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636 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 7, Chapter 15 31 MAY 2020 145° 146° 147° 148° Chart Coverage in Coast Pilot 7—Chapter 15 21° NOAA’s Online Interactive Chart Catalog has complete chart coverage http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml Farallon de Pajeros 81086 (Plan A) 142° 143° 144° Maug Island 20° 81092 Asuncion Island 81086 (Plan D) M 19° 81086 (Plan E) Agrihan Island 176°38' 176°29' 0°48' Pagan Island 83116 Howland Island 81092 18° Alamagan Island I 8108681086 (Plan(Plan G)E) Guguan Island 81086 (Plan H) Baker Island 83116 0°12' 17° Sarigan Island 81086 (Plan B) Anatahan Island 81086 (Plan J) 166°38' 81086 (Plan C) Farallon de Medinilla 16° Wake Island 19°18' 81076 Saipan Island 81664 81071 15° Tinian Island 81067 Rota Island 81063 14° 162°05' 81054 NORTH PA CIFIC OCEAN Palmyra Atoll Guam 5°53 83157 13° 81048 170°45' 169°40' 169°30' 168°10' Ofu Island Olosega Island 14°10'S Tutuila Island S I (U.S.) 83484 Tau Island 14°28'S 83484 SOUTH PA CIFIC OCEAN 83484 14°30'S Rose Atoll 31 MAY 2020 U.S. Coast Pilot 7, Chapter 15 ¢ 637 Pacific Islands (1) Islands and Pacific waters discussed in this chapter Western Samoa comprises the islands of Upolu Island are other than those of the Hawai‘ian Archipelago. See and Savai'i Island. Chapter 14, Hawaii, for the latter. (8) The Samoa Islands have been populated for 3,000 (2) years but known to the western world for little more than National Wildlife Refuges two centuries. American Samoa, the only U.S. territory (3) The U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife south of the equator, consists of five rugged, highly Service, National Wildlife Refuge System, Pacific Reefs eroded volcanic islands and two coral atolls. The land National Wildlife Refuge Complex manages ten National area of the territory is 76 square miles. The islands have Wildlife Refuges in the Pacific region. Eight of these a population of approximately 65,000, with most people Refuges consist of waters and submerged and emergent living on Tutuila Island. Tuna fishing and canning are the lands. The remaining two refuges, the Marianas Arc major industries. of Fire and the Mariana Trench National Wildlife (9) The National Marine Sanctuary of American Refuges, consist only of submerged lands. Samoa, established in 1986 and expanded in 2012, (4) The eight National Wildlife Refuges are Rose consists of six distinct units. These units include Larsen Atoll (American Samoa), Johnston Atoll, Wake Atoll, Bay (Fagalua/Fogama‘a), Fagatele Bay and the waters Howland Island, Baker Island, Jarvis Island, Kingman surrounding Swains Island, Rose Atoll (Muliava), Annu’u Reef and Palmyra Atoll. The refuge boundaries extend Island (partial) and Ta’u Island (partial). The precise outward 12 miles, except at Rose Atoll. The refuges are boundaries are defined by regulation. The Sanctuary managed as highly restricted marine reserves to prevent contains a unique and vast array of tropical marine the introduction of invasive species (e.g., rats, insects, organisms, including corals and a diverse tropical reef plants) and protect nesting seabirds, sea turtles, other ecosystem with endangered and threatened species. The sensitive wildlife and coral reef habitats. Sanctuary also contains areas such as near-shore, mid- (5) The waters and submerged and emergent lands of shore, deep reef, seamount, open pelagic waters and other National Wildlife Refuges are subject to the regulations habitats and areas of historical and cultural significance. governing the National Wildlife Refuge System found in (See 15 CFR 922.1 through 922.50 and Subpart J, Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations, parts 25–38. Chapter 2, for limits and regulations.) Therefore, except as provided by international law, these (10) areas are closed to all forms of entry, other than innocent COLREGS Demarcation Lines passage, unless specifically authorized by a Special Use (11) The lines established for U.S. Pacific Island Permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. An Possessions are described in 33 CFR 80.1495, Chapter 2. entry permit is obtained from Pacific Reefs National (12) Wildlife Refuge Complex (see Appendix A, Department Weather, Samoa Islands of Interior for address). For more information, visit (13) The prevailing winds, or so-called trade winds, come the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife from a direction more nearly east, blowing between east- Refuge and Marine Monuments at www.fws.gov/ southeast and north-northeast. They are fairly constant pacificislandsrefuges. through the dry season, but during the wet season they (6) are fitful and are frequently broken by periods of calm. ENCs - US5SP30M, US5SP31M, US5SP30M, The islands lie within the