The Indispensable Reefs are a chain of three large coral atolls in the Coral Sea. They are located about 50km (30mi) south of Rennell Island, separated from it by Rennel Trough. The chain stretches over a length of 114km (71mi) and its average width is 18km (11mi).
Three atolls in Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands
Administratively the Indispensable Reef belongs to the Rennell and Bellona Province of the Solomon Islands. They are locally called "Goto'akau".[citation needed]
The three atolls are steep-to and each encloses a large deep lagoon. They are separated by deep passages twoto threekm (1.2–1.9mi) wide. The atolls of the Indispensable Reef are aligned in a NW-SE direction:[1]
North Reef is 18km (11mi) long, and up to 7km (4.3mi) wide. The rim of the atoll has two narrow openings in the north and northwest. The reef has a total area of 100km2 (39sqmi), including lagoon and reef flat. There are no islets.
Middle Reef is 51km (32mi) long. Little Nottingham Islet is a small islet located near the center of the reef. Besides its main lagoon, Middle Reef has a separate smaller northern lagoon. The total area is about 300km2 (120sqmi).
South Reef is 21km (13mi) long and up to 8km (5.0mi) wide. It encloses a lagoon 18 to 35 metres (59 to 115ft) deep. The total area exceeds 100km2 (39sqmi).
History
The ship Neptune struck Indispensable Reef on August 3, 1868, and was lost. The crew was rescued by the SS Boomerang.[citation needed]
During the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7, 1942, two Japanese carrier attack planes B5N2 (EI-306 and probably EI-302) flying reconnaissance mission from the carrier Shokaku ditched on Indispensable Reef due to lack of fuel.[2]
In the 1980s the Solomon Islands Government apprehended a vessel from Taiwan that had been poaching the giant clam stocks of Indispensable Reef.[citation needed] Corals and endangered fish species are also being plundered for the aquarium trade.[citation needed]
LUNDSTROM, John B. The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2005. ISBN1-59114-471-X. page 205
Corals: "Solomon Islands"(PDF). World Atlas of Coral Reefs. 19 May 2003. pp.330–333. Archived from the original(PDF) on 19 May 2003. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
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