The pinnacle stands at the heart of
French Frigate Shoals, 3 mi (5 km) west-southwest of
East Island, about midway in the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.[3] The formation rises 122 ft (37 m) above the ocean.[2][4] It is composed of dense
basalt rock, covering an area of approximately 39,580 sq ft (3,677 m2), that extends 751 ft (229 m) in the northwest–southeast direction, with a maximum width of 160 ft (50 m). The pinnacle is visible from a distance of about 8 mi (13 km) away.[5][6] It is surrounded by
coral reefs and a shorter, rocky
islet about 5–10 ft (1.5–3.0 m) tall.[7] This environment provides a habitat for diverse species of
seabirds and
Marine life.[5][6]
Modern history
La Perouse Pinnacle as viewed from the southern shore of
Tern Island
In the 19th century, the
whaling shipRebecca, on a moonlit night, mistook La Perouse Pinnacle for a sailing vessel. Attempts to signal went unanswered, and the ship ran aground on the reef, however the ship and the crew survived.[10][11]
In 1923, the
Tanager expedition visited and made the first scientific determination of the pinnacle's basalt rock composition.[12]
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.[13]
See also
Ball's Pyramid, the tallest basalt outcrop on earth, also located in the Pacific Ocean
^
abUnited States Hydrographic Office (1940). Sailing Directions for the Pacific Islands (eastern Groups). Vol. II. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 444.
^Bryan, Edwin Horace, ed. (1978). The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands: An Annotated Bibliography. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. pp. 11–12.
^Rauzon, Mark J. (2000). Isles of Refuge: Wildlife and History of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. University of Hawaii Press. p. 54.
ISBN9780824846268.