Editing Palmyra Atoll (section)

====Pacific war====
[[File:The Pacific Battlefield, 1941.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|In December 1941, Palmyra found itself on the front lines of the Pacific War]]
In December 1941, the Empire of Japan declared war on the United States and Great Britain. It launched attacks and invasions across Asia and the Pacific, plunging the United States into [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter 1: The Japanese Offensive in the Pacific |url=https://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/MacArthur%20Reports/MacArthur%20V1/ch01.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918042521/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/MacArthur%20Reports/MacArthur%20V1/ch01.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 18, 2008 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=www.history. Army.mil}}</ref> In that context, the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] submarine ''[[Japanese submarine I-175|I-75]]'' bombarded the naval air station on December 24, 1941.<ref name=ijnsubsiteI175>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ijnsubsite.info/I-Sub%20Details/I-175.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316155404/http://www.ijnsubsite.info/I-Sub%20Details/I-175.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 16, 2016|title=I_175}}</ref><ref name=combinedfleetI175>{{cite web |url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-175.htm |title=IJN Submarine I-175: Tabular Record of Movement |first1=Bob |last1=Hackett |first2=Sander |last2=Kingsepp |work=combinedfleet.com |date=12 June 2010|access-date=6 May 2022}}</ref> Opening fire at 04:55 Greenwich [[Civil time|Civil Time]], the submarine fired twelve {{convert|120|mm|in|1|adj=on|sp=us}} rounds from the [[deck gun]], targeting the atoll's radio station, and hit the United States Army [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Corps of Engineers]] [[dredge]] ''Sacramento'', which was [[anchor]]ed in the lagoon, with one shell.<ref name=combinedfleetI175/> A {{convert|5|in|mm|sigfig=3|adj=on}} [[coastal artillery]] [[Artillery battery|battery]] on the atoll returned fire, forcing ''I-75'' to submerge and withdraw.<ref name=combinedfleetI175/>

Although the U.S. lost control of the [[Philippines campaign (1941–1942)|Philippines]], [[Battle of Guam (1941)|Guam]], and [[Battle of Wake Island|Wake]], early in the war, the tide of the Pacific battle was slowly turned with such battles as the [[Battle of Midway]] and [[Guadalcanal campaign|Guadalcanal]]. By 1944, much of the Southwest Pacific was in Allied control, and a combination of island hopping and strategic bombing led to the Japanese surrender in 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Pacific Strategy, 1941-1944 |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/pacific-strategy-1941-1944 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=The National WWII Museum {{!}} New Orleans |language=en}}</ref> During the war Palmyra base was used by the Navy for training and refueling.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Navy facilities Palmyra Atoll 1944 - ScienceBase-Catalog |url=https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/5925b294e4b0b7ff9fb3ca35 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=www.sciencebase.gov |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0"/> The atoll was extensively developed which reduced the numbers of islets from 52 to 25.<ref name=":0"/>

In the lobby of the "Transient Hotel" (built by the [[Seabees]], and used by airmen on their way to the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific Theater]] front), a mural was hung depicting a quiet island scene. It was painted by [[Academy Award]]-nominated [[art director]] [[William Glasgow (art director)|William Glasgow]], who served in the Army from 1943 to 1945. However, it is unclear when he painted it and how it ended up on Palmyra.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://palmyraarchive.org/items/show/145|encyclopedia=76th Naval Construction Battalion Yearbook|year=1945|access-date=August 28, 2017|via=Palmyra Archive|page=4|author=76th Navy CMBU|title=Palmyra Island|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828192256/http://palmyraarchive.org/items/show/145|archive-date=August 28, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1947, the base was returned to private ownership after a court case with the Federal government.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2018-12-18 |title=Discovering Palmyra: Westfield man creates archive on Pacific atoll, to visit for first time next month • Current Publishing |url=https://youarecurrent.com/2018/12/18/discovering-palmyra-westfield-man-creates-archive-on-pacific-atoll-to-visit-for-first-time-next-month/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |language=en-US}}</ref>

After World War II, much of the Naval Air Station was demolished, with some of the materials piled up and burned on the atoll, dumped into the lagoon, or, in the case of unexploded ordnance on some islets, left in place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cerc.usgs.gov/Projects.aspx?ProjectId=98 |title=Palmyra Atoll: WWII Naval Air Station Contaminant Impacts on Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems within the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge |website=www.cerc.usgs.gov |publisher=[[U.S. Geological Survey]] |access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> Compared to other bases little is known about the operations at Palmyra during WW2. However, it is known that the island was extensively modified.<ref name=":0" />{{further|Shelling of Johnston and Palmyra}}