San Nicolas Island (SNI)
San Nicolas Island (SNI) transferred to Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) on 1 October 2004 after several years under Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. San Nicolas Island is located 65 miles south of Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu, California. It is one of eight offshore islands called the Channel Islands. SNI is located within the 36,000 square mile NAVAIR Sea Range. The range provides valuable sea and air space to conduct controlled test and operational training. SNI maintains a 10,000 foot concrete and asphalt runway that can accommodate an aircraft the size of a C-5. Other island facilities include: radar tracking instrumentation, electro optical devices, telemetry, communications equipment, missile and target launch areas, as well as personnel support.
SNI’s Mission has two functions: a launch platform for short and medium missile testing, and an observation facility for missile testing. Primarily, SNI’s mission is to support the primary research, design, development, test, and evaluation of Air Weapons and associated aircraft systems into strike, anti-surface and anti-air warfare aircraft within the Sea Test Range for Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake.
In addition to mission support, the island features a number of other facilities to improve the Quality of Life for personnel who work and live onboard the island. Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) provides many activities to include: Tennis, Racquetball, Kayaking, and Bowling. There also is a lounge with full Internet access, an Islander Club that is available to all personnel, and cable television and Internet access available in each of the rooms on the island.
History of San Nicolas Island
The archeological importance of the island is maintained by an environmental group that preserves and catalogues the hundreds of Native American dig sites all over the island. In addition to their defense of the ancient sites, the group protects and tracks the sparse indigenous wildlife that remains on the island, such as the nearly extinct and very elusive Island Fox.
San Nicolas Island is also known as the “Island of the Blue Dolphins” because of the book: “Island of the Blue Dolphins” written by Scott O’Dell. It tells the story of a marooned Indian woman, native to the island, who was forced to live alone on SNI after her tribe was removed. She remained on the island until she is rescued 18 years later. It is standard reading in many elementary schools.