Cape St. George is the southernmost point on the island of New Ireland,

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. It was the namesake for the

Battle of Cape St. George The Battle of Cape St. George was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on 25 November 1943, between Cape St. George, New Ireland, and Buka Island (now part of the North Solomons Province in Papua New Guinea). It was ...

, fought on 26 November 1943, between New Ireland and Buka.

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Saint George's Channel St George's Channel ( cy, Sianel San Siôr, ga, Muir Bhreatan) is a sea channel connecting the Irish Sea to the north and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. Historically, the name "St George's Channel" was used interchangeably with "Irish Sea" ...

was used by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

connecting

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...

to the open sea and for ships bound for the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

. Allied missions against Japanese forces at Cape St. George and St. George's Channel were conducted on December 31, 1942 – October 26, 1944.Saint Georges Channel New Ireland Province Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Pacific Wrecks Inc. In the course of

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

the Japanese used the Cape to watch out for American bombers from

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

heading towards

. The concrete bunker they built is still there. From information gathered from men from Lambom Village who are the traditional land owners and most of whom have either died or are now very old and who were forced to work for the Japanese, the Japanese commander/officer-in-charge during the war was called Kato. Apart from its association with the war in the Pacific and particularly in the New Guinea Islands region, "Cape St. George" is traditionally known in the local Siar language as Lain Silou – this is in reference to its protruding point into the outer sea and the fact that it is quite dangerous during rough seas to ships sailing past/around it. On February 3, 1944, Medal of Honor recipient, Lt

Robert M. Hanson Robert Murray Hanson (February 4, 1920 – February 3, 1944) was a United States Marine Corps flying ace who shot down 25 Japanese planes from the South Pacific skies. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor. One of five children, he is the eld ...

VMF-215 Marine Fighting Squadron 215 (VMF-215) was a fighter squadron of the United States Marine Corps that was commissioned and fought during World War II. Known as "The Fighting Corsairs", the squadron fought in many areas of the Pacific War, including ...

, participated in a fighter sweep. On the return flight he strafed the lighthouse on Cape St. George, New Ireland, that served as an enemy flak tower and observation post. Making his run low on the deck, his blue-gray Corsair took a flak hit to the wing. Hanson tried to ditch but his wing dug into the water and the Corsair cartwheeled and crashed, leaving an oil slick and scattered debris.

References

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

New Ireland Province {{NewIrelandProvince-geo-stub

History

See also

References