South Pacific Mandate
To assist with navigation by ships between Palau and Chuuk Lagoon, construction on a lighthouse was started in 1938 by the Empire of Japan. At the time, Chuuk and much of Micronesia was governed by the Japanese as part of its South Pacific Mandate. As the construction utilized forced labor from Poluwat and neighboring islands, as well as lacking heavy machinery, the lighthouse was not completed until 1940. It and the nearby airfield were discovered by American reconnaissance aircraft on April 10, 1944. Repeated airstrikes soon put both out of commission. The lighthouse was abandoned and never rebuilt, eventually becoming overgrown with tropical vegetation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 16, 1983.