View source for Apra Harbor

{{Short description|Seaport in Guam}}
[[File:US Navy 060920-N-0000X-001 An aerial view of U.S. Naval Base Guam Sept. 20, 2006 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Apra Harbor from the south, with [[Naval Base Guam]] on the [[Orote Peninsula]] in the foreground]]
'''Apra Harbor''', also called '''Port Apra''',<ref name="Brittanica">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Apra-Harbor|title=Apra Harbor {{!}} Guam|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2020-02-04}}</ref> is a deep-water [[port]] on the western side of the United States territory of [[Guam]]. It is considered one of the best natural ports in the [[Pacific Ocean]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Guam Island (Apra Harbor, Marianas USA) cruise port schedule |url=https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/guam-island-port-232 |website=CruiseMapper |access-date=8 March 2021 |language=en-EN}}</ref> The [[harbor]] is bounded by [[Cabras Island]] and the Glass Breakwater to the north and the [[Orote Peninsula]] in the south. [[Naval Base Guam]] and the [[Port of Guam]] are the two major users of the harbor. It is also a popular recreation area for boaters, surfers, scuba divers, and other recreationalists.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra"/>

== Geography ==
[[File:Apra Harbor USGS 2000 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[United States Geological Service|USGS]] map of Apra Harbor, 2000]]
The geography of Apra Harbor has been extensively modified from its pre-historical state by humans. The entrance to the harbor is flanked by [[Point Udall (Guam)|Point Udall]], formerly Orote Point, to the south and Spanish Rocks at the tip of the Glass Breakwater. The Glass Breakwater, built on top of Calalan Bank and the fringing Luminao Reef, connects to [[Cabras Island]], the location of the [[Port of Guam]], which handles more than 90% of civilian cargo imported to Guam. Inland areas in the [[villages of Guam|villages]] of [[Piti, Guam|Piti]] and [[Santa Rita, Guam|Santa Rita]] form the eastern boundary of the harbor. There are two small artificial peninsulas jutting into the eastern end of the harbor. The northernmost is named [[Drydock Island]], the tip of which is a military reservation with wharves for fueling ships. South of Drydock Island is [[Sasa Bay]], one of five marine preserves created by the [[Government of Guam]]. The southern boundary of Sasa Bay is formed by Polaris Point, a geographically separate part of [[Naval Base Guam]] that is the homeport of [[Submarine Squadron 15]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Polaris Point |url=https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Regions/jrm/installations/navbase_guam/about/installations/polaris_point/ |website=Commander, Naval Installations Command |access-date=8 March 2021}}</ref> Polaris Point and the Orote Peninsula form the entrance to Inner Apra Harbor, a military restricted area. The Orote Peninsula holds the main part of Naval Base Guam and is approximately four miles to its tip at Point Udall. There are two named large coral formations roughly west of Sasa Bay in Outer Apra Harbor: Western Shoals and Jade Shoals.

Ten rivers flow into Apra Harbor: [[Atantano River]], [[Sasa River]], [[Aguada River]], [[Big Guatali River]], [[Aplacho River]], [[Maggo River]], [[Guatali River]], [[Laghas River]], [[Tenjo River]] and [[Paulana River]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Apra watershed |url=http://www.south.hydroguam.net/watersheds-apra.php |website=Digital Atlas of Southern Guam |publisher=Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific, Island Research and Education Initiative |access-date=8 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Census designated place ===
"Apra Harbor" is also a [[List of census-designated places in Guam|census-designated place (CDP) in Guam]] that comprises Naval Base Guam and housing extending into the hills of [[Santa Rita, Guam|Santa Rita]] village. In 2010, the population of the Apra Harbor CDP was 2,471.<ref name="stat 2012">{{cite web |title=Guam Statistical Yearbook 2012 |url=http://www.guamlegislature.com/Mess_Comms_32nd/Doc%2032GL-14-1323%20-%20Bureau%20of%20Statistics%20&%20Plans%20-%20Release%20of%20the%202012%20Guam%20Facts%20and%20Figures%20and%20Statistical%20Yearbook%20Publications.pdf |publisher=Bureau of Statistics and Plan, Office of the Governor of Guam |access-date=3 March 2021 |page=xlvii}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Further|History of Guam}}
[[File:Apra Harbor, 1802 by William Haswell (cropped).jpg|thumb|1802 map. [[Piti, Guam|Piti]] village and the three Spanish batteries are marked. The area marked as "Lagoon" corresponds to current day Inner Apra Harbor. The anchorage marked as "Inner Harbour" is now bisected by the artificial peninsula Drydock Island.]]
Apra comes from the [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]] word "apapa", meaning "low." Apapa is the original name of Cabras Island. The harbor offered rich fishing grounds and was home to many [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]] villages.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra">{{cite web |last1=Clement |first1=Michael R. Jr. |last2=Auyong |first2=Marie Ada |title=Apra Harbor |url=https://www.guampedia.com/apra-harbor/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=February 18, 2020}}</ref>

