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85-639: Villages along the harbor include several communities in the Greater Pago Pago Area, including Utulei , Fagatogo , Malaloa , Pago Pago proper, Satala , Anua and Atu'u . The legislature and High Court are located in Fagatogo, while the executive offices are located in Utulei. Pago Pago Harbor is surrounded and sheltered by mountains such as Mount ʻAlava , Mount Matafao and Rainmaker Mountain (Mount Pioa). The entrance to Pago Pago Bay

170-591: A Deed of Cession of Tutuila in 1900 and a Deed of Cession of Manuʻa in 1904 on behalf of the U.S. government. The last sovereign of Manuʻa, the Tui Manuʻa Elisala , signed a Deed of Cession of Manuʻa following a series of U.S. naval trials, known as the "Trial of the Ipu", in Pago Pago, Taʻu, and aboard a Pacific Squadron gunboat. The territory became known as the U.S. Naval Station Tutuila . On July 17, 1911,

255-687: A U.S. Department of Interior –sponsored attempt to incorporate American Samoa, was introduced in Congress. It was ultimately defeated, primarily through the efforts of Samoan chiefs, led by Tuiasosopo Mariota. The efforts of these chiefs led to the creation of a territorial legislature, the American Samoa Fono , which meets in the village of Fagatogo . In 1950 the Department of the Interior began to administer American Samoa. By 1956,

340-462: A brief but lavish greeting. On January 30, 1974, Pan Am Flight 806 from Auckland , New Zealand, crashed at Pago Pago International Airport at 10:41   pm, with 91 passengers aboard. 86 people were killed, including Captain Leroy A. Petersen and the entire flight crew. Four of the five surviving passengers were seriously injured, with the other only slightly injured. The airliner was destroyed by

425-469: A hundred canoes, with more than 500 people in them: but I was afraid of striking the wrong victims; the call of my conscience saved their lives." On December 19, 1912, English writer William Somerset Maugham arrived in Pago Pago, allegedly accompanied by a missionary and Miss Sadie Thompson. His visit inspired his short story " Rain " which later became plays and three major motion pictures. The building still stands where Maugham stayed and has been renamed

510-532: A listing which is disputed by the territorial government officials, who do consider themselves to be self-governing. American Samoa and Pago Pago International Airport had historic significance with the Apollo Program . The astronaut crews of Apollo 10 , 12 , 13 , 14 , and 17 were retrieved a few hundred miles from Pago Pago and transported by helicopter to the airport prior to being flown to Honolulu on C-141 Starlifter military aircraft. While

595-522: A name for their new territory. The traditional leaders chose "American Samoa", and, on July 7, 1911, the solicitor general of the Navy authorized the governor to proclaim it as the name for the new territory. In 1918, during the final stages of World War I , the Great Influenza epidemic had taken its toll, spreading rapidly from country to country. American Samoa became one of the few places in

680-493: A piece of shrapnel , and "a member of the colorful native Fita Fita Guard" received minor injuries; they were the only casualties. This was the only time the Japanese attacked Tutuila during World War II , although "Japanese submarines had patrolled the waters around Samoa before the war, and continued to be active there throughout the war." On August 24, 1943, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited American Samoa and inspected

765-613: A pivotal role in five of the Apollo Program missions . The astronauts landed several hundred miles from Pago and were transported to the islands en route back to the mainland. President Richard Nixon gave three Moon rocks to the American Samoan government, which are currently on display in the Jean P. Haydon Museum along with a flag carried to the Moon on one of the missions. In November 1970, Pope Paul VI visited American Samoa in

850-425: A potential Japanese invasion. Farther on, the trail leads into a bird-filled rainforest. At the time of the 1990 U.S. Census , there were 156 houses in Utulei village. Between 1990 and 1995, 23 new residential building permits were issued, so that, by 1995, there were 179 houses. As of 2000, there were 60 commercial enterprises registered in the village, many of which are housed in the one- or two-story buildings on

