Largest island in the group. The island was named for Captain Charles J. Johnston, commanding officer of HMS Cornwallis (1801). Originally 19 hectares, the island was expanded to 241 hectares by coral fill.

History
The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934. In 1936, the U.S. Navy began developing a seaplane baseus, an airstrip and refueling facilities on the atoll. The island was designated as a Naval Defensive Sea Area and Airspace Reservation on February 14, 1941.

Johnston Airfield & Seaplane Base
Used during the war part of the ferry route form Hawaii to the South Pacific

Japanese Missions Against Johnston Atoll
December 15, 1941 - June 1942

Postwar
The USAF assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and closure of the facility was completed by May 2005. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Air Force are currently discussing future management options. Presently, Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of the US Air Force.

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Last Updated
May 14, 2011