During Spanish rule, the name of [[Saint Louis IX]] was added and the harbor was referred to as the port of '''San Luis de Apra'''. However, it was not a favored anchorage during the [[Spanish–Chamorro Wars]] of the late seventeenth century and resulting the early Spanish period, mainly because of the many reefs and coral heads. The Spanish preferred ports were [[Umatac, Guam|Umatac]] and [[Hagåtña, Guam|Hagåtña]], resulting in Apra Harbor being used by foreigners seeking to avoid Spanish authority. The English [[pirate]] [[John Eaton (pirate)|John Eaton]] is reported to have anchored at Apra Harbor in 1685 to trade provisions with Chamorros.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra" />

In the early 18th century, Spain's [[Council of the Indies]] grew increasingly concerned about competing navies threatening the [[Manila galleon]] trade and Spain's possessions in the Pacific.<ref name="Guampedia_Fort Santiago">{{cite web |last1=Haun |first1=Daryl A. |title=Fort Santiago |url=https://www.guampedia.com/fort-santiago/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=March 2, 2021 |date=October 10, 2019}}</ref> This was aggravated by an attack in 1721 by the English [[privateer]] [[John Clipperton]] upon a supply ship from [[Cavite]] anchored at [[Merizo, Guam|Merizo]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Shannon J. |title=Adventurers: John Clipperton and George Shelvocke |url=https://www.guampedia.com/john-clipperton-and-george-shelvocke/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=March 5, 2021 |date=January 20, 2021}}</ref> In 1734, Governor [[Francisco de Cárdenas Pacheco]] opened up new anchorages in Apra Harbor, and built three cannon batteries or forts to protect them.<ref name="Guampedia_Fort Santiago" /> [[Fort San Luis]] was built in 1737 near [[Gab Gab]]<ref name="Guampedia_Fort San Luis">{{cite web |last1=Haun |first1=Daryl A. |title=Fort San Luis |url=https://www.guampedia.com/fort-san-luis/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=March 2, 2021 |date=October 10, 2019}}</ref> and [[Fort Santiago (Guam)|Fort Santiago]] was built at Orote Point to guard the entrance to the harbor.<ref name="Guampedia_Forts">{{cite web |title=Spanish Forts of Guam Overview |url=https://www.guampedia.com/spanish-forts-of-guam-overview/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=March 2, 2021 |date=October 16, 2019}}</ref> The third fort, [[Fort Santa Cruz]], was built around 1800 atop a reef near the entrance to the harbor.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra" />

William Haswell, an officer on the first documented American visit to Guam in January 1802, wrote a description of Apra Harbor:<ref>{{cite web |title=Island of Guam by William Haswell |url=https://www.guampedia.com/island-of-guam-by-william-haswell/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=January 18, 2021}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|On the S.W. side of the Island is a very fine Bay and Harbour, defended on the West and N.W. sides by a Reef and a small Island and perfectly saft Anchorage. It consists of three places, Viz, a large outer Harbour where 300 Ships may Ride in Safety, an inner harbour that will hold many sail if required moor'd head and stern, and a large Lagoon to the Eastward which nothing but Boats can enter as the water is so Shallow on the Bar, but over it is a very deep water and it goes a long way into the Island, at the End of which is a large Village with a Church, &c. This Bay has two forts, one on an Island in the middle of the Harbour of Six guns and it commands the Enterance of the Inner harbour; the other Fort of four guns is on the high hill on the Starboard side of the bay agoing up it.<ref name="Haswell">{{cite book |last1=Haswell |first1=William |title=Remarks on a Voyage in 1801 to the Island of Guam |date=1917 |publisher=Essex Institute |location=Salem, Mass. |page=13 |edition=reprint |url=https://issuu.com/guampedia/docs/island_of_guam__haswell/20 |access-date=8 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref>}}

