Lacepede Islands

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The Lacepede Islands are located 120 km north of Broome, and 30 km west of the Dampier Peninsula, in north Western Australia. There are four islands: West Island, Middle Island, Sandy Island and East Island (the smallest, which has the East Island Lighthouse).
The islands are the main Western Australian breeding area for the Green Turtle, and an important seabird breeding ground. The islands and the surrounding reef form the Lacepede Islands Nature Reserve.

In 1876, an American named Gilbert Roberts landed from the French barque Forca de la Roquette and planted the United States flag on one of the islands, claiming the island group for that country in accordance with a U.S. law that empowered U.S. citizens to take possession of uninhabited islands more than a league (three miles) offshore from any country, so long as they had not been formally claimed. This incident, known as the "American Incident" or "Lacepede Islands Incident", sparked a diplomatic and political row.