Roi-Namur
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Roi–Namur Battlefield
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| Location | Kwajalein Missile Range, Kwajalein Atoll |
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| Coordinates | 9°23′46″N 167°28′33″E / 9.39611°N 167.47583°ECoordinates: 9°23′46″N 167°28′33″E / 9.39611°N 167.47583°E |
| Built | 1944 |
| NRHP Reference # | 85001758 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 4, 1985 |
| Designated NHLD | February 4, 1985 |
Roi-Namur /ˌrɔɪ-nəˈmʊər/ is an island in the north part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Today it is a major part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, hosting several radar systems used for tracking and characterizing missile reentry vehicles (RV) and their penetration aids (penaids).
Germany annexed the Marshalls in 1885 but did not put government officials on the islands until 1906, leaving island affairs to a group of powerful German trading companies. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Japan took over in 1914. They colonised the Marshalls extensively, developing and fortifying large bases on many of the islands.
Roi-Namur was the target of the U.S. 4th Marine Division in the Battle of Kwajalein, in February 1944. During the Japanese occupation, the two islands (Roi to the west (Marshallese: Ruot, [rʷuɔ͡ʌtˠ]) and Namur to the east (Nim̧ur, [nʲi͡ɯmˠɯ͡urʷ])) were connected by a narrow neck of land and causeway. After the American occupation, US Navy SeaBees filled the area between the islands by December 1944; the two islands are now joined are presently called Roi-Namur with a total area of about one square mile.
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