Editing Pago Pago, American Samoa (section)

====First and Second World Wars====
In May 1917, when the U.S. joined [[World War I]], two German ships anchoring in Pago Pago were seized. The 10,000-ton ''Elsass'' was towed to Honolulu and turned over to the U.S. Navy, while its smaller [[gunboat]], ''Solf'', was refitted in Pago Pago and given the name {{USS|Samoa}}. Wireless messaging between Pago Pago and Hawaii was routed through [[Fiji]]. As the British censored all messages through Fiji, the Navy quickly upgraded the facilities to go directly between Pago Pago and Honolulu.<ref name="Sunia-2009"/>{{rp|188}}

On January 10, 1938, the flying boat ''[[Samoan Clipper]]'' exploded just after leaving Pago Pago Harbor. Pilot [[Edwin Musick]] and his crew of six died in the accident.<ref>Stanley, David (1989). ''South Pacific Handbook''. [[Moon Publications]]. Page 358. {{ISBN|978-0-918373-29-8}}.</ref><ref>Cashman, Sean (1989). ''America in the Twenties and Thirties: The Olympian Age of Franklin Delano Roosevelt''. [[NYU Press]]. Page 524. {{ISBN|978-0-8147-7208-9}}.</ref>

Pago Pago was a vital naval base for the U.S. during [[World War II]].<ref>Labor, Earle (2013). ''Jack London: An American Life''. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Page 272. {{ISBN|9781466863163}}.</ref> Limited improvements at the naval station took place in the summer of 1940, which included a [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] airfield at [[Tafuna, American Samoa|Tafuna]]. The new airfield was partly operational by April 1942, and fully operational by June. On March 15, 1941, the Marine Corps' 7th Defense Battalion arrived in Pago Pago and was the first Fleet Marine Force unit to serve in the [[South Pacific Ocean]]. It was also the first such unit to be deployed in defense of an American island. Guns were emplaced at [[Blunts Point Battery|Blunts]] and [[Breakers Point Naval Guns|Breakers Points]], covering Pago Pago Harbor. It trained the only [[United States Marine Corps Reserve|Marine reserve]] unit to serve on active duty during World War II, namely the 1st Samoan Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The battalion mobilized after the attack on Pearl Harbor and remained active until January 1944.<ref name="Rottman-2002"/>{{rp|85–86}}

In January 1942 Pago Pago Harbor was shelled by a [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] [[submarine]], but this was the only battle action on the islands during World War II.<ref>Rill, James C. (2003). ''A Narrative History of the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines During the Early History and Deployment of the 1st Marine Division, 1940–43''. Merriam Press. Page 32. {{ISBN|9781576383179}}.</ref> On January 20, 1942, the 2nd Marine Brigade arrived in Pago Pago with about 5,000 men and various supplies of weaponry, including cannons and tanks.<ref>Kennedy, Joseph (2009). ''The Tropical Frontier: America's South Sea Colony''. University of Hawaii Press. Page 207. {{ISBN|9780980033151}}.</ref>

On August 24, 1943, Pago Pago and the [[U.S. Naval Station Tutuila Historic District|U.S. Naval Station]] was visited by First Lady [[Eleanor Roosevelt]].<ref name="usembassy">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.newzealand.usembassy.gov/ambassador/2012/07/eleanor-roosevelt-in-the-pacific/|title=David Huebner - US Ambassador to New Zealand|access-date=November 28, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227065234/http://blogs.newzealand.usembassy.gov/ambassador/2012/07/eleanor-roosevelt-in-the-pacific/|archive-date=February 27, 2013}}</ref><ref name="samoanews">{{cite web |url=http://samoanews.com/local-news/dedication-va-clinic-centerpiece-vp-pence-visit-amsam |website=samoanews.com |title=Dedication of VA Clinic centerpiece of VP Pence visit to AmSam |date=19 April 2017 |access-date=November 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026213828/http://samoanews.com/local-news/dedication-va-clinic-centerpiece-vp-pence-visit-amsam |archive-date=October 26, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

On October 7, 1949, the USS ''[[USS Chehalis (AOG-48)|Chehalis]]'', a World War II oil and gas tanker, exploded and sank in Pago Pago Harbor. It remains the only shipwreck from that era found in the harbor and lies just over 100 feet beneath the current fuel dock. Measuring 90 meters in length, the wreck continues to be considered a source of pollution impacting the water quality as of 2002.<ref>Wright, Dawn J. (2002). ''Undersea with GIS''. [[ESRI Press]]. Page 48. {{ISBN|978-1-58948-016-2}}.</ref><ref>https://npshistory.com/publications/npsa/brochures/naval-ww2-history.pdf</ref>