THUMS Islands

The THUMS Islands are a special group of four artificial islands located in San Pedro Bay near Long Beach, California. These islands were created in 1965 to help collect oil from the East Wilmington Oil Field. They are unique because they were designed to look nice with landscaping and sound walls, making them the only decorated oil islands in the United States.

The islands were named after the company THUMS, which stands for the parent companies Texaco, Humble, Unocal, Mobil, and Shell that first operated them. Since 1967, they have also been called the Astronaut Islands because each island is named to honor brave American astronauts who sadly lost their lives while working with NASA.

Island Freeman (Theodore C. "Ted" Freeman) remembers the first astronaut who passed away while on duty, flying a T-38 Talon jet. Islands Chaffee (Roger B. Chaffee), Grissom (Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom), and White (Ed White) honor the astronauts who were part of Apollo 1 and passed away during a test on the launch pad.

History

The THUMS Islands were built in 1965 after a court case gave California control of the area's minerals. These four artificial islands were created using big rocks and lots of dirt from the nearby bay. They cost around $22 million to build.

The islands look very nice with gardens, a waterfall, and tall buildings that hide the oil drills. People sometimes think one building looks like a hotel! The islands were made to look pretty by an architect who worked on theme parks.

Over the years, lots of oil was taken from the islands. In 2000, a company called Occidental Petroleum bought the islands. Today, they are owned and run by the California Resources Corporation.

Islands

The THUMS Islands have four parts, each with its own features. Island Grissom is nearest to land and has waterfalls and special designs. Island Freeman is the biggest, covering 12 acres. The islands are special because they are decorated to look nice and hide what they were built for.

Appearances in popular culture

The THUMS Islands were featured in an episode of California's Gold. The show is known for exploring interesting places in California, and this episode highlighted the unique islands.