Editing Maro Reef

{{short description|Largely submerged coral atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands}}
[[File:Maro Reef.jpg|thumb|right|Satellite image of Maro Reef]]

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'''Maro Reef''' ([[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]]: '''Nalukākala'''  - "surf that arrives in [[combers]]") is a largely submerged [[coral]] [[atoll]] located in the [[Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]].  It was discovered in 1820 by Captain Joseph Allen of the ship ''[[Maro (whaleship)|Maro]]'', after whose ship the reef was named. With a total area of {{convert|747|sqmi|km2|0}}, it is the largest [[coral reef]] in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It contains 37 species of [[Scleractinia|stony coral]]. Unlike most atolls, the coral extends out from the center like spokes on a wheel.  Located about {{convert|850|mi|nmi km}} northwest of [[Honolulu, Hawaii]], Maro Reef contains about {{convert|1|acre|m2}} of dry land which itself can be submerged depending on the tides. Some scientists believe that it "may be on the verge of drowning" because the reefs are detached and are vulnerable to strong storm waves.<ref>[http://hawaiireef.noaa.gov/about/maro.html About Maro Reef<!--Bot-generated title-->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060212211450/http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/about/maro.html |date=2006-02-12 }}</ref>
[[File:PMNM - Mission San Miguel (27226604103).jpg|thumb|left|Wreck of the USNS ship ''Mission San Miguel''. All hands were evacuated before it sank in 1957. It was rediscovered in 2015]]
[[USNS Mission San Miguel (T-AO-129)|USNS ''Mission San Miguel'' (T-AO-129)]] ran aground on the reef, while running at full speed and in ballast, and sank on October 8, 1957.

The ship was a ''Buenaventura'' class tanker built in WW2, and due to problems with LORAN reception (for navigation) miscalculated its location striking Maro reef. It was rediscovered in 2015 by NOAA divers. At 523 feet long it is the largest ship lost on Maro reef and noted for historical significant as WW2 T2 tank vessel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mystery Solved: The Disappearance of USNS Mission San Miguel |url=https://marinesanctuary.org/blog/mystery-solved-usns-mission-san-miguel/ |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=National Marine Sanctuary Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>



[[File:People's Choice Nominee (4319811155).jpg|thumb|USCG image of an abandoned anchor in Maro Reef]]
==Dowsett Reef==
Dowsett Reef (also called Dowsett's Rock) is to the south of Maro Reef.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NagsAAAAMAAJ&q=sailing%20ship%20rebecca|title = All about Hawaii: The Recognized Book of Authentic Information on Hawaii, Combined with Thrum's Hawaiian Annual and Standard Guide|year = 1913|publisher = Honolulu Star-Bulletin}}</ref> The sailing ship ''McNear'', a bark, sunk on Dowsett Reef on May 14, 1900.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NagsAAAAMAAJ&q=sailing%20ship%20rebecca|title = All about Hawaii: The Recognized Book of Authentic Information on Hawaii, Combined with Thrum's Hawaiian Annual and Standard Guide|year = 1913|publisher = Honolulu Star-Bulletin}}</ref> The ship's 33 occupants survived by sailing in boats to [[Laysan]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NagsAAAAMAAJ&q=sailing%20ship%20rebecca|title = All about Hawaii: The Recognized Book of Authentic Information on Hawaii, Combined with Thrum's Hawaiian Annual and Standard Guide|year = 1913|publisher = Honolulu Star-Bulletin}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of reefs]]
*[[List of volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060212211450/http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/about/maro.html Maro Reef] Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve
*[https://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/episodes/kure/diaries/maro.html Quick Facts on Maro Reef from the PBS Ocean Adventures site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110903082931/http://pmnmims.org/ Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Information Management System]

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[[Category:Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]]
[[Category:Atolls of Hawaii]]
[[Category:Coral reefs of the United States]]
[[Category:Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain]]
[[Category:Reefs of the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Miocene volcanoes]]
[[Category:Paleogene Oceania]]
[[Category:Cenozoic Hawaii]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Hawaii]]


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