Apra Harbor was thus used more frequently in the nineteenth century. Piti became the primary port, used to connect to the capital in Hagåtña. Meanwhile, [[Sumay, Guam|Sumay]] became a popular port of [[whaling|whalers]], in particular during the height of Pacific whaling in the early 1800s. In the 1840s, up to 60 whaling ships stopped in Apra Harbor every year, turning Sumay into the commercial and financial center of the island.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra" /><ref name="Guampedia_Sumay">{{cite web |last1=Babauta |first1=Leo |title=Sumay |url=https://www.guampedia.com/sumay-2/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=March 2, 2021 |date=October 14, 2019}}</ref> The decline of whaling by the end of the nineteenth century also resulted in the economic decline of the port, and lack of maintenance to the harbor defenses. Even in 1817, [[Otto von Kotzebue]] reported that Fort San Luis was no longer in use.<ref name="Guampedia_Fort San Luis" /> The three cannon at Fort Santiago were reported unusable in 1853 and, in 1884, Governor [[Francisco Olive y Garcia]] declared that Fort Santiago was useful only as an observation post.<ref name="Guampedia_Fort Santiago" /> By the time of the 1898 [[Spanish–American War]] none of the three fortifications was in operation.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra" />

=== American capture ===
[[File:Guam Map - NARA - 100359928 (page 2) (Apra Harbor crop).jpg|thumb|left|1912 map. [[Piti, Guam|Piti]] and [[Sumay, Guam|Sumay]] lie directly on the harbor, with a quarantine station on [[Cabras Island]]. The Glass Breakwater, Drydock Island, and Polaris Point have not yet been built.]]
American captain [[Henry Glass (admiral)|Henry Glass]] had received intelligence that Spanish [[Man-of-war|men-of-war]] were anchored at Guam and that the harbor itself had formidable defenses. However, when Glass arrived in Apra Harbor on June 20, 1898 to [[capture of Guam|claim the island]] on behalf of the United States, he encountered no resistance. A [[Marine Barracks Guam]] was established on Sumay in 1901,<ref name="Guampedia_Apra" /> and a small navy yard at Piti.<ref name="Building_26">{{cite web |title=Building the Navy's Bases in World War II; history of the Bureau of Yards and Docs and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940–1946 – Volume II (Part III, Chapter 26) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/building-the-navys-bases/buidling-navys-bases-vol-2-chapter-26.html#1-28 |website=Naval History and Heritage Command |publisher=U.S. Govt Print. Off. |access-date=March 10, 2021 |date=1947}}</ref>{{rp|344}} Apra Harbor was used as a [[coaling station]], refueling ships transiting across the Pacific. The new American Naval government also began to develop the harbor, though launch boats were still required to navigate the coral reefs to land at Piti and Sumay.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra" /> In 1903, the [[Commercial Pacific Cable Company]] laid [[submarine communications cable]] for [[telegraph]] through a station at Sumay, linking the United States to Asia, and each to Guam, for the first time.<ref name="Guampedia_Sumay" />

On April 7, 1917, the scuttling by her crew of [[SMS Cormoran (1914)|SMS ''Cormoran'']], a [[German Empire|German]] [[merchant raider]] that had been held in Apra Harbor for two years, was the first violent action of the [[United States in World War I]], first shots fired by the U.S. against Germany in WWI, the first [[German prisoners of war in the United States|German prisoners of war]] captured by the U.S., and the first Germans killed in action by the U.S. in WWI<ref name="sextant">{{cite web |last1=Conrad |first1=Dennis |title=The War Begins: The United States Navy and the German Cruiser Cormoran |url=https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/03/28/the-war-begins-the-united-states-navy-and-the-german-cruiser-cormoran/ |website=The Sextant |publisher=Histories and Archives Division, Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=6 March 2021 |date=28 March 2017 |archive-date=19 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319064717/https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/03/28/the-war-begins-the-united-states-navy-and-the-german-cruiser-cormoran/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Tyler |title=A Rock Springs man fired the first American shot of World War I |url=https://wyo4news.com/news/a-rock-springs-man-fired-the-first-american-shot-of-world-war-i/ |website=Wyo4News |access-date=6 March 2021 |date=17 October 2020}}</ref>

