Pingelap is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean , part of Pohnpei State of the Federated States of Micronesia , consisting of three islands: Pingelap Island, Sukoru and Daekae, linked by a reef system and surrounding a central lagoon , although only Pingelap Island is inhabited. The entire system has a land area of 1.8 km² (455 acres) at high-tide, and is less than 2.5 miles (4.0 km) at its widest point. The atoll has its own language, Pingelapese , spoken by most of the atoll's 250 residents.
21-853: The first European observer of the islands was Captain Thomas Musgrave in the ship Sugar Cane . Captain MacAskill in Lady Barlow revisited them in 1809. Errors in measurement of their location resulted in the islands being separately named on charts in the 19th century as the Musgrave Islands and the MacAskill islands, within the Caroline archipelago. Historically, the Ouwa or the Paramount Chief or King of Pikelap which
42-478: A democratically elected system alongside the traditional system, which gradually weakened in power. Universal primary education was provided for Pingelapese children and a limited health care scheme was set up to eradicate the diseases introduced during the war. During the 1960s, the Peace Corps and U.S. Air Force settled on the main island. The U.S. Air Force constructed a missile watching station in
63-488: A population bottleneck in 1775 after a catastrophic typhoon swept through the island, leaving only about 20 survivors. One of these, Doahkaesa Mwanenihsed (the ruler at that time), is now believed to have been a carrier for the underlying genetic condition, but the achromatopsia disorder did not appear until the fourth generation after the typhoon, by which time 2.7% of the Pingelapese were affected. Since achromatopsia
84-445: A boat at night waving a large burning torch about to attract or confuse flying fish , which he then catches; the flying fish act as if the torch is the moon. When Sanne De Wilde was photographing the island, she said that red was the most common color the islanders claimed to "see". Despite green being one of the colors they are least able to recognize, many described it as their favorite color, which De Wilde attributed to their love of
105-406: A supply base. Allied Forces later attacked it. The presence of foreign troops on the island led to the introduction of a number of infectious diseases, including gonorrhoea , tuberculosis and dysentery , which reduced the population from its pre-war level of around 1000 to 800, and decreased the fertility rate significantly. The arrival of the U.S. Navy in 1945 resulted in the setting up of
126-549: Is a hereditary title that granted supreme rule of the land, ruled the island of Pikelap which is now known as Pingelap. Japan seized the atoll in October 1914, following the start of World War I . The hereditary system remained in place during Japanese rule, although the title was renamed "Island Magistrate". Japan used the southern part of Pingelap Island during hostilities in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II for
147-432: Is an autosomal recessive disorder, inbreeding between the descendants of Doahkaesa Mwanenised would result in an increased recessive allele frequency. By generation six, the incidence rose to approximately 4.9%, due to the founder effect and inbreeding , with all achromats on the island nowadays tracing their ancestry to Doahkaesa Mwanenihsed. Today the atoll is still of particular interest to geneticists ; due to
168-758: Is no longer listed in the 1798 Lloyd's Register . The Island of the Colorblind The Island of the Colorblind is a 1997 book by neurologist Oliver Sacks about achromatopsia on the Micronesian atoll of Pingelap . It was published in the UK as The Island of the Colour-blind . The second half of the book is devoted to the mystery of Lytico-Bodig disease in Guam . The subject
189-682: The Caroline archipelago . The islands were the Pingelap ( 6°13′5″N 160°42′10″E / 6.21806°N 160.70278°E / 6.21806; 160.70278 ) atoll , now part of Pohnpei State of the Federated States of Micronesia . Sugar Cane left Calcutta on 15 May 1794. She reached Madras on 29 June, the Cape on 4 October, St Helena on 25 October, Crookhaven on 25 December, and Kinsale on 31 January. She arrived at
210-574: The Gold Coast . In 1795, 79 vessels sailed from English ports to Africa to transport enslaved people; 14 sailed from London. Sugar Cane arrived at Cape Coast Castle on 21 September. She acquired captives there and arrived 5 January 1796 at Montevideo , in the Rio de la Plata with 228. She arrived back at London on 10 June. Marman received a second letter of marque on 1 July 1796. Sugar Cane , with Marman, master, sailed from London on 4 August to
231-552: The Americas. In 1796 or 1797, on her second slave trading voyage she captured a French ship, but shortly thereafter was herself captured. The British Royal Navy recaptured her and she apparently was returned to service. She is last listed in 1798. She was launched in 1786 upon the Thames River . In 1789 Lloyd's Register showed her master as W. Seaton, her owners as Turner and Co., and her trade as London- St Vincent . She
