Decatur (DDG 73) - Naval Cruise Book

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E o Guam, island in tiie western North Pacific Ocean, unincorporated territory of tiie United States, largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands. It is 48 km (30 mi) long and a maximum of about 13 km (about 8 mi) wide; the total area is 549 sq km (212 sq mi). The capital of Guam is Hagatna. The northern portion of the island is a plateau of coral formation; the southern portion is hilly and of volcanic origin. The only good anchorage is Apra Harbor, on the western coast. The climate is tropical, with an average annual temperature of 26.7° C (80° F). Guam is one of the principal U.S. defense fortifications in the western Pacific Ocean and is the site of extensive naval, army, and air force installa- tions. Petroleum refining, ship repairing, and other service industries to the military establishment form a major part of the local economy. Farming and fishing are relatively well developed. Vegetables, citrus and tropical fruits, coconuts, and sugarcane are grown, and livestock, especially poultry, is raised. Manufactures include textiles, cement, and plastics. Tourism is of growing importance. ' 3i %k ' 4 0 40

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•V 5 ' 7-! i--» T East Timor, territory in Southeast Asia, forming the eastern half of the island of Timor. It is bordered by the Wetar Strait to the north and the Timor Sea to the south. The western half of the island belongs to the Republic of Indonesia and is part of East Nusa Tengarra province. East Timor was a Portuguese colony from the early 1 6th century until 1 975 and was claimed as a province of Indonesia from 1 976 to 1 999. In August 1999 the East Timorese population voted to , become an independent nation, and the territory was subsequently placed under the administration of the United Nations (UN) as it transitioned to complete independence. m 0) 3 o ji D 39

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H ■■■■ B 1 H B 1 1 Ii 1 m J tm Hb.: -f . I HH i hi u 1 J » Pearl Harbor, inlet of the island of Oahu, Hawaii, 10 km (6 mi) west of Honolulu, and the site of one of the principal naval bases of the United States. The United States government first obtained exclusive use of the inlet and the right to maintain a repair and coaling station for ships here in 1887. The harbor was surveyed then and later, but improvements were not begun until after the United States annexed the Hawaiian Islands in 1898. In 1911 the work of dredging a wide channel from the sea, across the sandbar and coral reef at the mouth of the harbor, was completed. The channel is 1 1 m (35 ft) deep, and the harbor has a maximum depth of 18 m (60 ft), making the harbor available to the largest naval vessels. Early in the morning of December 7, 1 941 , Japanese submarines and carrier-based planes attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. Nearby military airfields were also attacked by the Japanese planes. Eight American battleships and 1 3 other naval vessels were sunk or badly damaged, almost 200 American aircraft were destroyed, and approximately 3,000 naval and military personnel were killed or wounded. The attack marked the entrance of Japan into World War II on the side of Germany and Italy, and the entrance of the United States on the Allied side. I ' SS AriZ ' ma Memorial 0 o a) 0) o p m IM L j( B Ii |||Hk s SS 41