In 1922, dredged materials from the harbor were used to fill the coastline at Sumay and a seawall was constructed, among the first large scale man-made changes to the shoreline.<ref name="Guampedia_Sumay" /> On March 17, 1921, U.S. suspicions of Japanese intentions for its [[South Seas Mandate]] led it to create a [[United States Marine Corps Aviation|U.S. Marine Squadron]] floatplane base at Sumay.<ref name="NPS_Orote Field">{{cite web |title=Orote Air Field |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/orote-air-field.htm |website=U.S. National Park Service |access-date=2 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Guam's first golf course, Sumay Golf Links, was established in the village in 1923.<ref name="Guampedia_Sumay" /> The U.S. eventually decided to close the seaplane base at Sumay on February 23, 1931.<ref name="NPS_Orote Field" /> In 1935, [[Pan Am]]erican Airways established rights to use the former Marine Aviation facility and made Sumay a base for its ''[[China Clipper]]''. the first trans-Pacific air cargo service, flying from [[San Francisco]] to [[Manila]], arrived at Sumay on November 27, 1935 and the first passenger service flight on October 21, 1936.<ref name="Guampedia_Pan Am">{{cite web |last1=Clement |first1=Michael R. Jr. |title=First Pan American Flights |url=https://www.guampedia.com/first-pan-american-flights/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=March 5, 2021 |date=October 15, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Apra Harbor, Guam in May 1941 (80-G-451193) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Southern Apra Harbor in 1941, showing the [[Pan Am]]erican Airways fuel piers at [[Sumay, Guam|Sumay]], as well as the lagoon that would be constructed into Inner Apra Harbor after the WWII]]
In the 1930s, the [[Empire of Japan]] traded with Guam specifically with the view to increasing its knowledge of the island. With tensions rising after the 1931 [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria]] starting the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], Rear Admiral [[Arthur Japy Hepburn]] was appointed on June 7, 1938 to chair a board to provide recommendations on the American response. The resulting [[Hepburn Board Report]] recommended a massive buildup of U.S. Navy facilities. The Report recommended fortifying Guam as an air and submarine base, with many improvements to Apra Harbor, but the Navy balked at the estimated cost, eventually designated $5 million for Apra Harbor improvements.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra" /> A [[1940 Pacific typhoon season#October|strong typhoon]] struck Guam on November 3, 1940, causing widespread damage. In Apra Harbor, the storm damaged the Navy Yard at Piti and the Marine barracks and Pan American Airways facilities at Sumay. The U.S. Navy's YM-13, which had been [[dredging]] a channel near Sumay, was blown ashore and a [[yard patrol boat]] sunk.<ref name="Houston II">{{cite web |last1=Cressman |first1=Robert J. |title=Houston II (CA-30): 1930–1942 |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/houston-ii.html |website=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=10 March 2021 |date=March 1, 2017}}</ref><ref name="nov5">{{cite news|title=Plea for Aid After Typhoon |newspaper=The Courier-Mail|agency=Australian Associated Press|date=1940-11-05|access-date=2020-03-10|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44887387}}</ref>

Among the Hepburn Board Report improvements that was funded was the construction of a breakwater upon Luminao Reef, which began  in August 1941. Limestone blocks quarried at Cabras Island were skidded along the reef to an improvised [[derrick]]. By the time of the Japanese invasion, one mile of breakwater, 36 feet wide five-feet above sea level had been constructed.{{r|Building_26|p=344}} A 1946 Navy report notes, "practically all the [Hepburn] board's recommendations, except those relating to Guam, were carried out and contributed materially to our position when war actually developed."<ref name="NHHC_building">{{cite web |title=Building the Navy's Bases, vol. I (part I) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/building-the-navys-bases/building-the-navys-bases-vol-1.html |website=Navy History and Heritage Command |publisher=Navy Department |access-date=March 8, 2021 |date=June 14, 1946}}</ref> During the [[Battle of Guam (1941)|1941 Japanese invasion]], Guam was practically defenseless.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra" />

=== World War II ===
[[File:Piti, Guam and Cabras Island on July 20, 1944 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The bombarded former Piti Navy Yard and causeway to [[Cabras Island]] on July 20, 1944, two days before [[Battle of Guam (1944)|the U.S. landings]].]]
During the [[Japanese occupation of Guam]], the residents of [[Sumay, Guam|Sumay]] were evicted and the town converted into a Japanese garrison.<ref name="Guampedia_Sumay" /> The harbor itself was extensively used by Japanese vessels, including for repair and refueling of their [[submarine]]s and warships.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} Orote Peninsula was the center of Japanese resistance during the [[Battle of Guam (1944)|U.S. liberation of Guam]] in 1944 and the area around the harbor saw intense fighting.<ref name="NPS_Orote Field" /> Both Piti and Sumay were leveled by the pre-invasion bombardment and very few harbor improvements survived.{{r|Building_26|p=348}}

