La Perouse Pinnacle
La Perouse Pinnacle is a volcanic pinnacle located in the French Frigate Shoals about midway in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands approximately 3 miles WSW of East Island, Hawaii.[1] It is the oldest and most remote volcanic rock in the Hawaiian Islands. La Perouse Pinnacle stands 120 ft (37 m) tall. It is surrounded by coral reefs and a shorter, rocky islet about 5–10 feet (1.5–3 meters) tall. Because of its distinct shape, the pinnacle can be mistaken for a ship from a distance.
It has been called a "volcanic rock islet" and is known for its central position in the French Frigate Shoals between north and south sides of atoll.[2] The pinnacle is visible from a distance of about 8 miles (12.8 km) away at sea.[3]
The rock is named for Comte de La Pérouse, who came across the shoals in 1786.[4][5]
The Pinnacle is composed mainly of very hard volcanic type rock, and the island is thought to be the remains of a volcano from millions of years ago.[6]
In 1923 on the Tanager expedition it was visited and determined to be olivine basalt rock.[7]
The pinnacle's resemblance to a sailing ship at distance, nearly caused the wrecking of the sailing ship Rebecca in the 19th century.[8] The whaling ship Rebecca sighted the pinnacle at nightfall, but mistook it for a sailing ship and tried to signal with it.[9] When the signals were not returned the Rebecca headed towards the ship to investigate, but soon ran into the reef.[10] The ship survived the encounter with shoals, and was able to ascertain the nature of the Pinnacle in the morning.[11]
The pinnacle was a noted landmark by sailor's conducting a search for a lost sailor in the late 2010s, and was noted in an article in the sailing magazine Cruising World in 2018.[12]
References
- NOAA Chart 19401
- "French Frigate Shoals". Archived from the original on 2007-02-13. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
- North Pacific Pilot: The seaman's guide to the islands of the North Pacific by W.H. Rosser, Page 55. 1870
- Cruising World - Searching for a Lost Sailor 2018
