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Author Topic: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?  (Read 27253 times)

JNev

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #15 on: December 02, 2014, 04:35:55 AM »

I don't see it as a key, and in fact view it as probably irrelevant but an interesting thing to ponder - and in doing so believe it is demostrable that it in fact holds no key.

I also don't care to impart any sense of defensiveness about the core theory by being too reactive about it, and have no fear of such discussion.

Just a different point of view, I suppose - no foul intended.
- Jeff Neville

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Ric Gillespie

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2014, 05:41:28 PM »

No harm. No foul.
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Jerry Germann

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #17 on: December 16, 2014, 04:10:05 PM »

Wireless radio tower at Nauru in 1924....looks about 300 plus feet in height; ( judging by an estimated 18 foot ridge peak on the station house beneath it.)


Photo credit due , National Archives of Australia

 This story states a light on top of tower......

http://www.warsailors.com/raidervictims/vinni2.html

During wartime, allied ships were required to follow certain defensive procedures. These included a black-out which prohibited the showing of any lights, including navigation lights. In consequence, no other ships were visible to Triaster as she steamed towards the Island. All that could be seen, when the rain squalls permitted, was the fixed white light on top of the Nauru radio mast.

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?138653

According to bit taken from this story, this tower was destroyed on/ about Dec 11th ,1941.

Threats on Nauru[edit]German attacks[edit]
German attacks on Nauru the 7, 8, and 27 December 1940.See also: German attacks on Nauru
The Second World War first reached Nauru in early December 1940 when two German armed merchantmen disguised as civilian freighters targeted the island. Their aim was to disrupt production of phosphate and thereby weaken the agriculture-based economies of Australia and New Zealand. Orion, Komet, and their supply ship Kulmerland headed for Nauru with the purpose of destroying the main infrastructure. Due to bad weather conditions they were unable to make a landing on the island, but sank several merchantmen in the area. On 27 December, Komet returned to Nauru, and though again unable to land a shore party, severely damaged the mining facilities and exposed loading jetties with gunfire. The island's chief administrator, Frederick Royden Chalmers, a former Lieutenant-Colonel in the Australian Army who had served in the Boer War and First World War, reportedly stormed along the waterfront hurling verbal abuse at the German ship, which slipped away unharmed.[7]

Declaration of war by Japan[edit]For the Japanese, the importance of Nauru was twofold: first, they were interested in acquiring the island's phosphate deposits; second, Nauru was potentially a good base from which to launch aerial attacks against the Gilbert Islands and to threaten the sea route between Australia and North America.[8]

The attack on Pearl Harbor, on 7 December 1941, marked American entry into the war in the Pacific. On the 8th (actually the same day, as the international Date Line separates Hawaii and Nauru) a Japanese surveillance aircraft was sighted above the island.[9] The first attack took place on 9 December; three planes flying from the Marshall Islands bombed the wireless station at Nauru,[10] but failed to cause any damage.[8] The Nauruans, warned by observers on Ocean Island 350 kilometres (189 nmi; 217 mi) to the east, managed to seek shelter before the attack.[8] The following day, another plane made a second attempt on the radio station. The third day, four planes made a low-altitude strike and finally destroyed it.[8] During these three days, 51 bombs were dropped on or close to the station.[8] The governor of the island, Lieutenant-Colonel Chalmers, sent a message to Canberra stating that he thought the Japanese hadn't destroyed phosphate production facilities as they intended to occupy the island for its resources.[8] All maritime contact with the rest of the world was interrupted. The BPC ship Trienza, en route with supplies, was recalled. Until the end of February 1942, there were daily sightings of Japanese planes over the island.[8]

In other parts of the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese advance rolled forward. They occupied the Gilbert Islands, north-east of Nauru, during Christmas 1941, and in January 1942 they took Rabaul, south-west of Nauru, and established a major base there.[8] Nauru was therefore isolated, situated between the two main Japanese axes of advance. On 19 February 1942, the bombing of Darwin marked the first time in its history that Australia was directly targeted on a large scale by a foreign power. News of the attack caused deep consternation on Nauru.[8]

If photo dates and story links are correct , it appears that the light might possibly be around 560 feet ...tower placed on highest point of island.