Clearance, salvage and harbor construction began before the island was fully secure by advance elements of the 301st [[Naval Construction Battalion]] ("Seabees") (NCB 301), tasked with salvage, clearing and developing ports even as fighting continued ashore, arriving in {{USS|William Ward Burrows||2}} in the first days of August. Full scale development began with arrival of the NCB 301 headquarters and barracks ship {{USS|City of Dalhart|IX-156|2}} on 11 August 1944.<ref>{{cite book |year=1946 |title=Pictorial Record, 30lst U.S. Naval Construction Battalion (April 1944 — December 1945) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/Cruisebooks/wwiicruisebooks/ncb-cruisebooks/301st%20NCB.pdf |accessdate=12 July 2021}}</ref>

Constructing harbor facilities was the highest priority and the [[Seabee]]s began installing [[pontoon bridge|pontoon piers]]. Construction at the first pier, at an old Navy fueling site on Cabras Island, required blasting to get to a {{convert|35|ft|m}} depth. This first pier was constructed between August 5 and 22, 1944. By October 1, six piers were operational and a seventh was being built, when [[1944 Apra Harbor typhoon|a typhoon]] destroyed or severely damaged all the pontoon piers.{{r|Building_26|p=349}} At the same time as piers were being constructed, two other massive projects were occurring. The Glass Breakwater, named after the captain who captured Guam in 1898, was extended on Calalan Bank {{convert|3260|ft|m}} to a width of {{convert|32|ft|m}}. The northern arm of Apra Harbor, from the main island through Cabras to the tip of the breakwater at Spanish Rocks measured {{convert|17000|ft|m}}.{{r|Building_26|p=350}}

Construction of Inner Apra Harbor required {{convert|7500000|cuft|m3}} of dredging and {{convert|26000|ft|m}} of quay wall. A small boat pool and a [[submarine]] base with a finger pier was established in the Inner harbor. Small boat repair facilities at Piti were repaired and improved.{{r|Building_26|p=350}} ''Navy News'' noted that over 7,000 tons of explosives had been used in 1944 to clear ship passages in Guam.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} {{convert|50|lb|kg}} of these explosives is enough to destroy a volume of coral {{convert|100|x|3|ft}} deep.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} By July 1945, two months before the end of the [[Pacific War]], there were 14 quay-wall berths, nine pontoon piers, two wooden fueling piers, ten [[Landing Ship, Tank]] (LST) berths, and one submarine pier.{{r|Building_26|p=350}}

[[File:Glass Breakwater Guam in 1945 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|The harbor in 1945]]
The residents of Sumay were not allowed to return and rebuild their homes, and the U.S. military relocated them to a refugee camp in the nearby inland hills in 1946. Unbeknownst to them, Admiral [[Chester Nimitz]] had requested 55% of Guam be set aside for military use, including all of Sumay.<ref name="Guampedia_Sumay" /> In 1946, the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 594, ''The Guam Acquisition of Lands Act'', allowing the U.S. Navy to acquire any and all lands it deemed necessary on the island. In 1948, the military filed Civil Case No. 5-49 in the [[Superior Court of Guam]], declaring a [[eminent domain|taking]] of Sumay, as well as parts of Piti and [[Agat, Guam|Agat]], totaling 2,471 acres, with little or no compensation.<ref name="Guampedia_Sumay" /> The refugees from Sumay created the village of [[Santa Rita, Guam|Santa Rita]], the municipality in which the Orote Peninsula is now located. The population center of Piti was relocated away from its old shoreline along Apra Harbor.<ref name="Guampedia_Apra" />

The territorial Naval Administration ran the commercial port until 1951, when the 24 acres of commercial port in Piti was transferred to the [[United States Department of Commerce]]. In 1962, the [[United States Department of the Interior|Interior Department]] transferred the commercial port to the [[Government of Guam]]. Over 1,000 acres was eventually transferred from the federal government to the Government of Guam for port use.<ref name="PAG">{{cite web |title=About PAG |url=https://www.portofguam.com/about-us/about-pag |website=Port Authority of Guam |access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref> The port built the ability to handle containerized cargo in 1969.<ref name="Brittanica" /> In 1969, a yacht club was founded and began using the harbor for recreational small boating.<ref name="Yacht Club">{{cite web |title=History of the Club |url=https://www.marianasyachtclub.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=331521&module_id=165559 |website=Marianas Yacht Club |access-date=8 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref> During the 1960s and 1970s, the port's strategic importance was highlighted by its utility during the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="Brittanica" />

