Wartime Coral Airstrip

The Americans built a coral-surfaced airstrip on the northeastern side of Nanumea in late 1943 to support the Gilbert Islands campaign. It was the most northerly of the three forward strips the Marines laid down in Tuvalu, and for a few months it was one of the busiest places in the central Pacific.

The strip itself has not been used since 1945 and is mostly returning to bush, but the alignment is unmistakable and the coral surface remains firm in long stretches. Walk it from end to end with a local guide and you will find old fuel drums, anti-aircraft positions in the scrub, and the foundations of the camp buildings. It is a quiet, unmarked place — no signs, no fence, no museum.

things to do sight history
A story
The strip was hand-cleared and surfaced with crushed coral in a matter of weeks by a Marine engineering battalion in late 1943, then immediately used to fly bombing missions against the Japanese garrisons on Tarawa and the Marshalls. Within months of the war ending it was abandoned; the bush has slowly retaken it, but the line is still visible from the air and the surface is still firm enough underfoot for a long, straight walk.