Right here before us lie the THUMS Islands. These aren’t your typical tropical getaways. They are artificial islands in San Pedro Bay. They stand off the coast of Long Beach. But their story is far more fascinating than you might expect.
The THUMS Islands were built in 1965. They were created to tap into the East Wilmington Oil Field. Imagine that a hidden oil operation disguised as a scenic landscape. The islands were named after the THUMS consortium. This included Texaco, Humble, Unocal, Mobil, and Shell.
But there’s another name they go by the Astronaut Islands. Each island honors astronauts who died serving NASA. Island Freeman is named for Theodore C. “Ted” Freeman. He was the first astronaut to die in active duty. Islands Chaffee, Grissom, and White are named for the Apollo 1 astronauts. They perished in a launch pad accident.
In 1964, a court case granted California mineral rights to the area. The islands cost about $22 million to build. The rim consists of 640,000 tons of boulders. These boulders came from Catalina Island. The islands were filled with 3.2 million cubic yards of dredged material. Joseph Linesch, a theme park architect, designed the landscaping. The sound walls hide operations and reduce noise. He was also a Disneyland architect. The result was described as “part Disney, part Jetsons, part Swiss Family Robinson”.
The aesthetic mitigation cost $10 million. At night colored lights illuminate the structures. One structure is called The Condo. People sometimes mistake it for a hotel.
The islands once produced a peak of 148,495 barrels per day in 1969. By 1974, they had pumped 300 million barrels of oil. The 500 millionth barrel was pumped in 1980. One billion barrels were reached in 2011. In 1994, the pumped oil was 92% water.
Occidental Petroleum purchased the islands in 2000. In 2014, they spun off California assets. This created California Resources Corporation. CRC still owns and operates THUMS Islands. The THUMS Long Beach Company runs the operations. It is part of the California Resources Corporation.
Island Grissom is closest to land. It features waterfalls and sculptured screens. Island Freeman is the largest. It covers 12 acres.
These islands are off-limits to the public. But private organizations sometimes host guided tours. They remain an innovative example of combining industry with aesthetics.
So the next time you see these islands remember their dual purpose. They are both oil production sites and memorials to American heroes. The THUMS Islands stand as a testament to ingenuity and remembrance. They are a unique landmark in Long Beach.