935-457: A remote coral atoll in the Tokelau volcanic island group . The total land area is 77 square miles (199 km ), slightly larger than Washington, D.C. ; including its territorial waters , the total area is 117,500 square miles (304,000 km ), about the size of New Zealand. American Samoa has a tropical climate, with 90 percent of its land covered by rainforests. As of 2024, the population

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1020-522: A significant presence in American Samoa and plays a major role in its economy and society. The territory is noted for having the highest rate of military enlistment of any U.S. state or territory; as of 2021, the local U.S. Army recruiting station in Pago Pago ranked first in recruitment. Tuna products are the main exports, with the U.S. proper serving as the largest trading partner. Tourism

1105-456: A stopover in Pago Pago in April 2017. He addressed 200 soldiers here during his refueling stop. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited town on June 3, 2017. On September 28, 2009, at 17:48:11 UTC, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck 120 miles (190 km) off the coast of American Samoa, followed by smaller aftershocks. It was the largest earthquake of 2009. The quake occurred on

1190-515: A teenager from rough seas. On November 8, 2010, United States Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton made a refueling stopover at the Pago Pago International Airport . She was greeted by government dignitaries and presented with gifts and a traditional kava ceremony. Mike Pence was the third sitting U.S. vice president to visit American Samoa (after Dan Quayle and Joe Biden ) when he made

1275-461: Is a controversial topic locally, as the government of American Samoa fears that it would lead to the erosion of traditional customs. It is the only U.S. territory with its own immigration system. Traditional oral literature of Samoa and Manuʻa talks of a widespread Polynesian network or confederacy (or "empire") that was prehistorically ruled by the successive Tui Manuʻa dynasties. Manuan genealogies and religious oral literature also suggest that

1360-858: Is a member of the International Yacht Racing Union and the American Samoa National Olympic Committee. Utulei is also home to Tauese PF Sunia Ocean Center , which is the visitor center for the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa . It offers informative exhibits on region's ecosystems and reefs. Blunt's Point , on Matautu Ridge in Gataivai, overlooks the mouth of Pago Pago Harbor . On it are two large six-inch naval guns that were emplaced in 1941. Matautu Ridge can be reached from Utulei by walking southeast on

1445-573: Is a nascent but underdeveloped sector, owing in part to the territory's relative geographic isolation, which also accounts for its high rate of poverty and emigration. Residents of American Samoa are politically disenfranchised , with no voting representation in the U.S. Congress. American Samoa is the only permanently inhabited territory of the United States in which citizenship is not granted at birth, and people born there are considered " non-citizen nationals " with limited rights. Citizenship

1530-532: Is a village in Maoputasi County , in the Eastern District of Tutuila , the main island of American Samoa . Utulei is traditionally considered to be a section of Fagatogo village, the legislative capital of American Samoa , and is located on the southwest edge of Pago Pago Harbor. Utulei is the site of many local landmarks: The A. P. Lutali Executive Office Building, which is next to

1615-800: Is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the South Pacific Ocean . Centered on 14°18′S 170°42′W  /  14.3°S 170.7°W  / -14.3; -170.7 , it is 40 miles (64 km) southeast of the island country of Samoa , east of the International Date Line and the Wallis and Futuna Islands, west of the Cook Islands , north of Tonga , and some 310 miles (500 km) south of Tokelau . American Samoa

1700-446: Is approximately 47,400 and concentrated on Tutuila, which hosts the capital and largest settlement, Pago Pago . The vast majority of residents are indigenous ethnic Samoans , most of whom are fluent in the official languages, English and Samoan . Inhabited by Polynesians since prehistory, American Samoa was first contacted by Europeans in the 18th century. The islands attracted missionaries, explorers, and mariners, particularly to

1785-439: Is erected on Mt. Mauga O Aliʻi to honor their memory. On November 1, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill which created American Samoa National Park . On July 22, 2010, Detective Lieutenant Lusila Brown was fatally shot outside the temporary High Court building in Fagatogo. It was the first time in more than 15 years that a police officer was killed in the line of duty. The last was Sa Fuimaono, who drowned after saving