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#1732772888260252-483: The Downs on 27 February. On 18 July 1795, John Marman received a letter of marque for Sugar Cane . The letter of marque authorized Sugar Cane to engage in offensive action against French shipping should the opportunity arise. Lloyd's Register for 1795 shows her master changing from Musgrave to "J. Manning". and her trade changing to London-Africa. Marman sailed Sugar Cane from London on 29 July 1795, bound for
273-870: The French captured Sugar Cane as she was sailing from Africa to Barbadoes. In 1797, 40 British vessels on voyages to transport enslaved people were lost. Thirteen were lost in the Middle Passage , sailing between Africa and the West Indies. During the period 1793 to 1807, war, rather than maritime hazards or resistance by the captives, was the greatest cause of vessel losses among British enslaving vessels. In 1797 Lloyd's Register still showed Sugar Cane , Manning, master, with trade Liverpool-Africa. The French renamed Sugar Cane Marseilloise (or Marsellois ). However, in October 1797 HMS Minerva and HMS Lively recaptured Marsellois as she
294-520: The Gold Coast again to acquire captives. In 1796, 103 vessels sailed from English ports to acquire captives from Africa and to transport them to the Americas. Eight of these vessels sailed from London. Sugar Cane arrived at Cape Coast Castle on 30 September. On her way, Sugar Cane recaptured Harlequin , which the French had captured as she was sailing from Liverpool to Africa. Sugar Cane sent Harlequin into Cape Coast . Shortly thereafter,
315-618: The jungle vegetation. Sugar Cane (1786 ship) Sugar Cane , was a three-decker merchantman and convict ship. In 1793 she transported convicts from Ireland to Australia . On her return trip she sailed from Bengal to Britain under contract to the British East India Company . During the French Revolutionary Wars she sailed under a letter of marque as a slave ship . She made two voyages carrying enslaved people from West Africa to
336-488: The man of planning a mutiny. Sugar Cane arrived at Rio de Janeiro in late June and left on 13 July. Sugar Cane arrived at Port Jackson , New South Wales on 17 September 1793. Other than the man who had been executed, no convicts died on the voyage, and the prisoners arrived in good health. Sugar Cane left Port Jackson for Bengal in late 1793, in company with Boddington . The vessels separated at some point, and Sugar Cane went on to discover some islands in
357-481: The northeast of the island and a pier, with work beginning in 1978 on an airstrip, jutting into the lagoon, on the main island. The runway was finished in 1982, and currently Caroline Islands Air makes two or three flights daily to and from the atoll. Pingelap enjoys a tropical climate, with even, warm temperatures throughout the year. Precipitation is generally plentiful, with heavy year-round rainfall. elevation 8 feet (2.4 m) A significant proportion of
378-426: The population has complete achromatopsia due to total absence of working cones in their eye retinas, leaving them with only rods, a recessive genetic disorder that causes total color blindness in sufferers. This condition is known on the island as maskun , meaning literally "not see" in Pingelapese. Complete achromatopsia is normally a very rare condition, and its prevalence on the island has been traced back to
399-635: The small gene pool and rapid population growth, the disorder is now prevalent in almost 10% of the population, with a further 30% being unaffected carriers. (By comparison, in the United States , only 1 in 33,000, or 0.003%, are affected). Leading neurologist Oliver Sacks 's 1997 book The Island of the Colorblind references the island. It is reported that one Pingelapese island sea-fisherman with this condition has difficulty seeing in bright sunlight, but at night can see in much fainter light than people with normal vision can; he uses this ability in
420-575: Was coppered in 1793. Under the command of Thomas Musgrave, she sailed from Portsmouth for Ireland, on 9 March 1793. Having embarked with 110 male and 50 female convicts, she left Cork, Ireland, on 12 April 1793. A sergeant's party from the New South Wales Corps provided the guards for the convicts. On 25 May the Government's agent had a prisoner executed. The man had managed to get out of his irons and another prisoner had accused
441-470: Was sailing from Guadeloupe to France. They then took the richly-laden former Sugar Cane into Martinique. Sugar Cane was restored to her former owners, who revived her name. Although there is a report that she was loaned out to transport convicts, there is no record of that. A Sugarcane , Campbell, master, did arrive at Port Jackson on 15 October 1798 with a cargo of provisions. She then sailed for India, no date of departure being given. Sugar Cane
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