U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Datums Page Page 1 of 6
Station ID: 1633227 PUBLICATION DATE: 03/19/2021
Name: TANAPAG HARBOR, SAIPAN, N MARIANAS IS
NOAA Chart: 81067 Latitude: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670)
USGS Quad: ISLAND OF SAIPAN Longitude: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
To reach tidal bench marks from Saipan International Airport, proceed 3.4 km
(2.1 mi) north along an unnamed road. As the road terminates, turn left (west)
onto Cross Island Road (Note: there are no road signs in Saipan). Turn right
(north) on Middle Road (first large intersection with traffic light) and proceed
for 8 km (5 mi). Turn left (west) immediately after the WESTPAC building
(located on the west side of Middle Road). The unnamed road will bend to the
south, turn right (west) just past the Port of Saipan Building (two story
concrete building painted beige). Proceed through the parking toll booth and
turn right toward the NNE side of the port facility. The bench marks were
located on the Port of Saipan facility. The tide gauge was located where east
parking lot meets with the east face of Delta Dock.
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
PRIMARY BENCH MARK STAMPING: ugh
DESIGNATION: 163 3227 UH-2C
MONUMENTATION: Bolt VM#: 16316
AGENCY: University of Hawaii (UH) IDB PID#: DG3988
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete deck OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670) LONGITUDE: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
The primary bench mark is a 9/16" SS hex head bolt set in the concrete deck
where the east face of Delta Dock (Delta -3) meets the east face of the parking
lot (CPA-2) fronting the port building, located at the Commonwealth Port
Authority (CPA) facility in Saipan Harbor (aka Tanapag Harbor), 2.83 m (9.3 ft)
SSE of the SE corner of a diesel containment wall, 2.56 m (8.4 ft) NNE of
utility pole #7, and 1.13 m (3.7 ft) west of the east pier face (CPA-2).
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 2 of 6
Station ID: 1633227 PUBLICATION DATE: 03/19/2021
Name: TANAPAG HARBOR, SAIPAN, N MARIANAS IS
NOAA Chart: 81067 Latitude: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670)
USGS Quad: ISLAND OF SAIPAN Longitude: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING:
DESIGNATION: 163 3227 CPA-1
MONUMENTATION: Bench Mark disk VM#: 16317
AGENCY: US Geological Survey (USGS) IDB PID#: DG3983
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete deck OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670) LONGITUDE: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
The bench mark is a disk set flush in the concrete deck in the extreme NW corner
of the port, located at the Commonwealth Port Authority (CPA) facility in Saipan
Harbor (aka Tanapag Harbor), 70.01 m (229.7 ft) north of the south end of Able
Dock, 0.58 m (1.9 ft) south from the north edge of Baker Dock, and 0.55 m (1.8
ft) east of the west edge of Able Dock.
BENCH MARK STAMPING:
DESIGNATION: 163 3227 CPA-2
MONUMENTATION: Bench Mark disk VM#: 16318
AGENCY: US Geological Survey (USGS) IDB PID#: DG3984
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete bull rail OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670) LONGITUDE: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
The bench mark is a disk set flush in the concrete bull rail in the extreme WSW
corner of the port, located at the Commonwealth Port Authority (CPA) facility in
Saipan Harbor (aka Tanapag Harbor), 70.01 m (229.7 ft) south of the north edge
of Baker Dock, 1.60 m (5.2 ft) east of the west end of bull rail, 0.19 m (0.6
ft) north of the south end of bull rail, and 0.33 m (1.1 ft) above the pier
deck.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 3 of 6
Station ID: 1633227 PUBLICATION DATE: 03/19/2021
Name: TANAPAG HARBOR, SAIPAN, N MARIANAS IS
NOAA Chart: 81067 Latitude: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670)
USGS Quad: ISLAND OF SAIPAN Longitude: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING:
DESIGNATION: 163 3227 UH-1
MONUMENTATION: Bolt VM#: 16319
AGENCY: University of Hawaii (UH) IDB PID#: DG3987
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete deck OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670) LONGITUDE: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
The bench mark is a bolt embedded in the NE corner of Delta Dock, located at the
Commonwealth Port Authority (CPA) facility in Saipan Harbor (aka Tanapag
Harbor), 18.71 m (61.4 ft) east of the NW corner Delta Dock, 0.47 m (1.5 ft)
west of the east pier face (Delta-3) of Delta Dock, and 0.42 m (1.4 ft) south of
the north pier face (Delta-2) of Delta Dock.
BENCH MARK STAMPING:
DESIGNATION: 163 3227 UH-3B
MONUMENTATION: Bolt VM#: 16320
AGENCY: University of Hawaii (UH) IDB PID#: DG3986
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete deck OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670) LONGITUDE: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
The bench mark is a 1/4" SS square headed pin marker set in the concrete deck,
located at the Commonwealth Port Authority (CPA) facility in Saipan Harbor (aka
Tanapag Harbor), below the Mobile Gas sign, near the SW corner of Delta Deck,
where the west face of Delta Dock (Delta-1) meets the north face of the parking
lot (CPA-1) fronting the port building.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 4 of 6
Station ID: 1633227 PUBLICATION DATE: 03/19/2021
Name: TANAPAG HARBOR, SAIPAN, N MARIANAS IS
NOAA Chart: 81067 Latitude: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670)
USGS Quad: ISLAND OF SAIPAN Longitude: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING:
DESIGNATION: 163 3227 UH-4B
MONUMENTATION: Bolt VM#: 16321
AGENCY: University of Hawaii (UH) IDB PID#: DG3989
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete foundation for flagpole OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670) LONGITUDE: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
The bench mark is a 9/16" SS hex head bolt set in the flag pole base north of
the port building, located at the Commonwealth Port Authority (CPA) facility in
Saipan Harbor (aka Tanapag Harbor), 46.53 m (152.7 ft) west of the east pier
face (CPA-2), 42.21 m (138.5 ft) south of the north pier face (CPA-1), and 0.67
m (2.2 ft) north of the center flag pole.