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1870-640: Is managed by the American Samoa Parks and Recreation department. The $ 10-million A. P. Lutali Executive Office Building, constructed in 1991, is located near the Pago Pago Yacht Club. The Feleti Barstow Public Library , constructed in 1998, is located just behind the Executive Office Building. Beyond the library is a paved road that winds upwards to the former cable-car terminal on Solo Hill. A monument on

1955-581: Is marked by two mountains: Peiva in the east and Matafao Peak in the west. The harbor is all that remains from the volcanic crater that built Tutuila Island. At some point, one wall of the crater collapsed and the sea came rushing in creating a near complete shelter from the power of the sea at large. The village communities which lie within the Pago Pago Bay Area are jointly known as Ma'upūtasi (“the only house of chiefs”). They are Pago Pago, Aūa , Fagatogo, Leloaloa and Faga'alu . Fagatogo

2040-638: Is rumored to walk about the grounds at night. On August 17, 1924, Margaret Mead arrived in American Samoa aboard the SS Sonoma to begin fieldwork for her doctoral dissertation in anthropology at Columbia University, where she was a student of Professor Franz Boas . Her work Coming of Age in Samoa was published in 1928, at the time becoming the most widely read book in the field of anthropology . The book has sparked years of ongoing and intense debate and controversy. Mead returned to American Samoa in 1971 for

2125-758: Is severely polluted and will require an extensive cleanup program with a significant amount of manpower ... The destruction is everywhere." An oil spill approximately 40 feet (12 m) wide occurred at the mouth of Pago Pago Harbor as a result of the tsunami. Barrels containing fuel were thrown into the harbor by the tsunami and washed up on shore. It was suggested that one must avoid eating any fish or invertebrate caught in Pago Pago Harbor because they are contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants. 14°16′34″S 170°40′34″W  /  14.276°S 170.676°W  / -14.276; -170.676 Utulei, American Samoa Utulei or ʻUtulei

2210-579: Is the head of government and along with the Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa is elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term. The governor's office is located in Utulei . Since American Samoa is a U.S. territory, the President of the United States serves as the head of state but does not play a direct role in government. The Secretary of the Interior oversees

2295-554: Is the southernmost territory of the United States, situated 2,200 miles (3,500 km) southwest of the U.S. state of Hawaii , and one of two U.S. territories south of the Equator, along with the uninhabited Jarvis Island . American Samoa consists of the eastern part of the Samoan archipelago —the inhabited volcanic islands of Tutuila , Aunuʻu , Ofu , Olosega and Taʻū and the uninhabited Rose Atoll —as well as Swains Island ,

2380-469: Is thus directly administered by the federal government. American Samoa is listed among seventeen " non-self-governing territories " but is a member of several intergovernmental organizations, including the Pacific Community , Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), and International Olympic Committee (IOC). Due to its strategic location, the U.S. military has

2465-404: Is used for canoe racing, kayaking, and windsurfing. In 2006, the governor proposed approving the addition of a McDonald's restaurant to Utulei Beach. He said he hoped the restaurant would boost activity during the evenings, a time when the area was usually almost deserted. This was a controversial proposal, because Utulei Beach is a designated park area that has received substantial funding from

2550-537: The Central Medical School . After the Navy's departure in 1951, however, there was a severe shortage of physicians and other health care professionals. In 1954, for example, there were only four doctors (one stateside and three European), and only one dentist. The hospital therefore depended heavily on nurses to provide its patient care. In 1964, the Michael J. Kirwan Educational Television Center

2635-539: The Feleti Barstow Library ; paved roads that wind up to a former cablecar terminal on Solo Hill; the governor's mansion, which sits on Mauga o Alii, overlooking the entrance to Goat's Island, and the lieutenant governor's residence directly downhill from it; the Lee Auditorium , built in 1962; American Samoa's television studios, known as the Michael J. Kirwan Educational Television Center ; and

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2720-604: The H.M.S. Bounty mutineers . Von Kotzebue visited in 1824. Mission work in the Samoas had begun in late 1830 when John Williams of the London Missionary Society arrived from the Cook Islands and Tahiti . By the late nineteenth century, French, British, German, and American vessels routinely stopped at Samoa, as they valued Pago Pago Harbor as a refueling station for coal-fired shipping and whaling. The United States Exploring Expedition visited

