Editing Wake Island (section)

====Tanker shipwreck and oil spill====
[[File:SS R.C. Stoner.tif|thumb|Wreck of the SS R.C. Stoner, 1967]]
On September 6, 1967, [[Chevron Corporation|Standard Oil of California]]'s 18,000-ton [[oil tanker|tanker]] SS ''R.C. Stoner'' was driven onto the reef at Wake Island by a strong southwesterly wind after the ship failed to [[mooring (watercraft)|moor]] to the two [[buoy]]s near the harbor entrance. An estimated six million gallons of refined [[fuel oil]] – including 5.7&nbsp;million gallons of [[aviation fuel]], 168,000 gallons of [[diesel oil]], and 138,600 gallons of bunker C fuel – spilled into the small boat harbor and along the southwestern coast of Wake Island to Peacock Point. The oil spill killed large numbers of fish; personnel from the FAA and crew members from the ship cleared the area closest to the spill of dead fish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-74000/NH-74180.html|title=NH 74180 SS R.C. STONER, a Standard Oil Tanker|website=NHHC|access-date=March 3, 2022|archive-date=June 4, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604181230/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-74000/NH-74180.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="google1972">{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cJpNszkPRqMC&dq=1967+SS+R.C.+Stoner&pg=PA215|title = Mobility, Support, Endurance, a Story of Naval Operational Logistics in the Vietnam War, 1965–68|year = 1972|access-date = March 20, 2023|archive-date = July 20, 2023|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230720150308/https://books.google.com/books?id=cJpNszkPRqMC&dq=1967+SS+R.C.+Stoner&pg=PA215|url-status = live}}</ref>

The U.S. Navy [[marine salvage|salvage]] team Harbor Clearance Unit Two and Pacific Fleet Salvage Officer Cmdr. John B. Orem flew to Wake to assess the situation. By September 13, the Navy tugs {{USS|Mataco|AT-86|6}} and {{USS|Wandank|ATA-204|6}}, salvage ships {{USS|Conserver|ARS-39|6}} and {{USS|Grapple|ARS-7|6}}, tanker {{USS|Noxubee|AOG-56|6}}, and {{USCGC|Mallow|WLB-396|6}}, arrived from Honolulu, Guam and [[Subic Bay]] in the Philippines, to assist in the cleanup and removal of the vessel. The salvage team pumped and skimmed oil at the boat harbor, which they burned each evening in nearby pits. Recovery by the Navy salvage team of the ''R.C. Stoner'' and its remaining cargo, however, was hampered by strong winds and heavy seas.<ref name="google1972" />

On September 16, [[Super Typhoon Sarah (1967)|Super Typhoon Sarah]] made landfall on Wake Island at peak intensity with winds up to 145-[[Knot (unit)|knots]], causing widespread damage. The storm's intensity significantly accelerated the cleanup effort by clearing the harbor and scouring the coast. However, oil remained embedded in the reef's flat crevices, impregnating the coral. The storm also had broken the wrecked vessel into three sections and, although delayed by rough seas and harassment by [[blacktip reef shark]]s, the salvage team used explosives to flatten and sink the remaining portions of the ship that were still above water.<ref>''Mud, Muscle, and Miracles: Marine Salvage in the United States Navy'', C.A. Bartholomew, William I. Milwee, Naval History & Heritage Command, U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009,  p. 282</ref><ref>''Oil Pollution on Wake Island from the Tanker R.C. Stoner'', Reginald M. Gooding, National Marine Fisheries Service, Hawaii Area Fishery Research Center, 1971</ref>