The
Portuguese navigator
Diogo da Rocha is credited as the first European to find Ulithi in 1525. The
Spanish navigator
Álvaro de Saavedra arrived on the ship
Florida on 1 January 1528, claiming the islands for
KingPhilipII under the name
Islands of the Kings (; ) after his patron and the
Three Wise Men honored in the approaching
Catholic feast of
Epiphany. It was later charted by other Spaniards as the
Chickpea Islands (). It was also visited by the Spanish expedition of
Ruy López de Villalobos on 26 January 1543. It remained isolated until visited and explored in detail by Captain Don Bernardo de Egoy in 1712, and later visited by Spanish
Jesuit missionaries led by Juan Antonio Cantova together with a group of 12 Spanish soldiers in 1731. In 1885, Jesuit missionaries encouraged Germany to extend "protection" over the Carolina Islands to protect their profitable trade. The Spanish made similar claims and later that year
Pope Leo XIII decreed Spain as the ruling power over the islands, granting Germany and the
United Kingdom trading rights. In 1889, a significant earthquake hit Yap and Ulithi, leading the residents to believe that their engagement with outsiders had angered their traditional spirits. In 1899,
Germany purchased the islands from Spain for $4,500,000, conscripting residents as laborers and soldiers. By the early 1900s, Germany had established a police force, post offices, and hospitals on Yap. During this time, German
Capuchin friars began to replace the Jesuits. The friars struggled to convert the citizens to Catholicism.
Japanese administration In 1914, the atoll was peacefully occupied by
Japan at the outset of the
First World War. Japan was given a mandate to oversee the territory in 1920 by the
League of Nations. Under the Japanese occupation, businessmen and soldiers eroded the traditional political system in Ulithi, with the authority of local chiefs ignored. This began a steady decline in the customs and individual culture of the people of Ulithi. The presence of the Catholic church was reinforced by the Japanese, who allowed the continued efforts of conversion to go on, further eroding the indigenous culture. By 1941, 2,000 (out of 3,000) residents had been converted to Christianity. The anchorage was large and
well situated for a base, but there were no port facilities to repair ships or resupply the fleet. The US Navy built the very large
Naval Base Ulithi that operated in 1944 and 1945. On 23 September 1944, a
regiment of the
United States Army's
81st Division landed unopposed, followed a few days later by a
battalion of
Seabees. The
survey ship examined the lagoon and reported it capable of holding 700 vessels—a capacity greater than either
Majuro or
Pearl Harbor. On 1 October 1944, the minesweeper USS
YMS-385 was sunk by a mine while clearing Zowariau [Zowatabu] Channel.
Native Relocation The United States Navy transferred the local islanders to the island of Fedarai (Fassarai) for the duration of the hostilities.
Occupation On 4 October 1944 the vessels of
Service Squadron 10 began leaving
Eniwetok for Ulithi; Service Squadron 10 was termed by Admiral
Nimitz as his "secret weapon". Its commanding officer, Commodore Worrall R. Carter, devised the mobile service force that made it possible for the Navy to convert Ulithi to the secret distant Pacific base used during the major naval operations undertaken late in the war, including
Leyte Gulf and the invasion of
Okinawa. Service Squadron 10 converted the lagoon into a serviceable naval station, creating repair facilities and re-supply facilities thousands of miles away from an actual naval port. The Japanese built an
airstrip on Falalop. It was expanded and resurfaced, the runway running the full width of the island. The east end of the strip was extended approximately past the natural shoreline. During the operations, 4,500 sacks of mail, of air freight and 1,200 passengers used this airstrip. A number of small strips for light aircraft were built on several of the smaller islands. The Seabees completed a fleet recreation center at Mog Mog island that could accommodate 8,000 men and 1,000 officers daily. A 1,200-seat theater, including an stage with a
Quonset hut roof, was completed in 20 days. A 500-seat chapel was built. A number of the larger islands were used both as bases to support naval vessels and facilities within the lagoon. The Japanese still held Yap. Early after the US occupation they mounted a number of attacks, but caused no damage to the Seabees working on the islands. On 20 November 1944 the Ulithi harbor was attacked by Japanese
kaiten manned
torpedoes launched from two nearby
submarines. The
destroyer rammed one in the early morning hours. At 5:47 the fleet oiler , at anchor in the harbor, was struck and sunk. Destroyers began dropping
depth charges throughout the anchorage. After the war Japanese naval officers said that two tender submarines, each carrying four manned torpedoes, had been sent to attack the fleet at Ulithi. Three of the
kaiten were unable to launch due to mechanical problems and another ran aground on the reef. Two made it into the lagoon, one of which sank USS
Mississinewa. A second
kaiten attack in January 1945 was foiled when
I-48 was sunk by the
destroyer escort . None of the 122 men aboard the Japanese submarine survived. On 11 March 1945, in a mission known as
Operation Tan No. 2, several long range aircraft flying from southern Japan attempted a nighttime
