San Clemente Island(Tongva:Kinkipar;Spanish:Isla de San Clemente)[1]is the southernmost of theChannel Islands of California.It is owned and operated by theUnited States Navy,[2]and is a part ofLos Angeles County.It is administered byNaval Base Coronado.It is 21 miles (34 km) long[3]and has 147.13 km2(56.81 sq mi) of land. The 2018 census estimates 148 military and civilian personnel reside on the island.[4]The city ofSan ClementeinOrange County, Californiais named after the island.
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| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 32°54′N118°30′W/ 32.900°N 118.500°W |
| Archipelago | Channel Islands (California) |
| Administration | |
| State |  California |
| County | Los Angeles |
Geography
editTopography
editGeologically, the island is described as being "the upper part of a tilted and gently arched northwestward-trending block of theearth's crustthat has a straight, steep northeastern slope and a more irregular and much gentler southwestern slope "that is composed primarily ofvolcanic rock,with the northeast boundary of the island having a largefaultthat parallels most of the major faults on the California mainland. San Clemente Island has some of the best examples ofmarine terracesand has trench-like canyons, streams, periodicwaterfalls,and pools of fresh water.[5]
Its highest point is Mount Thirst, at 1965 feet in elevation.[6]The elevation of the island's ridge can impact precipitation, as it can cause atmospheric moisture to condense and cause more intense precipitation. This was a factor in the intense rainstorm that hit San Diego on January 22, 2024.[7]
Climate
editThis region experiences warm and dry summers and moderate mild falls and winters with no average monthly temperature above 21 °C (69.5 °F). According to theKöppen Climate Classificationsystem, San Clemente Island has awarm-summer Mediterranean climate,abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[8]
| Climate data for San Clemente Island, CA (normals and extremes 1963-1989) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 84.0 (28.9) |
80.1 (26.7) |
87.1 (30.6) |
88.0 (31.1) |
93.9 (34.4) |
100.9 (38.3) |
86.0 (30.0) |
84.9 (29.4) |
102.0 (38.9) |
93.9 (34.4) |
90.0 (32.2) |
79.0 (26.1) |
102.0 (38.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
64 (18) |
65 (18) |
68 (20) |
69 (21) |
71 (22) |
74 (23) |
75 (24) |
75 (24) |
73 (23) |
68 (20) |
65 (18) |
69 (21) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 49 (9) |
50 (10) |
52 (11) |
54 (12) |
57 (14) |
60 (16) |
62 (17) |
64 (18) |
63 (17) |
59 (15) |
53 (12) |
49 (9) |
56 (13) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 36.0 (2.2) |
39.9 (4.4) |
39.0 (3.9) |
42.1 (5.6) |
44.1 (6.7) |
52.0 (11.1) |
52.0 (11.1) |
55.0 (12.8) |
52.0 (11.1) |
44.1 (6.7) |
41.0 (5.0) |
37.9 (3.3) |
36.0 (2.2) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm (0.039 inches)) | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 24.8 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%)(at 10PT) | 71.4 | 74.1 | 73 | 68.9 | 71.9 | 74.1 | 75.9 | 74.9 | 74.5 | 71.9 | 71.4 | 72.7 | 72.9 |
| Averagedew point°F (°C) | 47.7 (8.7) |
49.3 (9.6) |
49.5 (9.7) |
49.5 (9.7) |
51.8 (11.0) |
55.0 (12.8) |
57.9 (14.4) |
59.5 (15.3) |
58.8 (14.9) |
56.1 (13.4) |
52.3 (11.3) |
49.3 (9.6) |
53.1 (11.7) |
| Source 1:NOAA(all data except mean daily max/min)[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather.com:"Monthly weather".San Clemente Island, CA.2016.RetrievedSeptember 12,2016. | |||||||||||||
Ecology
editFauna and flora
editTheSan Clemente Island loggerhead shrikeis anendangered speciesthat the Navy is taking steps to protect. TheSan Clemente Island foxis anindigenousspecies.[10]Feralgoatsroamed the island for centuries, reaching apopulationof 11,000 in 1972, when their effect onindigenous specieswas realized. By 1980, the population had been reduced to 4,000. TheFund for Animalsblocked a plan for shooting the remaining goats in court, so the goats were removed with nets and helicopters. TheSan Clemente Island goatis a recognized breed of domestic goat.
