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Indispensable Reefs

The Indispensable Reefs are a chain of three large coral atolls in the Coral Sea. They are located about south of Rennell Island. The chain stretches over a length of and its average width is .

Administratively the Indispensable Reef belongs to the Rennell and Bellona Province of Solomon Islands. They are locally called "Goto'akau".

The three atolls are steep-to and each encloses a large deep lagoon. They are separated by deep passages wide. The atolls of the Indispensable Reef are aligned in a NW-SE direction:

  • North Reef is long, and up to wide. The rim of the atoll has two narrow openings in the north and northwest. The reef has a total area of , including lagoon and reef flat. There are no islets.
  • Middle Reef is long. Little Nottingham Islet is a small islet located near the centre of the reef. Besides its main lagoon, Middle Reef has a separate smaller northern lagoon. The total area is about .
  • South Reef is long and up to wide. It encloses a lagoon deep. The total area exceeds .

History

The ship Neptune struck Indispensable Reef on 3 August 1868, and was lost. The crew was 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) flying reconnaissance mission from the carrier Shokaku ditched on Indispensable Reef due to lack of fuel.

In 1983, the Solomon Islands Government apprehended a vessel from Taiwan that had been poaching the giant clam stocks around Indispensable Reef. Corals and endangered fish species are also being plundered for the aquarium trade.

See also

References

External links