Wake Island Travel OverviewWake Island; part of the United States is located in the Pacific Ocean and uninhabited. The fame of the small Atoll is mostly due to the role it played in WW II. Wake Island was discovered by the Spanish in 1568; visited by the British in 1796 and named after Capt. William Wake; and annexed by the United States in 1898. The island became (1935) a commercial air base on the route to Asia and later served as a U.S. military base. In Dec.; 1941; Wake Island was seized by the Japanese. U.S. forces bombed the island from 1942 until Japan's surrender in 1945. Wake Island's flag is the flag of the United States. Popular Destinations | 