2805-571: The National Park Service . The proposal was defeated. In 2009,then-Governor Togiola Tulafono designated Su’igaula o le Atuvasa as one of the venues for the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts , slated to be hosted by American Samoa in the summer of 2010. Su’igaula o le Atuvasa is the portion of the beach closest to the former site of the Pago Pago Yacht Club . Another public park in Utulei is Su’igaulaoleatuvasa, which

2890-681: The President of the United States . In 1951, with Executive Order 10264 , President Harry Truman delegated that authority to the Secretary of the Interior . On June 21, 1963 Paramount Chief Tuli Leʻiato of Fagaʻitua was sworn in and installed as the first Secretary of Samoan Affairs by Governor H. Rex Lee . On June 2, 1967, Interior Secretary Stewart Udall promulgated the Revised Constitution of American Samoa, which took effect on July 1, 1967. The Governor of American Samoa

2975-533: The Punaoa Valley in Utulei. The American Samoa Department of Education operates Samoana High School in Utulei (originally called the High School of American Samoa ). It opened in 1946, and was the first high school established in the territory. The American Samoa Community College (ASCC), established in 1970, was located in Utulei during its first four years of operation. From 1972 to 1974, it

3060-682: The Rainmaker Hotel (a portion of which is now known as Sadie's Hotel ). Utulei Terminal offers views of Rainmaker Mountain . Also in Utulei are some of the hotels based in Pago Pago, such as Sadie’s by the Sea, and the Feleti Barstow Library ( American Samoa ’s central public library), which is located across from Samoana High School . The library, which has the largest selection of literature in American Samoa ,

3145-474: The Sadie Thompson Building . Today, it is a prominent restaurant and inn. On November 2, 1921, American Samoa's 13th naval governor , Commander Warren Jay Terhune , died by suicide with a pistol in the bathroom of the government mansion, overlooking the entrance to Pago Pago Harbor. His body was discovered by Government House's cook, SDI First Class Felisiano Debid Ahchica, USN. His ghost

3230-613: The Togotogo Ridge , and Matai Mountain - flows through Utulei, carried by the Vailoa Stream . The stream discharges into the sea at a point on the north side of the Pago Pago Yacht Club in Utulei. Utulei Beach Park is one of only a few public parks in Pago Pago — and on Tutuila Island as a whole. It was built by the U.S. Navy in the 1940s by filling in a marshy area near the Pago Pago Harbor . Next to

3315-790: The outer rise of the Kermadec-Tonga Subduction Zone . This is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire , where tectonic plates in the Earth's lithosphere meet, and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common. The quake struck 11.2 miles (18.0 km) below the ocean floor and generated an onsetting tsunami that killed more than 170 people in the Samoa Islands and Tonga . Four waves with heights from 15 feet (4.6 m) to 20 feet (6.1 m) high were reported to have reached up to one mile (1.6   km) inland on

3400-543: The "Manulele Tausala" ("Lady Bird") Elementary School in Nuʻuuli , which was named after her. Johnson is the only US president to have visited American Samoa, while Mrs. Johnson was the second First Lady, preceded by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1943. The territory's only hospital was renamed the LBJ Tropical Medical Center in honor of President Johnson. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, American Samoa played

3485-727: The Fita Fita Guard and Band and the First Samoan Battalion of U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at the U.S. Naval Station American Samoa. The fact that First Lady reviewed the troops led to further assurance that Tutuila Island was considered safe. Her presence underscored that World War II had passed by American Samoa. While the Fita Fita band played, Eleanor Roosevelt inspected the guard. On October 18, 1966, President Lyndon Baines Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson visited American Samoa. Mrs. Johnson dedicated

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3570-492: The Interior assumed control of the mansion, and it has been the residence of every governor of American Samoa since then. Pago Pago Yacht Club , next to the Canoe Club in Utulei, is the center of water sports activities in American Samoa. It offers game fishing, diving, canoeing, sailing, diving, and more. The historic club building, next to Pago Pago Harbor , is used as a place to retreat and for dining. The yacht club