typhoon area of the west Pacific. US5SP31M, US4SP30M, US4SP30M Typhoons occur from January to March and occasionally Chart - 83484 up to the middle of April. The year divides itself distinctly but not sharply into a dry season (May to November) and (7) The Samoa Islands (Navigator Islands) (13°25'S. to a wet season (November to April.) The wettest month, 14°30'S.; 168°00'W. to 173°00'W.) consists of two groups January, has a range of 5 to 65 inches of precipitation. of islands, which are commonly referred to as American The annual rainfall has also varied this much. The climate Samoa and Western Samoa. The islands comprising varies little from year to year because of the great area American Samoa are Tutuila Island, Aunuu Island, of water surrounding the group. December is the hottest Ofu Island, Olosega Island, Ta'u Island and Rose Atoll. month, with an average excess of only about 2° over the mean temperature for July, the coldest month. 638 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 7, Chapter 15 31 MAY 2020 (14) east of Tutuila Island. Ofu and Olosega are joined by a Caution bridge. These islands are sparsely populated. The villages (15) Caution should be exercised in the vicinity of on the islands have only a few hundred people. There is American Samoa, as several Fish Aggregating Devices a national park on Ofu and Ta'ū Island. have been moored at off-lying, deep-water locations (22) Ta'ū Island (14°15'S., 169°28'W.) is the farthest around Tutuila Island and other positions around east of the three islands which comprise the Manu'a the group. The devices may drift off position, and/ Islands. The island is about 5.8 miles long, east to west, or concentrations of fishing vessels may be found in is dome-shaped and rises to a height of 3,170 feet. It is their vicinity. The devices are comprised of aluminum covered with vegetation. Maafee Island is located close catamaran floats painted orange and white. Each device offshore, about 0.3 mile south of the west extremity of carries a white daymark, fitted with the letter designation the island. of the device, and a flashing white light. The devices offer (23) Ta'u Harbor (14°14.5'S., 169°30.6'W.), on the good radar returns. west shore, has an entrance channel, marked by a 045° unlighted range, and leads northeast to a turning basin in (16) Rose Atoll (14°33'S., 168°09'W.), the farthest east the harbor. In 2012, the controlling depth was 14.5 feet in of the Samoa Islands, is nearly square in shape; its sides the entrance channel, thence depths of 10 to 13 feet were are about 1.5 miles in length. Sand Island, inside the reef available in the basin (except for lesser depths to 7 feet on the north extremity, is merely a sand spot. A large in the south corner.) Permission to enter the harbor along clump of trees, 65 feet high, stands on Rose Island. A boat with directions must be obtained from the harbormaster channel leading inside the atoll is close west of the north in Pago Pago Harbor. extremity of the reef. This channel is very dangerous to (24) The entrance channel to the harbor is cut through navigate and should only be attempted in an emergency. a reef. Waves routinely break along this reef on either (17) Rose Atoll Marine National Monument side of the harbor entrance and may be encountered in incorporates approximately 13,451 square miles within the channel during moderate surf conditions. In transiting its boundaries, which extend 50 miles from the mean the entrance channel, attempts to time incoming swells low water line of Rose Atoll. Permission is not required may be difficult due to the unpredictable nature of wave for innocent passage through these waters; however, systems in the vicinity. If there is a necessity to transit mariners should exercise extreme caution to avoid close the channel during periods of moderate surf, low tide proximity (within 1 mile) to reefs and emergent land, may present safer conditions. Faleāsao Harbor may also disturbance to wildlife, sensitive habitats, introduction provide more favorable conditions when wind and seas of invasive species or accidental grounding. Commercial are out of the southeast. fishing is prohibited within the Monument (See 50 CFR (25) Faleasao Harbor (14°13.02'S., 169°30.10'W.) 665). More information can be found at fws.gov/refuge/ is located at the northwest point of Ta'u Island. Severe rose_atoll_marine_national_monument. storms have damaged the jetty, and mariners are advised (18) Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge encompasses to avoid the jetty while transiting the channel. Numerous all lands and waters within the mean low water line of coral heads and a shallow bottom present a danger to the outer reef. Entry to the refuge is strictly prohibited navigation.
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