La Perouse Pinnacle facts for kids
La Perouse Pinnacle is a volcanic pinnacle located in the French Frigate Shoals about midway in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands approximately 3 miles WSW of East Island, Hawaii. It is the oldest and most remote volcanic rock in the Hawaiian Islands. La Perouse Pinnacle stands 120 ft (37 m) tall. It is surrounded by coral reefs and a shorter, rocky islet about 5–10 feet (1.5–3 meters) tall. Because of its distinct shape, the pinnacle can be mistaken for a ship from a distance.
It has been called a "volcanic rock islet" and is known for its central position in the French Frigate Shoals between north and south sides of atoll. The pinnacle is visible from a distance of about 8 miles (12.8 km) away at sea.
The rock is named for Comte de La Pérouse, who came across the shoals in 1786.
The Pinnacle is composed mainly of very hard volcanic type rock, and the island is thought to be the remains of a volcano from millions of years ago.
In 1923 on the Tanager expedition it was visited and determined to be olivine basalt rock.
The pinnacle's resemblance to a sailing ship at distance, nearly caused the wrecking of the sailing ship Rebecca in the 19th century. The whaling ship Rebecca sighted the pinnacle at nightfall, but mistook it for a sailing ship and tried to signal with it. When the signals were not returned the Rebecca headed towards the ship to investigate, but soon ran into the reef. The ship survived the encounter with shoals, and was able to ascertain the nature of the Pinnacle in the morning.
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.
