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The Kili Resettlement:
CHAPTER FIVE
1948-1954
Founding the Settlement
Ii date Sepecmber, 1948 two vessels carrying an advance pas
ty ol twenty four Bikint men and eight Seabees under the com
mand ofa Navy officer arrived at Kili,
Because of rough seas and
Kali’s reef, the vessels could noc be anchored near the shore. Ove
a period of twelve days, lumber, tarpaper roofing, concrete, Cools,
and other material for constructing a village had to be termed a
shore by rafts. An area was cleared on the north side of the is
land where the dwellings of the plantation iborers had formerly
stood. During October tent shelters, two concrete cisterns, and
four permanent buildings a store, copra warehouse, uredical dis
pensary, and council house were erected
On November 2 two vessels arrived bearing the rest of the
community,
The islanders had only their personal possesstons;
their canoes had further deteriorated at Kwajalein and had been
abandoned as worthless. Kil’s reef again hampered operations;
rough seas and hazardous landing conditions allowed only a few
people to reach shore, and the vessels proceeded to Jahue and
the shelter of its lagoon. Three days later the seas subsided; the
vessels made a dash go Kili, and unloading was completed. On
November 11 the vefsels and all navy personnel were returned to
Kwajalein, except fof
a carpenter's mate who remained to super-
vise the constructionof permanent dwellings. The Kwajalein epi
sode had lasted a little over seven months.