[[File:Wreck of the Caribia.jpg|thumb|[[RMS Caronia (1947)|RMS Caribia]] crashing into the Glass Breakwater, 1974]]
On August 12, 1974, the tug towing [[RMS Caronia (1947)|RMS Caribia]], a decommissioned passenger ship, to [[Taiwan]] sailed into the tropical storm that later became [[1974 Pacific typhoon season#Typhoon Mary|Typhoon Mary]] and attempted to reach safety at Apra Harbor. In danger of being pulled onto the reef, the tug captain cut the tow line just {{convert|800|yd|m}} from Spanish Rocks. Adrift, ''Caribia'' crashed against the tip of Glass Breakwater with her stern blocking a third of the harbor entrance. She broke into three pieces and rough weather prevented the Navy and Coast Guard from determining if her stern section piece still blocked the entrance, closing the port. [[Side-scan sonar]] was eventually used to determine that the harbor entrance could be used. The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] conducted its largest ever ship salvage,<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Vignette 093 – The Largest Ship Salvage Operation in Corps History Took Place in Guam |url=https://www.usace.army.mil/About/History/Historical-Vignettes/Civil-Engineering/093-Ship-Salvage/ |website=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |access-date=March 10, 2021 |date=September 2004}}</ref> which was complicated by the discovery of a [[Korean War]]-era LCU wreck next to ''Caribia'' with 50 tons of unexploded ordnance, prompting the biggest project ever conducted by the Explosive Ordnance Division on Guam.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Donner |first1=Annette |title=RMS Caronia Timeline: Caribia – A Sad Ending – Page 6 |url=https://www.caronia2.info/caribia6.php |website=www.caronia2.info |access-date=10 March 2021}}</ref>

In 1997, Guam designated [[Sasa Bay]], which is located in the east of the Harbor as a marine preserve in order to protect declining fish populations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Our View: We all must help protect Guam's marine preserves |url=https://www.guampdn.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/08/17/our-view-we-all-must-help-protect-guams-marine-preserves/575302001/ |website=Pacific Daily News |access-date=15 February 2021 |date=17 August 2017}}</ref>

=== Military realignment ===
In 2006 the U.S. Japan "Roadmap for Realignment Implementation Agreement" agreed that over 8,600 [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marines]] currently based in [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], Japan would relocate to the U.S. territory of Guam and the [[Marianas Islands]]. This reorientation could be one of the largest peacetime military relocations in U.S. history. The details of the military move are evolving, and much is on hold due to budget sequestration. The U.S. Navy has suggested the need for expansion of Apra Harbor, which is the largest deep water port in the Western Pacific and the busiest in [[Micronesia]] to allow the basing of additional ships in Guam as part of the Navy's shift to the Pacific.<ref name="SA_2013">{{cite web |last1=Haw |first1=Jim |last2=Heneghan |first2=Meghan |title=Dreading the Dredging: Military Buildup on Guam and Implications for Marine Biodiversity in Apra Harbor |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/dreading-the-dredging-military-buildup-on-guam-and-implications-for-marine-biodiversity-in-apra-harbor/ |website=Scientific American |access-date=March 10, 2021 |language=en |date=May 30, 2013}}</ref>