3655-517: The Michael J. Kirwan TV Studios have been available in the past. The two-story Governor's House is a wooden colonial mansion atop Mauga o Ali'i (the chief's hill), uphill from a road across which is the entrance to the Rainmaker Hotel . The mansion was constructed in 1903, and served as the residence of each of the island’s naval commanders in turn until 1951. At that point, the Department of

3740-519: The Tui Manuʻa had long been one of the most prestigious and powerful paramounts of Samoa. Oral history suggests that the Tui Manuʻa kings governed a confederacy of far-flung islands which included Tutuila, as well as smaller western Pacific chiefdoms and Polynesian outliers such as Uvea , Futuna , Tokelau , Tuvalu and bigger islands like the Samoa in the North. Commerce and exchange routes between

3825-492: The U.S. Army's Hawaii-based Tropic Lightning Parachute Club. The aeroplane contacted the Solo Ridge-Mount Alava aerial tramway cable across Pago Pago harbor, which sheared off its vertical stabilizer. The aircraft crashed, demolishing a wing of the Rainmaker Hotel and killing all six crew members and one civilian. The six skydivers had already left the aircraft during a demonstration jump. A memorial monument

3910-399: The U.S. Naval Station Tutuila over the next 10 minutes. The first shell struck the rear of Frank Shimasaki's store, ironically owned by one of Tutuila's few Japanese residents. The store was closed, as Mr. Shimasaki had been interned as an enemy alien. The next shell caused slight damage to the naval dispensary, the third landed on the lawn behind the naval quarters known as "Centipede Row," and

3995-463: The U.S. Naval Station Tutuila, which was composed of Tutuila, Aunuʻu and Manuʻa, was officially renamed American Samoa. People of Manuʻa had been unhappy since they were left out of the name "Naval Station Tutuila". In May 1911, Governor William Michael Crose authored a letter to the Secretary of the Navy conveying the sentiments of Manuʻa. The department responded that the people should choose

4080-478: The U.S. Navy-appointed governor was replaced by Peter Tali Coleman , who was locally elected. Although technically considered "unorganized" since the U.S. Congress has not passed an Organic Act for the territory, American Samoa is self-governing under a constitution that became effective on July 1, 1967. The U.S. Territory of American Samoa is on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories ,

4165-547: The U.S. formally annexed its portion, a smaller group of eastern islands, one of which contains the noted harbor of Pago Pago . After the United States Navy took possession of eastern Samoa for the United States government , the existing coaling station at Pago Pago Bay was expanded into a full naval station , known as United States Naval Station Tutuila and commanded by a commandant. The Navy secured

4250-504: The United Nations' decolonization list, arguing that the territory should not be considered a colony. American Samoans have a high rate of service in the U.S. Armed Forces . Because of economic hardship, military service has been seen as an opportunity in American Samoa and other U.S. Overseas territories . The federal Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 started gradual adjustments to the territorial minimum wage to bring it up to

4335-555: The United States mainland, he was prevented from disembarking from the ship that brought him home to American Samoa and was not allowed to return because the American Samoa Mau movement was suppressed by the U.S. Navy. In 1930 the U.S. Congress sent a committee to investigate the status of American Samoa, led by Americans who had a part in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii . Swains Island , which had been included in

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4420-528: The Utulei terminal is still visited because of its views, including its view of Mt. Pioa (also called the Rainmaker Mountain . Also located in Utulei are the Lee Auditorium , built in 1962, and the Michael J. Kirwan Educational Television Center . It was at this television center, during the tenure of Governor H. Rex Lee , that the pioneering practice began of broadcasting school lessons to elementary and secondary school students Guided tours of

4505-569: The aircraft apart. On November 24, 1939, American Samoa's last execution to date was carried out. A man named Imoa of Fagatogo was convicted of stabbing a person named Sella to death and was hanged in the Customs House . The popular Samoan song "Faʻafofoga Samoa" is based on this, said to be the final words of Imoa. On January 13, 1942, at 2:26   am, a Japanese submarine surfaced off Tutuila between Southworth Point and Fagasa Bay and fired about 15 shells from its 5.5-inch deck gun at