The coves around the island are visited bysnorkelersattracted by the abundantmarine life,includingsea lions,spiny lobsters,hydrocoralandkelp forests.The island is also home to the endangered San Clemente Islandsage sparrow.[11]After decades with no breeding byraptors,because ofDDTcontamination and Naval activity,[12]there is now at least one breeding pair ofbald eagles[13]and more than one pair ofperegrine falcons.[14]
Islandfloraincludes 300 nativetaxaand approximately 135 non-native taxa with distribution of at least 47 of the island’s native taxa being restricted to two or more of the California Islands, 15 plant taxa being only found on San Clemente Island, and one insularendemicof the island thought to beextinct.[15]The flora of the island includes some plant species found nowhere else in the world. Theseendemicspecies include thewildflowersSan Clemente Island brodiaea,San Clemente Island triteleia,San Clemente Island woodland star,andSan Clemente Island Indian paintbrush,and theshrubsSan Clemente Island bushmallowandBlair's wirelettuce.A uniquesubspeciesoftoyon,ssp.macrocarpa,also grows here,[16]as do two rare subspecies of theroyal larkspur.[17]
Earthwormsappear to have been introduced in 2008 in soil from the mainland used in a road construction project. In this earthworm-free region, the worms alter the soil andmicrobial communities,which allows non-native plants to change the island’s uniqueecosystemand threatenbiodiversitythat exists there.[18]
History
edit
Archaeologists have found traces of human occupation on San Clemente Island dating back 10,000 years.
Later, inhabitants left trade materials from the northern islands and the mainland, includingCosoobsidianfrom the California desert. It has not been established what tribe the recent inhabitants belonged to, although theTongva,who are well attested fromSanta Catalina Island,are the most likely candidates. TheChumash,who occupied the northern Channel Islands, may have influenced the inhabitants. Evidence of battles: 'the skeletons of dozens of men piled, one upon another' were also noted on San Clemente andSan Nicolas.[19]
The first European to sight the island wasJuan Rodríguez Cabrilloin 1542, who named itVictoria.[20]It was renamed by Spanish explorerSebastián Vizcaíno,who spotted it on November 23, 1602,Saint Clement'sfeast day.It was used by ranchers, fishermen, and smugglers during the 19th century and into the 20th century.
In 1835, thewhaleshipElbeofPoughkeepsie, New York,under Captain Josiah B. Whippey (or Whipple), huntedsperm whalesas far north as "St. Clements Island" (San Clemente Island).[21]The American steamshipLansing,as well as thesteam-schoonerCalifornia,both anchored in Pyramid Cove, on the south side of San Clemente Island, to processblue,finandhumpback whalescaught by their "killer boats" (steam-driven whale catchers)—the former between 1926[22]and 1930,[23]and the latter between 1933[24]and 1937.[25]In 1935, the Norwegian factory shipEsperanzacaught blue whales as far north as San Clemente Island.[26]
Navy base
edit
The US Navy acquired the island in 1934. It is the Navy's only remaining ship-to-shore live firing range,[10]and is the center of the integrated air/land/sea San Clemente Island Range Complex covering 2,620nm2(8,990 km2).
DuringWorld War II,the island was a training ground for amphibious landing craft. These small to mid-sized vessels were crucial to the island hopping that was required to attack the islands occupied by the Japanese.
It is an activesonarbase and has a $21 million simulated city forcommandotraining.
There is a US Navy rocket-test facility on San Clemente. SomePolaris-program test rockets were launched from San Clemente between 1957 and 1960. TheSEALAB IIIproject took place off San Clemente in February 1969.
The US Navy uses the island as an auxiliary naval airfield,Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island.The main runway 24/06 is used for carrier training by the Navy. Other branches also use this airfield, including theUnited States Coast Guard.[10]
As of 2014, San Clemente is home to an auxiliary Air Force base responsible for locating Air Force fighter pilots near the California coast.
The island hasUnited States Navy SEALstraining facilities.[27]
Sevenmarinesand one Navy sailor were presumed to have died when theiramphibious assault vehicle(AAV) sank during a training exercise off the island's northwest coast on July 30, 2020.[28]One of eight marines died after being rescued from the vehicle.[29]Names of all nine people killed were identified on August 3.[30]Fifteen Marines and a sailor were on the AAV as it returned toUSS Somerset.
The USMC released a statement on 3 August 2020, saying the AAV had been found. The landing craft sank in nearly 400 feet of water.[31]
On 27 August 2020, two soldiers were killed and three were injured when theirBlack Hawk helicoptercrashed on San Clemente Island.[32]
Government and infrastructure
editThe island is owned and operated by theUnited States Navy,[2]and is a part ofLos Angeles County.It is administered byNaval Base Coronado.TheLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department(LASD) operates the Avalon Station inAvalon,Santa Catalina Island,serving San Clemente Island.[33] As of 2024,Robert Garcia (California politician),(District 42) represents the island's inhabitants in theUnited States House of Representatives,Lena Gonzalezin theCalifornia State Senate(District 33), andJosh Lowenthalin theCalifornia State Assembly(District 69).
Gallery
edit-
Sunrise at Pyramid Point, San Clemente Island -
Bluebanded gobies, San Clemente Island -
California moray eel, San Clemente Island -
Kelp forest and sardines -
Giant black sea bass, San Clemente Island -
Giant black sea bass, San Clemente Island -
Sea fan, San Clemente Island -
Hermissenda nudibranch, San Clemente Island -
Bat ray in kelp forest, San Clemente Island -
Spanish shawl nudibranch -
Swellshark,San Clemente Island -
Swellshark closeup
References
edit- ^"Villages | TONGVA PEOPLE".RetrievedFebruary 13,2024.
