Illustration by the author, map via the CIA World Factbook, depicting the extent of the Australian and New Zealand Coastwatching Networks. The networks created a reconnaissance screen in the South Pacific that supported naval operations to great effect. This reconnaissance screen collected naval intelligence on ship movements, air movements, terrain, hydrography, and activity on the islands. Pitcairn Island, the outlier, while not a part of the reconnaissance screen served an important role for retransmission and surveillance of transiting ships in that area of the Pacific Ocean.[7]