BENCH MARK STAMPING:
DESIGNATION: 163 3227 UH-5B
MONUMENTATION: Bolt VM#: 16322
AGENCY: University of Hawaii (UH) IDB PID#: DG3985
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete deck OPUS PID:
LATITUDE: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670) LONGITUDE: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
The bench mark is a 1-1/4" SS square headed pin marker set in the concrete deck
near the SE corner of Charlie Dock where the east face of Charlie Dock
(Charlie-2) meets the north face of the parking lot (CPA-1) fronting the port
building, located at the Commonwealth Port Authority (CPA) facility in Saipan
Harbor (aka Tanapag Harbor), 20.56 m (67.5 ft) south of the SE most large
bollard on Charlie dock, 5.35 m (17.6 ft) north of Charlie-2 and CPA-1 corner,
and 0.19 m (0.6 ft) west of the east face (Charlie-2) of Charlie Dock.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 5 of 6
Station ID: 1633227 PUBLICATION DATE: 03/19/2021
Name: TANAPAG HARBOR, SAIPAN, N MARIANAS IS
NOAA Chart: 81067 Latitude: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670)
USGS Quad: ISLAND OF SAIPAN Longitude: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
T I D A L D A T U M S
Tidal datums at TANAPAG HARBOR, SAIPAN, N MARIANAS IS based on:
LENGTH OF SERIES: 5 MONTHS
TIME PERIOD: October 2000 - February 2001
TIDAL EPOCH: 1983-2001
CONTROL TIDE STATION: 1630000 APRA HARBOR, GUAM, PACIFIC OCEAN
Elevations of tidal datums referred to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), in METERS:
MEAN HIGHER HIGH WATER MHHW = 0.669
MEAN HIGH WATER MHW = 0.629
MEAN TIDE LEVEL MTL = 0.407
Northern Marianas Vertical Datum of 2003 NMVD03 = 0.394
MEAN SEA LEVEL MSL = 0.392
MEAN LOW WATER MLW = 0.185
MEAN LOWER LOW WATER MLLW = 0.000
Bench Mark Elevation Information In METERS above:
Stamping or Designation MLLW MHW
ugh 2.049 1.420
163 3227 CPA-1 2.347 1.718
163 3227 CPA-2 2.595 1.966
163 3227 UH-1 2.096 1.467
163 3227 UH-3B 1.984 1.355
163 3227 UH-4B 2.365 1.736
163 3227 UH-5B 1.828 1.199
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 6 of 6
Station ID: 1633227 PUBLICATION DATE: 03/19/2021
Name: TANAPAG HARBOR, SAIPAN, N MARIANAS IS
NOAA Chart: 81067 Latitude: 15° 13.6' N ( 15.22670)
USGS Quad: ISLAND OF SAIPAN Longitude: 145° 44.2' E ( 145.73700)
D E F I N I T I O N S
Mean Sea Level (MSL) is a tidal datum determined over a 19-year National
Tidal Datum Epoch. It pertains to local mean sea level and should not be
confused with any other fixed island datum.
This tide station location has a defined island datum (NMVD03). Island datums
are specific fixed geodetic datums whose elevation relationship to local MSL
and other tidal datums may not be consistent from one location to another.
Northern Marianas Vertical Datum of 2003 (NMVD03) is a fixed datum derived
from a simultaneous, least squares, minimum constraint adjustment of leveling
observations. Local mean sea level relative to the 1983-2001 National Tidal
Datum Epoch observed at tide station 1633227 at Tanapag Harbor, Saipan, was
held fixed as the single initial constraint. NMVD03 replaces all previous
height system as the national standard geodetic reference for heights on the
islands of Rota, Saipan and Tinian, Northern Marians. Bench mark elevations
relative to NMVD03 are available from NGS through the World Wide Web at
National Geodetic Survey.
The Vertical Mark Number (VM#) and PID# shown on the bench mark sheet are unique
identifiers for bench marks in the tidal and geodetic databases, respectively.
Each bench mark in either database has a single, unique VM# and/or PID# assigned.
Where both VM# and PID# are indicated, both tidal and geodetic elevations are
available for the bench mark listed. The NGS's Integrated Data Base (IDB PID)
provides geodetic datum based on traditionally leveled and bluebooked ties to
the National Spatial Reference System(NSRS) https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/datasheets/.
The NGS Online Positioning User Service (OPUS PID) provides geodetic datum based
on GPS position & tie it to the NSRS https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/OPUS/.
The NMVD03 elevation is shown on the Elevations of Tidal Datums Table Referred
to MLLW only when two or more of the bench marks listed have NMVD03 elevations.
The NMVD03 elevation relationship shown in the table is derived from an average
of several bench mark elevations relative to tide station datum. As a result of
this averaging, NMVD03 bench mark elevations computed indirectly from the tidal
datums elevation table may differ slightly from NMVD03 elevations listed for
each bench mark in the NGS database.