-464: Was opened to students making their first solo flights. The island's use as a training center helped relieve congestion at nearby Honolulu International Airport . After its active-duty commission on February 1, 1973, the Third Fleet moved its headquarters to Ford Island, where it remained until its 1991 move to San Diego. The island remained home to Navy officers and several naval headquarters. For
23405-405: Was settled by a succession of Amerindian peoples beginning 2,000 to 4,000 years ago; these included the Ortoiroid , Saladoid , and Taíno . It was claimed by Spain following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1493 and subsequently colonized by Juan Ponce de León in 1508. Puerto Rico was contested by other European powers into the 18th century but remained a Spanish possession for
23560-452: Was suggested by its architect Luis Muñoz Marín and adopted by a constitutional assembly on July 25 1952. Some authorities have called it a euphemism and have charged that the official name in English of "Commonwealth" constitutes a fig leaf , i.e., associated with the covering up of an act that is actually embarrassing or distasteful with something of innocuous appearance. Puerto Rico remains
23715-493: Was transferred to his son, Seth Porter Ford, Jr. The island was managed by Sanford B. Dole on behalf of Ford's minor children until Ford, Jr. came of age and sold the island in 1891 to the John Papa ʻĪʻī land trust. Sugar had been a major export from Hawaii since Captain James Cook's arrival in 1778. During the 1850s, the U.S. import tariff on sugar from Hawaii was much higher than the import tariffs Hawaiians were charging
23870-560: Was used by the U.S. government and private enterprises (also Porto in Italian, French, and Portuguese). The name was changed back to Puerto Rico in 1931 by a joint resolution in Congress introduced by Félix Córdova Dávila . The official name of the entity in Spanish is Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico ("Free Associated State of Puerto Rico"), while its official English name is Commonwealth of Puerto Rico . The Spanish official name
24025-621: Was written by Lorrin Thurston , the Hawaiian Minister of the Interior who used the Hawaiian militia as threat against Kalākaua. Kalākaua was forced to dismiss his cabinet ministers and sign a new constitution which greatly lessened his power. It would become known as the " Bayonet Constitution " due to the force used. With support from California (because the state had profited from the import of sugar), Kalākaua again approached Congress. When
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