🏝️ Peale Island

Peale Island is one of three islands in the Wake Island atoll, which lies in the Pacific Ocean between Guam and Midway. The atoll was, from 1935, the site of a seaplane base and a hotel built by Pan-American, who started the first transpacific passenger service using a string of islands across the Pacific to fly between America and Asia in stages. The island, like the rest of Wake, is made of coral fragments and sand, atop a seamount, and ringed by a living coral reef. The island is heavily forested with tropical scrub, trees, and grasses and is inhabited mainly by birds, rats, and hermit crabs. In the late 20th century, it was the site of a United States Coast Guard Loran Station, supporting radio navigation prior to satellite systems. The island is home to many historical items, including the Pan-American Hotel and remnants of World War II, such as bunkers and a rusted 8-inch coastal defense gun.