4590-468: The cruelty of its inhabitants than the lair of a lion or a tiger". This incident gave Samoa a reputation for savagery that kept Europeans away until the arrival of the first Christian missionaries four decades later. On December 12, at Aʻasu Bay, Lapérouse ordered his gunners to fire one cannonball amid the attackers who had killed his men the day before and were now returning to launch another attack. He later wrote in his journal "I could have destroyed or sunk

4675-402: The deadly disease. The neighboring New Zealand territory at the time, Western Samoa , suffered the most of all Pacific islands , with 90% of the population infected; 30% of adult men, 22% of adult women and 10% of children died. Poyer offered assistance to help his New Zealand counterparts but was refused by the administrator of Western Samoa, Robert Logan , who became outraged after witnessing

4760-594: The dedication of the Jean P. Haydon Museum . In 1938, the noted aviator Ed Musick and his crew died on the Pan American World Airways S-42 Samoan Clipper over Pago Pago, while on a survey flight to Auckland , New Zealand . Sometime after takeoff, the aircraft experienced trouble, and Musick turned it back toward Pago Pago. While the crew dumped fuel in preparation for an emergency landing, an explosion occurred that tore

4845-538: The egg cowry ). Contact with Europeans began in the early 18th century. Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen was the first known European to sight the Samoan Islands in 1722, calling them the "Baumann Islands" after one of his captains. The next explorer to visit the islands was Louis-Antoine de Bougainville , who named them the "Îles des Navigateurs" in 1768. British explorer James Cook recorded the island names in 1773, but never visited. The 1789 visit by Lapérouse

4930-473: The fourth struck the stone seawall outside the customs house. The other rounds fell harmlessly into the harbor. As one writer described it, "The fire was not returned, notwithstanding the eagerness of the Samoan Marines to test their skill against the enemy   ... No American or Samoan Marines were wounded." Commander Edwin B. Robinson was bicycling behind Centipede Row and was wounded in the knee by

5015-425: The government, retaining the power to approve constitutional amendments, overrides the governor's vetoes , and nomination of justices. The legislative power is vested in the American Samoa Fono , which has two chambers . The House of Representatives has 21 members serving two-year terms, being 20 representatives popularly elected from various districts and one non-voting delegate from Swains Island elected in

5100-496: The guns. One gun emplacement is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places , while the second gun has earned recognition as a U.S. National Historic Landmark . They are maintained by the National Park Service . The 3-km World War II Heritage Trail, which ends at Blunt's Point, is the most accessible and most popular trail on Tutuila Island. The ridge-top trail winds past various ancient archeological sites as well as World War II installations that were erected to fend off

5185-563: The highly protected natural harbor of Pago Pago. The United States took possession of American Samoa in the late 19th century, developing it into a major naval outpost; the territory's strategic value was reinforced by the Second World War and subsequent Cold War. In 1967, American Samoa became self-governing with the adoption of a constitution; its local government is republican in form, with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches. It remains officially unorganized and

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5270-425: The hill recalls a 1980 disaster in which a U.S. Navy airplane hit the cables and crashed into the Rainmaker Hotel , killing eight people. The cableway had been one of the world's longest single-span aerial tramways; it had been constructed in 1965 to carry TV technicians to the transmitters at the top of Mount ʻAlava . In December 1991, Hurricane Val put the cableway out of service, and it has yet to be repaired. But

5355-499: The impact and succeeding fire. The crash was attributed to poor visibility, pilot error, or wind shear since a violent storm was raging at the time. In January 2014, filmmaker Paul Crompton visited the territory to interview local residents for a documentary film about the 1974 crash. As part of the Flag Day celebrations on April 17, 1980, a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion patrol plane from Patrol Squadron 50 took off with six skydivers from

5440-559: The island of Tutuila. The Defense Logistics Agency worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide 16 ft × 16 ft (4.9 m × 4.9 m) humanitarian tents to the devastated areas of American Samoa. American Samoa is classified in U.S. law as an unincorporated territory ; the Ratification Act of 1929 vested all civil, judicial, and military powers in

