FANNING ISLAND 03°54'N 139923'W LINE ISLANDS General Fanning Island, with its neighbors, Washington and Christmas, forms the British Line Islands administrative district under the charge of a District Commissioner. With one exception, all the land is owned and used for a coconut plantation by the Washington and Fanning Island Estates, Burns-Philips Trading Corporation. The small section of Crown land around the abandoned Cable Station is now leased from the Crown by the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii. Physical Data Fanning Island is approximately 32 miles in circumference. It is a typical atoll, a narrow land area enclosing a lagoon with an area of about 45 square miles; it is 10-1/2-miles long and a half-mile at its widest land point; total land area is approximately 8,500 acres. The barrier reef is not more than 2 to 4-ft. high, except where sea action on the northern and eastern sides has thrown up a rim or barrier about 10-ft. high. A fringing reef encircles the atoll. A boat channel runs from the Whales Anchorage on the northwestern side of the atoll, in the vicinity of the Cable Station, to English Harbor on the southwestern side of the atoll. The only entrance for ships into the lagoon is at English Harbor which can accommodate ships of less than 500 tons in 20-ft. of water. The lagoon, except for the inner harbor at English Harbor, is choked with coral heads and patches. In addition to the palm plantation, the area is overgrownwith a tropical vegetation of plants, low brush and trees. Many sea and migratorybirds are also found on Fanning. Climate The island lies in the southern boundaryof the equatorial moist zone. Prevailing winds are from the east to east-northeast. Average wind velocity is 10 mph. The mean annual temperature is 82°F. High temperatures of 95°F and upward occur in all months. 100°F temperatures occur from September through November with lows of 68°F from February to September. Average annual rainfall is 99 inches. Wet season - Januaryto June - with monthly precipitation averages of 10 to l3-in. Dry season July to December - with precipitation averaging between 3 and 5-in. each month. Rainfall is capricious and varies greatly at times; i.e., in 1904 over 207~in. was recorded and in 1931 only 47-in. Relative humidity is high, ranging from a low of 69% to a high of 81%, throughout the year. Facilities The abandoned British Cable Station installation is available for scientific use via the University of Hawaii. No public housing or facilities are available. A small 2, 700-ft. airstrip for small aircraft is on the south side of the island. Wharfs and 5-ton cranes are located on each side of the main pass (English Harbor). LST's can unload directly onto the wharfs where depth alongside is 5-ft; also, there are good landing beach areas for LCM or LOU craft in this section: There is an all-weather hard-packed coral road from English Harbor (Cartwright Point) to the Cable Station. Vehicles are not for hire as the plantation has only a few for their own use. - VOLIL April 1969