The uninhabited atoll of Wake (Wake, Peale and Peale islets) was discovered in 1568
by a Spanish navigator. It was thereafter considered as within the Spanish zone of
influence and was therefore occupied by the US Navy [Comm. Edward David Taussig,
Commander of the USS Bennington (1847 - 1921)] in 1898, during the war with Spain.
It formally became an US possession the following year.
Like before the atoll at first remained uninhabited, being only occasionally visited
by Japanese fishermen or by scientific or military parties. (1)
In 1934 the territory was placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of the
Navy. The following year Pan American Airlines was authorized to build a civilian
airfield and some other facilities (radio station, hotel-inn, ...) on the atoll and
the first permanent inhabitants arrived.
In 1941 Wake was declared a Naval Defensive Sea Area and all infrastructures became
part of a naval air base.
(1) One of the earliest visitors was the British Capt. Samuel Wake (in 1796),
whose name was later given to the atoll (before San Francisco)
__________________________________________________________________________________
US COMMANDERS
(subordinated to the Commanders of the 14th Naval District in Hawaii)
Commanding Officers Wake Island Command
1941 Maj. James Patrick Sinnott Devereux*,
Commanding Officer of the 1st Marine
Defense Battalion Detachment 1903 - 1988
1941 Capt. Winfield Scott Cunningham,
Commanding Officer Naval Air Station 1900 - 1986
JAPANESE TERRITORY OF OTORI JIMA
In 1941 the atoll was occupied by the Japanese who renamed it Otori Jima.
__________________________________________________________________________________
JAPANESE COMMANDERS
(all subordinated to the Commanders-in-Chief of the 4th Fleet)
(note : in Japanese names the family name is given first)
Commander of the Wake Invasion Group
(in overall command)
1941 - 1942 RearAdm. Kajioka Sadamichi 1891 - 1944
Commander(s) of the Maizuru 2d Special Naval Landing Force Detachment
(commanding the landed forces)
1941 - 194. Lt. Uchida Kinichi
194. - 1942 ...
Island Commanders
1942 Capt. Kawasaki Sususmu, Commander
54th Naval Garrison Unit
1942 - 1945 RearAdm. Sakaibara Shigematsu, Commander
of the 65th Naval Guard Unit 1... - 1947
US TERRITORY OF WAKE
At the surrender of the Japanese forces in 1945, the island was returned to the US
and the naval air base was revived.
__________________________________________________________________________________
