San Clemente Island
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2008-04-07T03:59:10Z
PipepBot
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robot Adding: [[de:San Clemente Island]]
{{CoorHeader|32|55|15.13|N|118|30|55.96|W}}
[[Image:San-clemente-island.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of San Clemente Island]]
'''San Clemente Island''' or '''''SCI''''' is the southernmost of the [[Channel Islands of California]]. It is owned and operated by the [[United States Navy]], and is a part of [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]]. Defined by the [[United States Census Bureau]] as [[Census block group|Block Group]] 2 of [[census tract|Census Tract]] 5991 of [[Los Angeles County, California]], it is 21 [[nautical mile]]s (39 km) long and contains 147.13 km² (56.81 mi²) of land. The island is officially [[uninhabited island|uninhabited]] as of [[2000 U.S. Census ]].<ref> It is estimated, however, that the number of military and civilian personnel on the island numbers at least 300 any given time. [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-show_geoid=Y&-tree_id=4001&-_caller=geoselect&-context=dt&-errMsg=&-all_geo_types=N&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_G001&-redoLog=true&-transpose=N&-search_map_config=|b=50|l=en|t=4001|zf=0.0|ms=sel_00dec|dw=0.3599341050264767|dh=0.22748226131046756|dt=gov.census.aff.domain.map.EnglishMapExtent|if=gif|cx=-118.42426637496948|cy=33.37146458057821|zl=5|pz=5|bo=318:317:316:315:314:313:323:319|bl=362:393:392:358:357:356:355:354|ft=350:349:335:389:388:332:331|fl=381:403:204:380:369:379:368|g=05000US36061&-PANEL_ID=p_dt_geo_map&-_lang=en&-geo_id=15000US060375991002&-CONTEXT=dt&-format=&-search_results=15000US060375990004&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-keyword= Block Group 2, Census Tract 5991, Los Angeles County] </ref>
==History==
[[Archeologist]]s have found traces of human occupation on the San Clemente Island dating back 10,000 years, a remarkable figure for an island 55 nautical miles (102 km) out to sea, but consistent with results on other Channel Islands.
Later inhabitants left trade materials from the northern islands and from the mainland, including [[Coso Volcanic Field|Coso]] [[obsidian]] from the California desert. It has not been established what tribe the recent inhabitants belonged to,
although the [[Tongva]], who are well attested from [[Santa Catalina Island, California|Santa Catalina Island]], are the most likely candidates. The [[Chumash (tribe)|Chumash]], who occupied the northern Channel Islands, may have influenced the inhabitants.
The island was named by [[Spain|Spanish]] explorer [[Sebastian Vizcaino]], who spotted it on [[November 23]], [[1602]], [[Clement I|Saint Clement]]'s [[feast day]]. It was used by ranchers, fishermen, and smugglers during the 19th century and into the 20th century.
In the 1920s and 1930s the factory ships ''Lansing''<ref>California Fish and Game, Fisheries.</ref> and ''California''<ref>Keyes (1939)</ref> anchored off San Clemente Island, processing blue and fin whales, among other species, caught by their steam-driven whale catchers.
The city of [[San Clemente, California|San Clemente]] in [[Orange County, California]] is named after the island.
[[Image:Channel-islands-nasa-space-view.jpg|thumb|View from space of [[Southern California]] coast, showing Santa Catalina Island (closer to mainland) and San Clemente Island (further from mainland).]]
==Navy base==
The U.S. Navy acquired the island in 1934. It is the Navy's only remaining ship-to-shore live firing range and is the center of the integrated air/land/sea [[San Clemente Island Range Complex]] covering 2,620 [[square nautical mile|nm²]] (8,990 km²).
It is an active [[sonar]] base and has a $21 million simulated [[embassy]] for [[commando]] training.
There is also a U.S. Navy [[rocket]]-test facility on San Clemente. It is situated at {{coor dm|32|55|N|118|30|W|}}. Some [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris]]-program test rockets were launched from San Clemente between 1957 and 1960.
The U.S. Navy also uses the island as an auxiliary naval airfield: [[Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island]]. The main runway 23/05 is used for carrier training by the Navy. Other branches also use this airfield, including the [[United States Coast Guard]]. Pilots that use this airfield find it to be one of the most demanding airbases in the United States; it is known for its high winds and dangerous terrain that surrounds the runway.
The airfield is also home to the [[United States Navy SEALs]] training facilities located north of the runways.
==Fauna and flora==
The [[San Clemente Island Loggerhead Shrike]] is an [[endangered species]] that the Navy is taking steps to protect. The [[San Clemente Island Fox]] is an [[endemic (ecology)|indigenous]] species. [[Feral]] goats roamed the island for centuries, reaching a population of 11,000 in 1972, when their effect on indigenous species was realized. By 1980 the population had been reduced to 4,000. A plan for shooting remaining goats was blocked in court by the [[Fund for Animals]], so the goats were removed with nets and helicopters. The [[San Clemente Goat]] is a recognized breed of domestic goat. The coves around the island are visited by divers attracted by the abundant sea life, including [[sea lion]]s, [[lobster]]s, [[hydrocoral]] and [[kelp forest]]s.
The wildflower [[Brodiaea kinkiensis|San Clemente Island brodiaea]] is endemic to this island.
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:2808_aquaimages.jpg|Sunrise at Pyramid Point, San Clemente Island
Image:0295_aquaimages.jpg|Bluebanded Gobies, San Clemente Island
Image:2706_aquaimages.jpg|California Moray Eel, San Clemente Island
Image:2728_aquaimages.jpg|Kelp forest and sardines
Image:2780_aquaimages.jpg|Giant Black Sea Bass, San Clemente Island
Image:2781_aquaimages.jpg|Giant Black Sea Bass, San Clemente Island
Image:2826_aquaimages.jpg|Sea Fan, San Clemente Island
Image:3327_aquaimages.jpg|Hermissenda Nudibranch, San Clemente Island
Image:5662_aquaimages.jpg|Bat Ray in kelp forest, San Clemente Island
Image:5687_aquaimages.jpg|Spanish Shawl nudibranch
Image:0458_aquaimages.jpg|[[Swell Shark]], San Clemente Island
Image:0461_aquaimages.jpg|[[Swell Shark]] closeup
</gallery>
==External links==
*[http://www.scisland.org/ San Clemente Island]
*[http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/esis/lists/e101008.htm San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike]
*[http://www.astronautix.com/sites/sanmente.htm Rocket launches at San Clemente]
==References==
<references/>
{{8islands}}
[[Category:Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Channel Islands of California]]
[[de:San Clemente Island]]
[[et:San Clemente saar (California)]]
[[fr:Île San Clemente]]
[[pl:San Clemente Island]]