== Activities ==
[[File:USS Salt Lake City (SSN-716) and USS Frank Cable (AS-40) at Apra Harbor, Guam, on 23 May 2002 (6640652).jpg|thumb|left|Attack submarine [[USS Salt Lake City (SSN-716)|USS ''Salt Lake City'']] and tender {{USS|Frank Cable}} in Inner Apra Harbor, 2002]]
Apra Harbor currently has many users, the two major ones being [[Naval Base Guam]] and the [[Port of Guam]]. Since 2009, facilities on Naval Base Guam are supported by [[Joint Region Marianas]]. The largest tenant unit at Naval Base Guam is [[Submarine Squadron 15]], which is supported by ship tender {{USS|Frank Cable}}.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} [[Coast Guard Station Apra Harbor]] is also located on Naval Base Guam property and has an area of responsibility including the [[Mariana Islands]], [[Palau]] and the [[Federated States of Micronesia]]; it has three [[Sentinel-class cutter]]s: {{USCGC|Frederick Hatch|WPC-1143|2}}, {{USCGC|Myrtle Hazard|WPC-1139|2}}, and {{USCGC|Oliver Henry|WPC-1140|2}}; and the [[USCG Seagoing Buoy Tender|Seagoing Buoy Tender]] [[USCGC Sequoia (WLB-215)|USCGC ''Sequoia'']].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sector Guam Units |url=https://www.pacificarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/District-14/D14-Units/Sector-Guam/Sector-Guam-Units/ |website=United States Coast Guard |access-date=8 March 2021}}</ref> Kilo Wharf, located on the Orote Peninsula near the mouth of the harbor, is the only U.S. deep water ammunition port in the Western Pacific and also allows emergency berthing by visiting [[aircraft carrier]]s,<ref name="GS_Apra">{{cite web |title=Apra Harbor |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/apra.htm |website=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=8 March 2021 |date=May 7, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kilo Wharf meeting at the Governor's Complex on 23 March |url=https://guam.stripes.com/community-news/kilo-wharf-meeting-governors-complex-23-march |website=Stripes Guam |access-date=8 March 2021 |language=en |date=20 March 2017}}</ref> such as during the [[COVID-19 pandemic on USS Theodore Roosevelt|2020 COVID-19 outbreak]] aboard {{USS|Theodore Roosevelt|CVN-71|6}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Navy reports first coronavirus death from Roosevelt crew |url=https://apnews.com/article/c5a9bb159bbf34532783c9dd55ce0c89 |website=AP NEWS |access-date=8 March 2021 |date=13 April 2020}}</ref>

The Port of Guam handles over ninety percent of total imports to Guam. In FY2008, more than 2 million cargo revenue tons in 99,908 containers were handled, including for [[transshipment]] to nearby Western Pacific islands.<ref>{{cite web |title=Facts and Figures |url=https://www.portofguam.com/about-us/maritime-operation/facilities-and-services/facts-and-figures |website=Port Authority of Guam |access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref> Five [[cruise ship]]s visit Guam annually, requiring a reconfiguring of port operations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cruise Ships - Port Authority of Guam |url=https://www.portofguam.com/what-we-do/cruise-ships |website=www.portofguam.com |access-date=8 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Betsy |title=Cabras Marina Tenants Want Their Road Fixed, But Who Will Fix It? |url=https://www.pncguam.com/cabras-marina-tenants-want-their-road-fixed-but-who-will-fix-it/ |website=PNC News First |access-date=8 March 2021 |date=24 September 2014}}</ref>

Marinas are located in the area known as Inner Cabras in Piti between Cabras and Drydock Island, just south of the [[Guam Power Authority]] plants. Aquaworld Marina and Harbor of Refuge are owned and operated by the Port, with slips leased to tenants.<ref name=PAG_marinas>{{cite web |title=Marinas |url=https://www.portofguam.com/about-us/maritime-operation/facilities-and-services/marinas |website=Port Authority of Guam |access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref> The area, collectively known as Cabras Marina, berths personal small watercraft, diving boats, tourist sightseeing boats, and an Atlantis Submarine, which visits a coral reef off [[Gab Gab]] on the Orote Peninsula.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} The Marianas Yacht Club, located on the south shore of Drydock Island on Sasa Bay, provides mooring buoys for transPacific [[cruising yacht]]s<ref>{{cite web |title=Cruisers |url=https://www.marianasyachtclub.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=331521&module_id=164042 |website=Marianas Yacht Club |access-date=8 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

In addition to shore berths, a total of 21 mooring buoys are located in the harbor. However, none is suitable for large vessel mooring during a [[typhoon]], requiring craft to put out to sea for safety in extreme weather. One buoy is reserved for a [[Military Sealift Command]] [[strategic sealift ships|strategic sealift ship]].<ref name="GS_Apra"/>

=== Recreation ===
[[File:Diver on shipwreck in Apra Harbor, Guam.jpeg|thumb|Scuba diver on a shipwreck in Apra Harbor, 2017]]
Harbor beaches on Naval property include Gab Gab Beach and San Luis Beach on the Orote Peninsula, and Fantasy Island on Polaris Point.<ref>{{cite web |title=Beaches |url=https://nbg.militarymwrguam.com/recreation/beaches |website=nbg.militarymwrguam.com |access-date=8 March 2021}}</ref> Beaches on Cabras include Family Beach and Outhouse Beach.<ref>{{cite web |title=Family Beach Diving in Guam |url=http://divescover.com/dive-site/family-beach/40084 |website=divescover.com |access-date=8 March 2021}}</ref> Port Authority Beach is located on the north shore of Drydock Island.<ref>{{cite web |title=Financial Statements and Independent Auditors' Report: September 30, 2001 and 2000 |url=http://guamopa.net/docs/Pagfs01.pdf |website=Port Authority of Guam |publisher=Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu |access-date=8 March 2021 |page=4 |date=October 25, 2002}}</ref>