5525-403: The islands in 1839. In March 1889, an Imperial German naval force entered a village in Samoa, and in doing so destroyed some American property. Three American warships then entered the Apia harbor and prepared to engage the three German warships found there. Before any shots were fired, a typhoon wrecked both the American and German ships. A compulsory armistice was then called because of

5610-403: The lack of any warships. At the turn of the 20th century, international rivalries in the latter half of the century were settled by the 1899 Tripartite Convention in which Germany and the United States partitioned the Samoan Islands into two: the eastern island group became a territory of the United States (Tutuila in 1900 and officially Manuʻa in 1904) and is today known as American Samoa;

5695-601: The level for US states. On December 13, 1784, French navigator Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse landed two exploration parties on Tutuila's north shore: one from the ship La Boussole at Fagasa, and the other from L'Astrolabe at Aʻasu . One of the cooks, David, died of "scorbutic dropsy". On December 11, twelve members of Lapérouse's crew (including First Officer Paul Antoine Fleuriot de Langle ) were killed by angry Samoans at Aʻasu Bay, Tutuila, thereafter known as "Massacre Bay", which Lapérouse described as "this den, more fearful from its treacherous situation and

5780-438: The library is the largest high school on Tutuila Island, Samoana High School . Utulei is by tradition considered distinct from Fagatogo because it is the site of Maota o Tanumaleu, the residence of the High Chief Afoafouvale (also known as the Le Aloalii). The current holder of that title is Afoa Moega Lutu , who has held it since 1990. Of historical interest, more than a century ago, on November 3, 1920, Warren Terhune , who

5865-621: The list of guano islands appertaining to the United States and bonded under the Guano Islands Act , was annexed in 1925 by Pub. Res. 68–75, following the dissolution of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony by the United Kingdom. During World War II , U.S. Marines stationed in Samoa outnumbered the local population and had a huge cultural influence. Young Samoan men from age 14 and above were combat-trained by U.S. military personnel . Samoans served in various capacities during World War II, including as combatants, medical personnel, code personnel, and ship repairmen. In 1949, Organic Act 4500,

5950-441: The main road past the oil tanks, keeping an eye out on the right-hand side for a small pump house immediately across the highway from a beach, and almost opposite two homes on the bayside of the street. The track up the hill to Matautu Ridge starts behind the pump house. The lower gun is located directly over a big green water tank, and the second gun is located 200 meters farther up the Matautu Ridge. Concrete stairways lead to both of

6035-430: The number of quarantine ships surrounding American Samoa. Angered by this, Logan cut off communications with his American counterparts. After World War I, during the time of the Mau movement in Western Samoa (then a League of Nations mandate governed by New Zealand), there was a corresponding American Samoa Mau movement led by Samuelu Ripley, a World War I veteran who was from Leone village, Tutuila. After meetings on

6120-516: The park are two historic naval buildings erected in the 1940s — two of four remaining original structures built here by the Navy during World War II - as well as the Pago Pago Yacht Club and the ASG Tourism Office. The park includes a grassy area with scattered trees and picnic sites. It is used for recreational activities, such as volleyball and picnicking, and is a common gathering place for social activities and events. The adjoining beach

6205-515: The southwest side of the shoreline roadway. Smaller shops are found in predominantly residential communities upland from Samoana High School and the Executive Office Building . Diesel fuel is delivered monthly to Tutuila Island from Long Beach, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii, supplied by Marlex and Pacific Resources, Inc. The fuel is carried by pipe from the dock area to an energy-storage tank farm operated by Marlex in

6290-402: The two Samoas share language and ethnicity, their cultures have recently followed different paths, with American Samoans often emigrating to Hawaiʻi and the U.S. mainland, and adopting many U.S. customs, such as the playing of American football and baseball . Samoans have tended to emigrate instead to New Zealand , whose influence has made the sports of rugby and cricket more popular in

