Roi Namur
| Roi Namur | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| Archipelago | Kwajalein -Atoll, Ralik chain | |
| Geographical location | 9 ° 24 ' N , 167 ° 29' E | |
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| Residents | 120 | |
Roi-Namur [ ˌɹɔɪ -nəˈmʊər ] is an island in the northern part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Ralik chain of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Today it forms a large part of the American Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (Kwajalein Missile Range) and is the location of several radar systems for tracking and identifying missile systems for re-entry (RV) into the atmosphere, as well as their camouflage and control systems (penetration aids , penaids).
geography
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The Kwajalein Atoll is the heart of the Marshall Islands and is approximately 3,900 kilometers from Hawaii . The atoll consists of 97 islands and covers an area of 6.33 square kilometers. The atoll encloses one of the world's largest lagoons with an area of 839 square kilometers. Roi-Namur is the second largest island and is located on the northern tip of the Kwajalein Atoll. It consists of two larger island bodies that are connected by a narrow central part. Roi ( Marshallese Ruot , rʷuɔ͡ʌtˠ ) lies in the west and Namur in the east ( Marshallese Niṃur , nʲi͡ɯmˠɯ͡urʷ ). The double island today has an area of approx. 2.6 km² (1 sqmi ). Freeflight International Airport (ROI) is located on the western body of the island . There is a boat connection from the south coast of Namur to Enubirr . To the southeast, the atoll ring continues with the islands of Ennugarret and Enumennet and to the southwest only after about 3 km with Ennuebing . There are the "Green Beaches" (Namur, south coast) and the "Red Beaches" (Roi, south and west).
history
The Marshall Islands became a German reserve in 1885, but no German officials came to the islands permanently until 1906. The administration was in the hands of a few powerful trading companies. With the Peace Treaty of Versailles , Japan took over the colonies after the First World War . The Japanese began intensive colonization, building large military bases and reinforcing existing ones. The islands became part of the Greater East Asian Prosperity Sphere .
Roi-Namur was the target of the American 4th Marine Division in the Battle of Kwajalein in early February 1944. After the American conquest, the US Navy Seabees filled in the space between the islands, so that the current shape was created.
Roi-Namur was selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as the location for a series of radar experiments as part of Project Defender and specifically Project PRESS . These experiments worked to improve the accuracy of radars so that an enemy missile could be detected upon reentry. Due to the location on Roi-Namur, the army was able to observe missile tests of the Nike-X program from Kwajalein Island and Meck Island further south.
In 1985, Roi-Namur was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark .
Today about 120 American and Marshallese employees of the Reagan Test Site live on Roi-Namur. The apartments and leisure facilities are located on Roi. There is a golf course (9-hole), a swimming pool, diving club, cinema and ball sports fields. The Free Flight International Airport is a small airport with a single runway, which is used mainly for passenger transport.
There are ALCOR, ALTAIR, MMW and TRADEX radar stations on Namur. There is also a small missile base from which short-range missiles are commonly fired for testing purposes. There are also crumbling buildings and pillbox bunkers from the Japanese occupation.
Map of Roi-Namur in World War I with a connecting dam.
TRADEX radar
