Marcus Island LORAN-C transmitter, Radio navigation transmitter in Minami-Tori-shima, Japan.
Marcus Island LORAN-C transmitter was a radio navigation facility on a remote Pacific island. The equipment broadcast signals across vast distances and was designed to support maritime traffic in the northwestern Pacific.
The facility began operating in 1963 under United States Coast Guard control. It transferred to Japanese Coast Guard management in 1993, marking the end of an era as satellite navigation soon replaced older radio methods.
The transmitter served as a navigation landmark for ships from many nations crossing the Pacific. It represented a practical partnership between American and Japanese mariners who relied on the same technology for safe passage.
The site sits on a remote island and is normally not easily accessible to visitors. Information about the station today is found mainly in maritime archives and historical records.
The original transmission mast stood at over 400 meters tall, making it one of the world's tallest structures of its era. Few people realize this engineering feat was accomplished on one of Japan's most isolated islands.
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