Apra Harbor hosts a robust [[coral reef]] community and many shipwrecks. There are many named scuba diving sites either within or immediately outside the harbor, including: Harley Reef; {{SMS|Cormoran|1914|6}} and ''[[Tokai Maru]]'', allowing divers to touch wrecks from the two World Wars at the same time; Jade Shoals; Big Blue Reef; Middle Shoals; Western Shoals; Gab Gab; Finger Reef; American Tanker; Blue and White; Luminau; [[Blue Hole (Guam)|Blue Hole]];<ref name="Guampedia_Apra_coral">{{cite web |last1=Primov |first1=Karim |title=» Coral Reefs in Apra Harbor |url=https://www.guampedia.com/coral-reefs-in-apra-harbor/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=8 March 2021 |date=February 13, 2021}}</ref> [[Kizugawa Maru]];<ref>{{cite web |title=Kitsugawa Maru |url=https://www.guamdiveguide.com/all-dive-sites/apra-harbor/kitsugawa-maru/ |website=Guam Dive Guide |access-date=8 March 2021 |date=23 May 2018}}</ref> and many others.

The outer shore of the Glass Breakwater is one of the most popular [[surfing]] spots on Guam, along with [[Talofofo Bay]] and [[Inarajan Bay]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Surf Guam |url=http://www.destination360.com/australia-south-pacific/guam/surf-guam |website=www.destination360.com |access-date=8 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Beaches |url=https://www.guampdn.com/story/entertainment/2015/05/15/guam-beaches/27375403/ |website=Pacific Daily News |access-date=8 March 2021 |date=May 16, 2015}}</ref>

=== Sasa Bay Marine Preserve ===
[[File:Coral Reef Habitat Assessment for U.S. Marine Protected Areas - U.S. Territory of Guam (Sasa Bay figure).jpg|thumb|Benthic cover map for the Sasa Bay Marine Preserve, 2009]]
The Sasa Bay Marine Preserve, comprising waters and lands between Drydock Island and Polaris Point, is a recreational and ecological protected area with regulated fishing. Measuring {{convert|3.118|km2|acres}}, it is one of five Marine Preserves created by the Government of Guam in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sasa Bay Marine Preserve |url=https://pipap.sprep.org/pa/555655691 |website=Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal |access-date=8 March 2021}}</ref> The Preserve contains a [[mangrove swamp]], is a foraging area for [[Hawksbill sea turtle]] and is habitat for several [[oyster]] and [[clam]] species. It also includes four or five patch reefs in its deeper waters.<ref name=NOAA_2009>{{cite book |title=Coral Reef Habitat Assessment for U.S. Marine Protected Areas: U.S. Territory of Guam |date=February 2009 |page=9 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |url=https://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/habitat_assessment/guam.pdf |accessdate=March 7, 2021}}</ref>

== Management and ownership ==
Operations in Outer Apra Harbor are under the jurisdiction of [[Port of Guam|The Port Authority of Guam]] and the [[United States Coast Guard]]. Vessels entering, leaving, or shifting berth in Apra Harbor are required to give 24 hours notice to the Port Authority of Guam Port Control Harbor Master and the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port. Inner Apra Harbor is a restricted area that is marked by two uncharted buoys. Operations in Inner Apra Harbor are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy Port Control Harbormaster.<ref>{{cite web |title=Booklet Chart: Mariana Islands - Apra Harbor - NOAA Chart 81054 |url=https://www.charts.noaa.gov/BookletChart/81054_BookletChart.pdf |website=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=8 March 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.portofguam.com/ Port Authority of Guam]
*[https://jrm.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAVBASE-Guam/ U.S. Naval Base Guam]
*[https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/Cruisebooks/wwiicruisebooks/ncb-cruisebooks/301st%20NCB.pdf Photos of harbor clearance and construction, pages 53—69]

{{Guam}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|13|27|12|N|144|39|12.56|E|region:US-GU|display=title|format=dms}}

[[Category:Apra Harbor| ]]