Minerva Reefs

Map of Tonga, the two Minerva reefs in the lower left corner

NASA image of the Minerva Reefs

The Minerva Reefs ( tong . : Ongo Teleki , old name: Nicholson's Shoal , English Minerva Reefs ) are two atoll-like coral reefs in the southern Pacific Ocean that belong to Tonga . The Minerva Reefs should not be confused with the Minerve Reef (French Recif de la Minerve), an underwater formation in the Tuamotu Archipelago .

geography

The Minerva Reefs are located around 500 km southwest of Tongatapu ( Tonga ), 200 km southwest of the southernmost (and at the same time westernmost) Tonga island 'Ata and about 300 km south of Ono-i-Lau ( Fiji ). The reefs form the southernmost and at the same time westernmost areas belonging to Tonga. The reefs got their name from the whaler Minerva , who stranded on the southern reef in 1829. The reefs lie at the opposite ends of an underwater plateau with depths between 550 and 1100 meters that extends over a length of 45 km.

The Minerva Reefs are atolls in the process of formation and have risen one meter since 1916. The highest points of the fringing reef already protrude from the sea at a medium tidal range , only at high tide are the reefs mostly below the water surface. The atolls do not (yet) have any islands. The two reefs are about 30 kilometers apart. The North Minerva Reef (at 23 ° 38 ′  S , 178 ° 55 ′  W ) has a slightly elliptical shape with a diameter of about 5 km, the South Minerva Reef (at 23 ° 56 ′  S , 179 ° 8 ′  W ) has the shape of an “8” with two directly adjacent reefs. Since the atolls are flooded at high tide, there is no terrestrial vegetation yet, but they are a resting place for numerous sea ​​birds .

The northern reef forms a closed ring with the exception of a single passage in the northwest. The deep and 300-meter-wide passage allows ships to enter the lagoon and anchor there at a depth of 27 meters on sandy ground.

The southern reef is a double atoll with two lagoons. It extends over a total of 7.7 km. On the west side there are large coral blocks that tower almost a meter above sea level. It is less suitable as an anchorage because of a shallower passage (only into the northern lagoon) and because of the numerous coral stocks. On the west side, north of the joint between the two parts of the atoll, there is a protected anchorage in the Herald Bight at depths between 18 and 37 meters.

history

The name Minerva Reefs were given to the two coral formations by Captain Henry Mangles Denham from the research vessel HMS Herald . Denham explored and mapped the reefs in 1854. He named them after the whaler Minerva , who ran aground and sank on the southern reef at 2am on September 9, 1829. Fifteen men were able to escape to the island of Vatoa in a completely overloaded dinghy .

Since its discovery, numerous ships have crashed on the reefs, including the Tuaikaepau , which ran aground on July 7, 1962 on South Minerva. The crew had to wait three months for help under dire conditions, and several people died. The reefs hit the headlines again in 1972 when the Republic of Minerva , a micronation , was proclaimed there. The republic only lasted a few months before the Kingdom of Tonga occupied the reefs.

Tonga's claim to the Minerva Reefs was officially recognized by the South Pacific Forum in September 1972 , but Fiji continues to make claims. Tonga names the reefs Ongo Teleki (Minerva reefs), Teleki Tokelau (northern reef) and Teleki Tonga (southern reef). An earlier temporary occupation took place by the US Navy during World War II . They built two now dilapidated lighthouses.

Picture gallery

and display information about the image

A yacht is anchored off the North Minerva Reef

literature

• Resting, Olaf: The Minerva Reef , Halstead Press, Sydney, Australia, 1963.

Web links

Commons : Minerva Reefs  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Wolfgang Schippke: The two Minerva reefs Further information

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sailing Directions (enroute), Pub. 126, Pacific Ocean
2. ^ Andrew David, The voyage of HMS Herald to Australia and the South-west Pacific 1852-1861 under the command of Captain Henry Mangles Denham, Victoria 1995
3. ↑ Peter Bays: A Narrative of the Wreck of the Minerva Whaler of Port Jackson, New South Wales on Nicholson's Shoal, Cambridge 1831
4. ↑ PDF at faolex.fao.org
5. ↑ Wolfgang Schippke: "The two Minerva reefs, once DXCC" ( Memento of the original from March 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 

Coordinates: 23 ° 47 ′  S , 179 ° 2 ′  W