Palmyra Atoll-part 2

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After 3 months on Palmyra Atoll, it was time to pass the island and the work to another crew. Its been an amazing experience to live on an idylic tropical isle with only 4 other people, at least for a while. Undeveloped and now protected, Palmyra is an example of what nature can do after man has done his worst. Nearly leveled, contaminated and almost treeless during WW2, the Atoll is now covered in thick lush jungle, and many thousands of coconut palms. Birds nest by the thousands and marine life is in recovery. Still, if you look around, the war relics are ever present, jutting from the lagoon or embedded in the jungle, covered with vines. Its a reminder of a violent past history, and what could happen again if we are not carefull. Palmyra to me was also full of mystery, legends of pirates, ghost stories, curses, dissapearing boats and planes and the very real 'Sea Wind' killings in 1974, captured in the best selling book, 'And the Sea Will Tell.' So now we have left Palmyra on the horizon, on the way to Christmas Island-again-a 450 mile sea journey aboard the 50 ft Spartan Queen, and eventually I will be back in Hawaii, ready to travel the Earth once again!

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Photos

not exactly the tin man
always on the lookout for WW2 artifacts, a few finds of mine. I left these on Palmyra for others to enjoy.

castaways?
another after work day exploring the Atoll.

Sea Wind
the Sea Wind hidaway, for the lost crew of the Sea Wind in 1974, Mac and Muff Graham, who never made it off Palmyra.

sleeping Booby
a red footed booby catches a nap, hanging upside down!

melancholy face...
well youd be too if youd been rusting in the jungle for 70 years....after clearing the jungle to remove WW2 debris, you find a gem like this, an old electrical panel, gazing at you.

yacht club?
Palmyra yacht club, a relic from the late 70s, when yachts ventured from around the world to come here, and place their names on the walls...

sunset
Another sunset over the lagoon, time to bid palmyra farewell.....

morning on the reef
checking out the reef in the lagoon, a nice way to spend a sunday.

hermits..
2 of what must be hundreds of thousands of hermit crabs, found everyhwere on Pamyra

mullet
big 'smoker' mullet gather around one of the WW2 gun turrets, now a sort of artificial reef.

Sooty Tern
On Palmyra there are many thousands of these terns nesting. they never seem to sleep, screeching at all hours, 24 hours a day!

raft?
In the middle of the pacific you find all sorts of artifacts washed in, but the raft is a mystery! caught on the inner reef, no one to be found (I looked)

swimmin hole view
looking out to the lagoon, and the swimmin hole'

best boobies!
life on palmyra--runway restoration project, and boobies are a type of seabird!

crab town cafe!
part of my job was to make and paint the runway 'greeting' signs -a tradition here. One of my contributions to the effort.

farewell escort
A few friends aboard the skiff, saying goodby as we head out to sea, Palmyra in the background

seaward
through the life ring, onboard the Spartan Queen, leaving Palmyra for Christmas Island, Kiribati. 400 miles to go.

salmon sky
halfway to Christmas Isl. weather moving in but a pretty sunset...

Comments

[James Waters]

WW2 relics on Palmyra
Hi thanks for the pictures, I have always been fascinated by this island ever since seeing Alby Mangels movie World Safari 1 as a kid, they where on Palmyra in the early seventy's and some reason the island had not been cleaned of all its WW2 relics if you haven't seen this footage its amazing they even got jeeps and trucks running, please see link and go 26min in to the movie, enjoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0nG67zO6eU