Roi-Namur ( ) is an island in the north part of the

Kwajalein Atoll Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ) is part of the Marshall Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking re ...

in the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

. Today, the island is a major part of the

Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, commonly referred to as the Reagan Test Site (formerly Kwajalein Missile Range), is a missile test range in Marshall Islands (Pacific Ocean). It covers about and includes rocket launch s ...

, hosting several

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

systems used for tracking and characterizing missile

reentry Atmospheric entry (sometimes listed as Vimpact or Ventry) is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. Atmospheric entry may be ''uncontrolled entr ...

vehicles (RV) and their

penetration aid A penetration aid (or "penaid") is a device or tactic used to increase an aircraft's capability of reaching its target without detection, and in particular intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) warhead's chances of penetrating a target's def ...

s (penaids). Roi-Namur is a military base of the United States, leased from the

Republic of the Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 ...

; however, defense of the Marshall Islands is the responsibility of the United States through the

Compact of Free Association The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) are international agreements establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia ( ...

. In 2024, a flooding event caused by

wave overtopping Wave overtopping is the time-averaged amount of water that is discharged (in liters per second) per structure length (in meters) by wind waves, waves over a structure such as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, revetment or levee, dike whi ...

made national news in the United States, with dramatic footage of water bursting through a door.

Etymology

The name of the island was coined after the then-separate islands Roi and Namur. ''Roi'' originates from the Marshallese word ''Ruot'', while ''Namur'' originates from the Marshallese word ''Nim̧ur''. The highest point on the island is called Mount Olympus, and is man-made mound that 17.5 meters elevation.

History

Germany annexed the Marshall Islands in 1885 but did not place government officials on the islands until 1906, leaving island affairs to a group of German trading companies. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the Japanese seized the Marshall Islands, and later, under the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...

, Japan formally took over operations under the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

mandate. The Japanese colonized the islands extensively, developing and fortifying large bases on many of the islands, eventually using them to aid in their Pacific invasion in December 1941. The

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

between the United States eventually reached the Marshall Islands in 1944. Aerial view of the landings on Namur island on 1 Feburary 1944

The fortified Roi-Namur was the target of the U.S. 4th Marine Division landing operation during the

Battle of Kwajalein The Battle of Kwajalein was fought as part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. It took place 31 January – 3 February 1944, on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Employing the hard-learned lessons of the Battle of Tarawa, the Unite ...

in February 1944, with a part of the island being blown up in an explosion that caused 120 American casualties. Marine Corps officers Aquilla J. Dyess and John V. Power both earned posthumous Medals of Honor. A total of 313 Americans were killed and 502 wounded in the operation, with the Japanese garrison of an estimated 3,563 men being killed. 80-G-213445

During the Japanese occupation, the two islands, (Roi to the west, and Namur to the east) were connected by a narrow strip of land and a

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

. After American occupation, US Navy

Seabee United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Forces (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Dependi ...

s filled the remaining area between the islands by December 1944. The two now joined islands are presently called Roi-Namur, having a total area of about one square mile. Roi-Namur was selected by

DARPA The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adva ...

as a host site for a series of radar experiments under the Project Defender umbrella, and Project PRESS. These experiments intended to use radar as a means to distinguish an enemy missile reentry vehicle (RV) from its

penetration aids A penetration aid (or "penaid") is a device or tactic used to increase an aircraft's capability of reaching its target without detection, and in particular intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) warhead's chances of penetrating a target's def ...

by examination of their size, shape, and velocity, as well as examining the wake they left in the upper atmosphere. By building on Roi-Namur, they were able to examine the test shots used by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Nike-X Nike-X was an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system designed in the 1960s by the United States Army to protect major cities in the United States from attacks by the Soviet Union's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fleet during the Cold War ...

program installed on

Kwajalein Island Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ) is part of the Marshall Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking re ...

and

Meck Island Meck Island (, ) is part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Ralik Chain in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. Meck is part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, and a launch site for anti-ballis ...

further to the south. The island was flooded in December 2008 by a “massive wave” which swamped coastal roads. A similar flood from one or more

rogue wave A rogue wave is an abnormally large ocean wave. Rogue wave may also refer to: * Optical rogue waves, are rare pulses of light analogous to rogue or freak ocean waves. * Rogue Wave Software, a software company * Rogue Wave (band), an American in ...

s or sneaker wave damaged buildings and swamped runways on 20 January 2024. The January 2024 event was a popular clip on social media and news sites in the United States. The Army embarked a cleanup operation called ''Operation Roi Recovery'' after the inundation wave on Roi-Namur.

Today

Roi-Namur is home to about 120 American and Marshallese employees of the

Reagan Test Site The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, commonly referred to as the Reagan Test Site (formerly Kwajalein Missile Range), is a missile test range in Marshall Islands (Pacific Ocean). It covers about and includes rocket launch s ...

. The Roi section of the island contains the main housing area, holding the retail and recreation facilities. Activities on Roi-Namur range from a nine-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

, tennis court, saltwater swimming pool, scuba club, movie theater, volleyball, and basketball court. Roi holds the Freeflight International Airport (Marshall Islands) with one runway for small planes commuting from Kwajalein. Additionally, Marshallese daytime workers come via ferry from the island of Enniburr. The Namur section is home to the ALCOR,

ALTAIR Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...

, MMW and TRADEX radar tracking stations. There is a small rocket launch facility on Roi-Namur, which usually shoots sounding rockets that ascend beyond the atmosphere but have a short range. There are crumbling remnants of Japanese blockhouses and pillboxes around Roi-Namur. File:Wyspy Roi-Namur - mapa.PNG, Map of Roi-Namur during World War II. The causeway is roughly centered. File:Tradex.jpg, ALTAIR radar File:Roi-Namur Welcome.jpg, Welcome sign for Docks Office

References

External links

Video of inundation event from a wave on Roi-Namur island, Kwajalein
(2024) {{authority control Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in the Marshall Islands Historic districts in the Marshall Islands National Historic Landmarks in the Marshall Islands Kwajalein Atoll World War II on the National Register of Historic Places 1944 establishments in the Marshall Islands Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in the Marshall Islands Islands of the Marshall Islands

Etymology

History

Today

See also

References

External links