An aerial view shows one of four artificial islands where oil wells are operating just off shore in San Pedro Bay within sight of the city of Long Beach, California, USA. The novelty is that the storage tanks, derricks, pumps and other equipment necessary to extract crude oil from under the sea are camouflaged and soundproofed by tropical landscaping, waterfalls and building facades designed to resemble an island resort as seen from the city's shoreline. This is Island White, named for American astronaut Ed White who perished when his Apollo 1 spacecraft caught fire in 1967.


An aerial view shows one of four artificial islands where oil wells are operating just off shore in San Pedro Bay within sight of the city of Long Beach, California, USA. The novelty is that the storage tanks, derricks, pumps and other equipment necessary to extract crude oil from under the sea are camouflaged and soundproofed by tropical landscaping, waterfalls and building facades designed to resemble an island resort as seen from the city's shoreline. Some 1,450 wells have been drilled to depths of 2,000 to 11,000 feet (610 to 3,353 meters) since the four islands were created in 1965. This is Island White, named for American astronaut Ed White who perished when his Apollo 1 spacecraft caught fire in 1967. The other islands also are named for astronauts who lost their lives early in the space program: Roger Chaffee, Virgil Grissom and Theodore Freeman.


Size: 3700px × 2403px
Location: in San Pedro Bay at Long Beach, California, USA
Photo credit: © Michele and Tom Grimm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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