6375-451: The war, in 1946, the now-vacant two-story marine barracks at Utulei were renovated and repurposed as the new Samoan Hospital , with 224 beds, 27 bassinets, a pharmacy, and a dentistry. During the year 1950, the hospital admitted 2,771 patients, and delivered about 40 percent of all babies born in American Samoa that year. Nursing needs were filled by graduates from the local nursing school. Medical needs were filled by students were selected for

6460-461: The western Polynesian societies are well documented and it is speculated that the Tui Manuʻa dynasty grew through its success in obtaining control and manufacturing goods such as finely woven ceremonial mats "('Ie Konga)" for the Tu'i Tonga, whale ivory " tabua " for their Fijian masters, obsidian and basalt tools, chiefly red feathers, and seashells reserved for royalty (such as polished nautilus and

6545-496: The western Samoan islands. Travel writer Paul Theroux noted that there were marked differences between the societies in Samoa and American Samoa. On August 13, 1999, the United Nations granted American Samoa "observer seat" status. Six days later, American Samoa officially recognized both Samoan and English as its official languages. In 2001 and 2003, the United States unsuccessfully sought to have American Samoa removed from

6630-832: The western islands, by far the greater landmass, became known as German Samoa , after Britain gave up all claims to Samoa and in return accepted the termination of German rights in Tonga and certain areas in the Solomon Islands and West Africa . Forerunners to the Tripartite Convention of 1899 were the Washington Conference of 1887, the Treaty of Berlin of 1889 and the Anglo-German Agreement on Samoa of 1899. The following year,

6715-660: The world (the others being New Caledonia and Marajó island in Brazil) to have proactively prevented any deaths during the pandemic through the quick response from Governor John Martin Poyer after hearing news reports of the outbreak on the radio and requesting quarantine ships from the U.S. mainland. The result of Poyer's quick actions earned him the Navy Cross from the U.S. Navy . With this distinction, American Samoans regarded Poyer as their hero for what he had done to prevent

6800-570: Was completed. It is named for Representative Michael J. Kirwan , who was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee . In 1980, during celebratory Flag Day military demonstrations, a U.S. Navy airplane accidentally hit the cables of the Mount ‘Alava Cable Car and crashed into the Rainmaker Hotel . All six naval personnel on board the aircraft died, as did two hotel guests. Surface runoff - from Utulei Ridge ,

6885-526: Was developed between 1998 and 2000 with funds from the Community Development Block Grant , a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development . Utulei Beach Park has an enormous fale with ornate carvings, which is used for performances and events. Smaller fales in the park are used for everyday gatherings. Across from Utulei Beach Park is the Executive Office Building and Feleti Barstow Public Library . Next to

6970-411: Was ended by an attack , on Tutuila island where Lapérouse's men were trying to obtain water. His second in command Capt. de Langle and several of his crew were killed. La Pérouse named the island "Massacre Island", and the bay near Aasu is still called "Massacre Bay". HMS Pandora , under the command of Admiral Edward Edwards (Royal Navy officer), visited the island in 1791 during its search for

7055-478: Was housed in the former Fia lloa High School building and in the former navy buildings that had once housed the High School of American Samoa . By the spring of 1972, the college had 872 enrolled students. Feleti Barstow Public Library , the central public library for American Samoa, is located in Utulei. 14°17′13″S 170°40′59″W  /  14.28694°S 170.68306°W  / -14.28694; -170.68306 American Samoa American Samoa

7140-529: Was struck by a tsunami on 29 September 2009, causing damage and rock slides . A significant amount of debris and oil were dumped into Pago Pago Harbor during the earthquake and tsunami, which devastated communities along the harbor's coastline, including Pago Pago. Debris including cars, household items, and boats were thrown into the harbor by the force of the wave. According to the 14-page American Samoan government report, Post-Tsunami Coastal Resource Damage Assessment , "The inner section of Pago Pago Harbor

7225-542: Was the Samoan governor at the time, committed suicide in Utulei. During World War II, the population of the village of Utulei, around 700 inhabitants, was almost entirely displaced to make room for US military installations. One Naval officer was said to have describe Utulei as consisting of "a few native houses". The inhabitants were told to move out of the village and into the hills, and bachelor officers’ quarters and other military support facilities were built there. After

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