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Kennedy Island (local name Kasolo Island, also known as Plum Pudding Island), is a , uninhabited island in
The island remains uninhabited, but is a tourist attraction. In 2003, a race was held where participants re-enacted Kennedy's swim.
Previously a public area, it was acquired in 2004 at a cost of SI$7000 (US$950) by Joseph Douglas, an advisor to then Caretaker Premier of Western Province Clement Base. The legality of the sale was the subject of a legal challenge. In 2009, Douglas sold Kennedy Island to Gizo Hotel (owned by Australian Shane Kennedy), one year after brother Dan Kennedy purchased the resort closest to Kennedy Island (Fatboys on Mbabanga Island).
Aerial photograph of Kennedy island
{{coord, 8, 6, 46, S, 156, 54, 20, E, type:isle_region:SB, display=title Islands of the Solomon Islands Uninhabited islands of the Solomon Islands Western Province (Solomon Islands) Memorials to John F. Kennedy
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 ca ...
that was named after John F. Kennedy, following an incident involving Kennedy during his 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
naval career. Kennedy Island lies 15 minutes by boat from Gizo, the provincial capital of the Western Province of Solomon Islands.
History
''PT-109'' incident
The island is notable for its role in the story of ''PT-109'', part of thePacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. In August 1943, it was to this island that the crew of the ship, commanded by then Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
Kennedy, swam after their craft was rammed and sunk by the Japanese destroyer ''Amagiri''. Two American sailors died in the incident. Kennedy later had the crew swim to the larger Olasana Island
Olasana Island is a 7.93 hectare, uninhabited island in the New Georgia Islands of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. The island is primarily notable for its role in the events after the sinking of ''PT-109'' involving future American pr ...
where they were found and helped by Melanesian scouts, Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana, dispatched by coastwatcher Reg Evans.
A small shrine to Kennedy, built by Solomon Islander Eroni Kumana who aided in the rescue of the crew, stands on the island.
Recent history
The island remains uninhabited, but is a tourist attraction. In 2003, a race was held where participants re-enacted Kennedy's swim.
Previously a public area, it was acquired in 2004 at a cost of SI$7000 (US$950) by Joseph Douglas, an advisor to then Caretaker Premier of Western Province Clement Base. The legality of the sale was the subject of a legal challenge. In 2009, Douglas sold Kennedy Island to Gizo Hotel (owned by Australian Shane Kennedy), one year after brother Dan Kennedy purchased the resort closest to Kennedy Island (Fatboys on Mbabanga Island).
See also
*Desert island
A desert island, deserted island, or uninhabited island, is an island, islet or atoll that is not permanently populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereo ...
* List of islands
This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water
A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another plane ...
References
External links
Aerial photograph of Kennedy island
{{coord, 8, 6, 46, S, 156, 54, 20, E, type:isle_region:SB, display=title Islands of the Solomon Islands Uninhabited islands of the Solomon Islands Western Province (Solomon Islands) Memorials to John F. Kennedy