View source for Ladd Reef

{{Short description|Reef in the Spratly Islands, South China Sea}}
{{Infobox islands
| disputed                   = yes
| name                       = Ladd Reef
| type                       = reef
| other_names                = <br>Đá Lát ''(Vietnamese)''<br>日積礁 / 日积礁 Rìjī Jiāo ''(Chinese)''
| image_name                 = Da Lat 2022-08-19-00 00 2022-08-19-23 59 Sentinel-2 L2A True color.jpg
| image_caption              = Ladd Reef
| pushpin_map                = Spratly Islands relief
| location                   = [[South China Sea]]
| coordinates                = {{coord|8|39|57|N|111|40|36|E|display=inline,title|name=Ladd Reef}}
| archipelago                = [[Spratly Islands]]
| country                    = {{VNM}}
| country_admin_divisions_title = [[District (Vietnam)|District]]
| country_admin_divisions    = [[Trường Sa District]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2 = [[Commune-level town (Vietnam)|Township]]
| country_admin_divisions_2  = [[Trường Sa (township)|Trường Sa Township]]
| country1                   = {{CHN}}
| country2                   = {{TWN}}
| country3                   = {{VNM}}
}}

<!--{{Spratly Islands|expand-Vietnam=yes}}. When this article gets longer, this may be shown since as of now, it looks awkward if including this template.-->
'''Ladd Reef''' ({{langx|vi|Đá Lát}}; [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] {{zh|c=日積礁/日积礁|p=Rìjī Jiāo|s=|t=}}) is a [[Vietnam]]-controlled [[reef]] in the [[Spratly]] group of islands, [[South China Sea]].  [[China|China (PRC)]] and [[Taiwan|Taiwan (ROC)]] are also claimants of the reef. Like [[Spratly Island]], Ladd Reef lies to the west of the Philippines-defined "[[Kalayaan Islands]]" claim area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1978/06/11/presidential-decree-no-1596-s-1978/ |year=1978 |title=Presidential Decree No. 1596 (Philippines) |publisher=The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines |accessdate=2014-07-15}}</ref>

==Names==
The English name ''Ladd Reef'' was coined by [[Richard Spratly]] in late March 1843, after Captain Ladd of the ship ''Austen'', who seemed to be the first to have seen the reef.<ref name=Durham>{{cite book|author1=Hancox, David |author2=Prescott, Victor |title=A Geographical Description of the Spratly Islands and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys amongst Those Islands |year=1995 |publisher=University of Durham, International Boundaries Research Unit|url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/publications/view/?id=229 |series=Maritime Briefings |volume=1 |isbn=978-1897643181 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7Qu9fi-luTYC&pg=PA15 15]}}</ref> The Chinese name ''Rìjī Jiāo'' was coined in 1947 to replace the 1935 name ''Lādé Jiāo'' (拉德礁),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hnszw.org.cn/data/news/2009/06/43675/ |script-title=zh:南海诸岛中外地名对照表 |publisher=海南史志网 |date=2009-06-15 |accessdate=2014-07-15 |language=Chinese |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211044458/http://www.hnszw.org.cn/data/news/2009/06/43675/ |archive-date=2016-02-11 |url-status=dead }} (Contains a list of maritime features in the South China Sea, with their English names, and their Chinese names in 1935, 1947 and 1983.)</ref> which was transliterated from the English name ''Ladd''.

==Geography==
Ladd Reef lies west of [[Dangerous Ground (Spratly Islands)|Dangerous Ground]] in the western half of the [[List of maritime features in the Spratly Islands|Spratly Islands]], to the south of [[Coronation Bank]], southwest of [[West London Reef]] (West Reef) and {{convert|15|nmi}} west of  [[Spratly Island]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sta Ana |first1=D.J. |title=Vietnam also has garrisons in PH zone of Spratlys |url=http://www.interaksyon.com/article/4119/vietnam-also-has-garrisons-in-ph-zone-of-spratlys |accessdate=6 June 2014 |publisher=Interaksyon |date=25 May 2011}}</ref>

This coral reef lies on a northeast-southwest axis, {{convert|3|nmi}} in length, {{convert|1|nmi}} in width, and spans over an area of {{convert|9.9|km2|ha acre sqmi}}. It is entirely submerged during high tide, but there are some stones jutting out of the sea during low tide.<ref name="vnnavy">{{cite book |title=Những điều cần biết về hai quần đảo Hoàng Sa, Trường Sa và khu vực thềm lục địa phía nam [What you need to know about Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands and southern continental shelf] |year=2011 |publisher=Political Department, Naval Command (Vietnam)|language=Vietnamese}}</ref>

==Structures ==
The reef is uninhabited but contains a Vietnamese [[lighthouse]] (built in 1994)<ref name=lighthouse>{{Cite rowlett|spr|date=15 November 2013|access-date=6 June 2014}}</ref> with the inscription ''Hải đăng đá Lát''<ref>{{cite web |title=Photo of Lighthouse on Ladd reef |url=http://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=32563.15 |website=timawa.net/ |publisher=Timawa - Forum |accessdate=6 June 2014}}</ref> (literally "Ladd Reef Lighthouse"). The lower portion of the lighthouse consists of quarters for a handful of Vietnamese soldiers and the lighthouse keeper.

==Other information==
In 1945, towards the end of the [[Second World War]], a Dutch submarine ([[HNLMS O-19]]) ran aground on Ladd Reef.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Spruijt |first1=Siem |title=The Ladd reef Incident |url=http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/specials/special_fatalpatrolo19.htm |website=dutchsubmarines.com |publisher=Dutch Submarines |accessdate=6 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812011054/http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/specials/special_fatalpatrolo19.htm |archive-date=12 August 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== References ==
<references />


==External links==
*[https://amti.csis.org/ladd-reef/ Maritime Transparency Initiative Island Tracker]
{{Spratly Islands topics}}

[[Category:Reefs of the Spratly Islands]]
[[Category:Reefs of Vietnam]]
[[Category:Disputed reefs]]

{{vietnam-geo-stub}}