The ships were in need of water and the crew was suffering from scurvy, but after circling the island it was determined that Wake was waterless and had "not a cocoanut nor a pandanus" and, in fact, "there was nothing on it but sea-birds, and sandy places covered with bushes." In 1796, Captain Samuel Wake of the merchantman Prince William Henry also came upon Wake Island, naming the atoll for himself.
Soon thereafter the 80-ton fur trading merchant brig Halcyon arrived at Wake and Master Charles William Barkley, unaware of Captain Wake's earlier and other prior European contact, named the atoll Halcyon Island in honor of his ship. In 1823, Captain Edward Gardner, while in command of the Royal Navy's whaling ship HMS Bellona, visited an island at , which he judged to be long.
This report is considered to be another sighting of Wake Island. ===United States Exploring Expedition=== On December 20, 1841, the United States Exploring Expedition, commanded by US Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, arrived at Wake on and sent several boats to survey the island.
On the night of March 4, 1866, the 650-ton iron-hulled Libelle, of Bremen, struck the eastern reef of Wake Island during a gale.
On April 8, 1866, after 13 days of frequent squalls, short rations and tropical sun, the longboat reached Guam.
Ana departed Guam on April 10 and, after two days at Wake Island, found and salvaged the buried coins and precious stones as well as a small quantity of the quicksilver. ===The wreck of Dashing Wave=== On July 29, 1870, the British tea clipper Dashing Wave, under the command of Captain Henry Vandervord, sailed out of Foochoo, China, en route to Sydney.
On July 4, 1898, United States Army Brigadier General Francis V.
Greene of the 2nd Brigade, Philippine Expeditionary Force, of the Eighth Army Corps, stopped at Wake Island and raised the United States flag while en route to the Philippines on the steamship liner SS China. On January 17, 1899, under orders from President William McKinley, Commander Edward D.
House of Representatives Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce on January 17, 1902, that "Wake Island seems at times to be swept by the sea.
It is only a few feet above the level of the ocean, and if a cable station were established there very expensive works would be required; besides it has no harbor, while the Midway Islands are perfectly habitable and have a fair harbor for vessels of draught." On June 23, 1902, , commanded by Captain Alfred Croskey and bound for Manila, spotted a ship's boat on the beach as it passed closely by Wake Island.
One notable visit occurred in December 1906 when U.S.
This was the first recorded typhoon to hit the island since observations began in 1935. Super Typhoon Olive impacted Wake on September 16, 1952 with wind speeds reaching .
====Typhoons==== On October 19, 1940, an unnamed typhoon hit Wake Island with winds.
This was the first recorded typhoon to hit the island since observations began in 1935. Super Typhoon Olive impacted Wake on September 16, 1952 with wind speeds reaching .
Olive caused major flooding, destroyed approximately 85% of its structures and caused $1.6 million in damage. On September 16, 1967, at 10:40 pm local time, the eye of Super Typhoon Sarah passed over the island.
There were no serious injuries, and the majority of the civilian population was evacuated after the storm. On August 28, 2006, the United States Air Force evacuated all 188 residents and suspended all operations as category 5 Super Typhoon Ioke headed toward Wake.
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