kamikaze attack on the naval base. One struck the , which had left a cargo light on despite the blackout. The plane struck over the stern starboard quarter, damaging the flight deck and killing a number of crewmen. Another crashed on Sorlen Island, having perhaps mistaken a signal tower there for the superstructure of an aircraft carrier. By 13 March, there were 647 ships at anchor at Ulithi. With the arrival of amphibious forces staging for the invasion of Okinawa, the number of ships at anchor peaked at 722. In late June 1945, the Japanese aircraft-launching
super submarines I-400 and I-401 were diverted from their planned attack on the
Panama Canal to attack Ulithi Atoll. Their mission was interrupted by the
destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, followed by the
Japanese surrender. After the
Leyte Gulf was secured, the Pacific Fleet moved its forward staging area to Leyte, and Ulithi was all but abandoned. In the end, few US civilians ever heard of Ulithi. By the time naval security cleared release of the name, there were no longer reasons to print stories about it. The war had moved on, but for seven months in late 1944 and early 1945, the large lagoon of the Ulithi atoll was the largest and most active anchorage in the world. A 1956 USCG survey indicated that the station consisted of a BOQ and office, galley and meeting area, laundry building, barracks, signal-power building, recreation building and a "jumbo Quonset". All of the buildings, with the exception of the signal-power, were Quonset structures. The report discusses the daily life and routine at the station as follows: General life on the station is relaxed and fairly routine. Life here can be boring, or very interesting, depending upon how much the individual desires to do. There are practically unlimited recreational facilities, but it is easy to neglect these and fall into a rather lethargic rut. The working hours ... are 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., six days a week. Afternoons and evenings are free ... Loran watch standers average about four hours on watch, ten off ... their off watch time is their own, and no daywork is expected from them. The uniform to be worn is chosen for coolness and health with shorts and sandals permissible and the rule rather than the exception. Dress blues are not needed here at all. The Station is completely isolated, and there is no opportunity for liberty or leave. Of course, there is no use for cars here, and dependents are not allowed. All supplies and mail come from Guam ... flights averaging one every week or ten days. Every three months heavy supplies and fuel are delivered ... and once a year, makes a stop here. The cost of living for personnel here is very cheap, with little opportunity to spend money. Necessary items such as soap, cigarettes, toothpaste are stocked and beer and soda are on sale during non-working hours. Native handicraft is limited to canoe models, small statutes and grass skirts, which seldom run more than five or six dollars. Once a month a shopping list is sent to Guam...men can order anything that can be purchased on Guam...there is always
Sears and Roebuck or
Montgomery Ward. Officers are charged for three meals a day, regardless whether they eat them or not...about $50.00 a month. As mentioned before, the recreational facilities are numerous and varied, and include: Swimming...spear fishing...fishing...shelling...photography...leather craft...Ham radio...volleyball...tennis...pool...horse shoes...movies...baseball & softball...boat trips...shooting. In conclusion...this station has many advantages and few disadvantages, as compared with other Loran Stations. The weather and climate are close to ideal, the station and equipment are in excellent repair, recreational facilities are many and varied, supplies and mail are better than average, and the natives are interesting, sincere honest people. The only disadvantage...is the isolation. All in all, this is a pretty wonderful place. The station remained in operation until 1965, when it was again relocated to Yap.
Native Population Returns A detailed census in 1949 reported that there were 421 inhabitants, mostly elderly. A follow-up census in 1960 showed a rise to 514, with the ratio of men to women having shifted to a small preponderance of males. Occasional diving and adventure tours visit Ulithi from Yap. Given permission from the local community, the atoll offers good diving.
Census records can be misleading because population can fluctuate during the year because it is common for Ulithians to leave for work or school abroad and to return. This is particularly true during festive times like the Outer Island High School graduation ceremony, when the population can increase considerably. Additionally, during events like
weddings and
funerals, community populations may double. In 2009, with funding from the
European Union (EU) and the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) partnership installed 215 solar
photovoltaic (PV) system in Ulithi, with a 28
kWp (kilowatt peak) solar plant. Inverters with a capacity of 20
kW supply 240V / 60 Hz AC into an underground, ostensibly typhoon-proof grid.
Typhoon Maysak Reef damage from
Typhoon Maysak in 2015 is still visible in places, but the reefs have largely recovered. Maysak also caused significant damage to the PV electrical grid system on the atoll. == Climate ==