The four man-made islands visible just offshore in Long Beach harbour — officially the THUMS Islands but commonly called the Astronaut Islands after being renamed in 1967 to honour the Apollo 1 astronauts who died in the launch pad fire — are one of the stranger sights in Southern California. Each island is a working oil drilling platform disguised as a pleasure island, complete with fake buildings, artificial waterfalls, lighted towers, and palm trees.
The islands are not open to visitors, but they are clearly visible from the beach and harbour, and the contrast between their polished architectural disguise and their industrial purpose makes them a compelling subject for photographs. The oil operation on the THUMS Islands has been running since the 1960s and is one of the most productive urban oil operations in the United States.