Cabras Island was historically a low-lying finger of land off the coast of

Piti In relation to a mortgage, PITI (pronounced like the word "pity") is the sum of the monthly principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, the component costs that add up to the monthly mortgage payment in most mortgages. That is, PITI is the sum of th ...

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

that formed part of the northern protective arm of

Apra Harbor Apra Harbor, also called Port Apra, is a deep-water port on the western side of the United States territory of Guam. It is considered one of the best natural ports in the Pacific Ocean. The harbor is bounded by Cabras Island and the Glass Breakwat ...

. Shortly after the 1944 Battle of Guam it was connected by a causeway to the mainland and extended by the Glass Breakwater, and is now typically referred to simply as Cabras. Cabras houses both the

Port of Guam The Port of Guam (officially, Jose D. Leon Guerrero Commercial Port) handles over ninety percent of total imports to the United States island territory of Guam. Located in the north of Apra Harbor on Cabras Island, it shares harbor waters with ...

and the primary

Guam Power Authority The Guam Power Authority (GPA, ) is an agency of the Government of Guam and Guam's electricity provider. Its headquarters are in Fadian, Mangilao, Guam.CHamoru name for Cabras, ''apapa'', meaning "low", gives Apra Harbor its name. Before the twentieth century, Apra Harbor was protected by the Guam mainland to the east; Cabras Island, Luminao Reef, and Calalan Bank to the north; and

Orote Peninsula The Orote Peninsula is a four kilometer-long peninsula jutting from the west coast of the United States territory of Guam. A major geologic feature of the island, it forms the southern coast of Apra Harbor and the northern coast of Agat Bay. Its t ...

to the south. After Spanish improvements to the harbor in the 1700s,

became the main port, with the only real road connecting Piti to the capital of Hagåtña to the north. The reef separating Cabras Island from the mainland was exposed at low tide and easily crossable by foot. The island was used for a quarantine camp. Among the improvements recommended by a 1930s board headed by Rear Admiral

Arthur Japy Hepburn Arthur Japy Hepburn (15 October 1877 – 31 May 1964) was an admiral in the United States Navy, whose active-duty career included service in the Spanish–American War, World War I, and World War II. He held a number of high posts in the years ...

in the run-up to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

was a

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...

upon Luminao Reef to the west of Cabras Island. Construction began in August 1941. Limestone blocks quarried at Cabras Island were skidded along the reef to an improvised

derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...

. By the time of the Japanese invasion in December 1941, one mile of breakwater, 36 feet wide five-feet above sea level had been constructed. The Glass Breakwater, named after the captain who captured Guam in 1898, was extended on Calalan Bank to a width of . The northern arm of Apra Harbor, from the main island through Cabras to the tip of the breakwater at Spanish Rocks measured . In 1964, the

Commander Naval Forces Marianas The Commander Naval Forces Marianas, also known as COMNAVMARIANAS, is the Navy force shore commander responsible for United States Navy activities in Guam, Saipan, Tinian and the surrounding islands, and is an Rear Admiral. COMNAVMARIANAS is curr ...

proposed that the commercial port be moved out of Inner Apra Harbor on

Naval Base Guam Naval Base Guam is a strategic U.S. naval base located on Apra Harbor and occupying the Orote Peninsula. In 2009, it was combined with Andersen Air Force Base to form Joint Region Marianas, which is a Navy-controlled joint base. The Ship Rep ...

to a new location on Cabras. Much of the funding for the

facility came through the Guam Rehabilitation Act of 1963, passed by Congress to rebuild the island after the devastation of

Typhoon Karen Typhoon Karen was the most powerful tropical cyclone to strike the island of Guam, and has been regarded as one of the most destructive events in the island's history. It was first identified as a tropical disturbance on November 6, 1962, ...

. The new port was completed in June 1969. The breakwater road is sometimes closed for security reasons during visits by ships. The island is also used for snorkeling and watersports.

References

Geography of Guam Islands of Guam Piti, Guam Apra Harbor {{Guam-geo-stub