Photo credit due , National Archives of Australia
« Last Edit: February 24, 2015, 11:51:21 AM by Jerry Germann »
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Jerry Germann

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #18 on: January 06, 2015, 10:58:06 PM »

Here to complete the story is a view of the aftermath of the Japanese bombing raid, which was successful in bringing the tower down.
Old maps suggest that the old light pulsated every 8 seconds ,and that the tower was at 171 meters in elevation.
Later it seems that the light was replaced ( I believe in the mid 1930's) with a fixed white light.
There appears to be a small mound ( present in 1924 photo) and again in this post bombing photo taken some 19 years later.
I am unsure as to which, if any, objects outlined are the remains of the base the tower, I placed a maroon square around what appears to be remnants of a concrete pad , and also placed a red box around a dark patch that appears to have a path/road around/ up to it . I don't see any tower scrap, maybe someone else can.
« Last Edit: February 26, 2015, 10:39:28 PM by Jerry Germann »
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JNev

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #19 on: January 07, 2015, 04:37:42 AM »

171 meters does equal approximately 562.5 feet.

Interesting story and pictures, Jerry.
- Jeff Neville

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Martin X. Moleski, SJ

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #20 on: January 07, 2015, 05:02:13 AM »

171 meters does equal approximately 562.5 feet.

Jerry's quotation was "171 meters in elevation." 

That doesn't look like a 50-story tall antenna to me.

Seems to me that "171 m in elevation" may mean "171 m above sea level."
LTM,

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JNev

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #21 on: January 07, 2015, 06:55:20 AM »

Precisely.
- Jeff Neville

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Jerry Germann

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #22 on: January 07, 2015, 08:03:05 AM »

Correct,....from sea level. Wikipedia mentions that the highest point on Nauru is some 233 feet above sea level, looking at the radio building and estimating it's roof peak height at 18', I estimate the tower at some 330 feet in height.
From this map of nauru , published date 1921 , one sees that the WAT ( wireless attenna mast) was at 171 meters (above sea level) and that the light atop pulsated every 8 seconds. This light was only visible to 15 nm. The new light was 5,000 candlepower and was mentioned as being visible from 34 nm, per the telegram.
« Last Edit: January 07, 2015, 08:29:16 AM by Jerry Germann »
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Jerry Germann

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #23 on: January 08, 2015, 02:04:13 PM »

This war hero , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xDVSn2JL10  photographed what looks like a damaged tower in April 1943. While on patrol in the surrounding waters of Nauru, the periscope observer noted what he thought looked like 6 radio towers on the island, along with what he described as a tower on the highest hill that appeared as if it had radar equipment atop. http://www.drum228.org/warpatrols/warpatrol05.html  I believe he was identifying the Shewing phosphate mining towers as the 6 radio towers,..... and the tower atop the hill with the radar equipment ? It may be he was indeed photographing and observing what was left of the Radio antenna mast, ( possibly a portion above collapsed in upon itself to appear as if it had radar type looking equipment atop). In this photo it looks as if only about a third of the tower remains, and the bottom portion near the base looks severely damaged. The Ariel  photo attachment , taken Dec 1943 , in which I boxed what appears to be tower base remnants, doesn't appear to have tower scrap around it, (at least to my eye). If, I am looking at things correctly and thinking about things correctly , then it appears a tower scrap cleanup may have been conducted sometime between April 1943, and Dec 1943.

 
« Last Edit: January 09, 2015, 08:18:29 AM by Jerry Germann »
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Jerry Germann

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Re: Was Nauru light 56 METERS?
« Reply #24 on: January 12, 2015, 10:55:55 PM »

The lights to mine phosphorus during night time were also mentioned in the telegram,....this view appears to show them, strung along the cable between shewing towers. They look like the porcelain coated steel variety, ( green on top, white on bottom), like one would see hanging over a garage door back in the 30's, 40's 50's .

 
Photo;  Courtesy ;  National Archives of Australia
« Last Edit: February 24, 2015, 11:47:21 AM by Jerry Germann »
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