- ^ab"San Clemente Island".www.scisland.org.
- ^"About SCI".SCIsland.org.RetrievedSeptember 19,2019.
- ^"Block Group 599100-1, Los Angeles County, California".statisticalatlas.com.RetrievedSeptember 22,2020.
- ^Olmsted, F. H.Contributions to General Geology – Geologic Reconnaissance of San Clemente Island California (Geological Survey Bulletin 1071-B)(PDF)(Report). U.S. Dept. of the Interior (U.S. Geological Survey) published by U.S. Government Printing Office.RetrievedJuly 13,2019.
- ^"Judith Dale: The Navy islands: San Nicolas and San Clemente".Santa Maria Times.January 16, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 24,2024.
- ^"Why Monday's rain storm was so ferocious — and so unexpected".San Diego Union-Tribune.January 23, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 24,2024.
- ^"San Clemente Island, California — Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)".Weatherbase.RetrievedAugust 4,2021.
- ^"Station Name: SAN CLEMENTE/ISLAND NAAS CA National I.D. Number: 00093117".ncei.noaa.gov(TXT).National Centers for Environmental Information.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
- ^abcDyer, Andrew (December 30, 2019)."Mousetraps handed out to sailors at San Clemente Island hotel like 'in-room amenity,' emails say".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedDecember 30,2019.
- ^"San Clemente Island Sage Sparrow"(PDF).
- ^"San Clemente Island Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan"(PDF).tierradata.com.Tierra Data Systems, Escondido, CA.RetrievedOctober 20,2019.
- ^"Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)".www.iws.org.Institute for Wildlife Studies.RetrievedOctober 20,2019.
- ^"Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum)".iws.org.Institute for Wildlife Studies.RetrievedOctober 20,2019.
- ^"Conservation & Research – Channel Islands – San Clemente Island".sbbg.org.Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.RetrievedJuly 13,2019.
- ^C. Michael Hogan, (2008)Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia),GlobalTwitcher, ed. N. Stromberg"Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia ) - - GlobalTwitcher.com".Archived fromthe originalon July 19, 2009.RetrievedJuly 19,2009.
- ^"Center for Plant Conservation:Delphinium variegatumssp.thornei".
- ^Sahagun, Louis (October 7, 2016)."The lowly earthworm poses a dire threat to this California island".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedOctober 11,2016.
- ^Holder, Fredrick (1910).The Channel islands of California: a book for the angler, sportsman, and tourist.Stationers' Hall London England: A.C McClurg & Co. p. 283.
- ^Kelsey, Harry (1986).Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.San Marino: The Huntington Library.
- ^Webb, Robert (1988).On the Northwest: Commercial Whaling in the Pacific Northwest 1790–1967.University of British Columbia Press.ISBN0-7748-0292-8.
- ^Pacific Fisherman(Vol. 24, 1926);Science,Vol. 64 (July 2, 1926 issue);Animal Bulletin: New York Zoological Society,Vols. 29–30, 1926;The Federal Reporter,1988;American Maritime Cases,(Vol. 2, 1931).
- ^Townsend, Charles Haskens. 1930. "Twentieth Century Whaling".Bull. New York Zool. Soc.,Vol. 33, No. 1;California Fish and Game,Fisheries(1930);Pacific Fisherman(Vols. 28–29, 1930–31).
- ^Pacific Fisherman(Vol. 31, 1933).
- ^Nial O'Malley Keyes,Blubber Ship(1939); Andrew R. Boone, Killer Ships of the Whaling Fleet (Popular Science,August 1935);Pacific Fisherman(Vol. 35, 1937).
- ^Rice, Dale W. The Blue Whales of the Southeastern North Pacific Ocean (AFSC Quarterly Report,1992).
- ^Dyer, Andrew (December 30, 2019)."Mousetraps handed out to sailors at San Clemente Island hotel like 'in-room amenity,' emails say".Los Angeles Times.
- ^Martinez, Luis (August 2, 2020)."Search and rescue effort concludes for missing Marines, all 8 presumed deceased".ABC News.
- ^"Marines halt search for eight missing troops, all presumed dead".Associated Press.August 2, 2020.
- ^"U.S. Marines ID all 9 people killed in sea-tank sinking".Associated Press.August 3, 2020.
- ^Tuthill, Brian (August 4, 2020)."Location of sunken AAV, remains found off San Clemente Island"(Press release). United States Marine Corps.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^Dyer, Andrew (August 29, 2020)."Soldiers killed in Black Hawk crash on San Clemente Island identified".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedAugust 30,2020.
- ^"Avalon Station".Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.Archived fromthe originalon February 17, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 21,2010.
Avalon Sheriff's Station provides law enforcement for Santa Catalina Island, San Clemente Island, and the ocean waters between the islands and mainland of Southern California.
External links
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