Everything about San Clemente Island totally explained
San Clemente Island or
SCI is the southernmost of the
Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the
United States Navy, and is a part of
Los Angeles County. Defined by the
United States Census Bureau as
Block Group 2 of
Census Tract 5991 of
Los Angeles County, California, it's 21
nautical miles (39 km) long and contains 147.13 km² (56.81 mi²) of land. The island is officially
uninhabited as of
2000 U.S. Census .
History
Archeologists have found traces of human occupation on the San Clemente Island dating back 10,000 years, a remarkable figure for an island 55 nautical miles (102 km) out to sea, but consistent with results on other Channel Islands.
Later inhabitants left trade materials from the northern islands and from the mainland, including
Coso obsidian from the California desert. It hasn't been established what tribe the recent inhabitants belonged to,
although the
Tongva, who are well attested from
Santa Catalina Island, are the most likely candidates. The
Chumash, who occupied the northern Channel Islands, may have influenced the inhabitants.
The island was named by
Spanish explorer
Sebastian Vizcaino, who spotted it on
November 23,
1602,
Saint Clement's
feast day. It was used by ranchers, fishermen, and smugglers during the 19th century and into the 20th century.
In the 1920s and 1930s the factory ships
Lansing and
California anchored off San Clemente Island, processing blue and fin whales, among other species, caught by their steam-driven whale catchers.
The city of
San Clemente in
Orange County, California is named after the island.
Navy base
The U.S. Navy acquired the island in 1934. It is the Navy's only remaining ship-to-shore live firing range and is the center of the integrated air/land/sea
San Clemente Island Range Complex covering 2,620
nm² (8,990 km²).
It is an active
sonar base and has a $21 million simulated
embassy for
commando training.
There is also a U.S. Navy
rocket-test facility on San Clemente. It is situated at . Some
Polaris-program test rockets were launched from San Clemente between 1957 and 1960.
The U.S. Navy also uses the island as an auxiliary naval airfield:
Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island. The main runway 23/05 is used for carrier training by the Navy. Other branches also use this airfield, including the
United States Coast Guard. Pilots that use this airfield find it to be one of the most demanding airbases in the United States; it's known for its high winds and dangerous terrain that surrounds the runway.
The airfield is also home to the
United States Navy SEALs training facilities located north of the runways.
Fauna and flora
The
San Clemente Island Loggerhead Shrike is an
endangered species that the Navy is taking steps to protect. The
San Clemente Island Fox is an
indigenous species.
Feral goats roamed the island for centuries, reaching a population of 11,000 in 1972, when their effect on indigenous species was realized. By 1980 the population had been reduced to 4,000. A plan for shooting remaining goats was blocked in court by the
Fund for Animals, so the goats were removed with nets and helicopters. The
San Clemente Goat is a recognized breed of domestic goat. The coves around the island are visited by divers attracted by the abundant sea life, including
sea lions,
lobsters,
hydrocoral and
kelp forests.
The wildflower
San Clemente Island brodiaea is endemic to this island.
Gallery
Image:2808_aquaimages.jpg|Sunrise at Pyramid Point, San Clemente Island
Image:0295_aquaimages.jpg|Bluebanded Gobies, San Clemente Island
Image:2706_aquaimages.jpg|California Moray Eel, San Clemente Island
Image:2728_aquaimages.jpg|Kelp forest and sardines
Image:2780_aquaimages.jpg|Giant Black Sea Bass, San Clemente Island
Image:2781_aquaimages.jpg|Giant Black Sea Bass, San Clemente Island
Image:2826_aquaimages.jpg|Sea Fan, San Clemente Island
Image:3327_aquaimages.jpg|Hermissenda Nudibranch, San Clemente Island
Image:5662_aquaimages.jpg|Bat Ray in kelp forest, San Clemente Island
Image:5687_aquaimages.jpg|Spanish Shawl nudibranch
Image:0458_aquaimages.jpg|Swell Shark, San Clemente Island
Image:0461_aquaimages.jpg|Swell Shark closeup
Further Information
Get more info on 'San Clemente Island'.
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