Seeadler Harbor with floating drydocks in September 1945

Manus Naval Base, Naval supply depot with piers and quonset Hut warehouses on September 18, 1945 NavalAirstationReceivingstationManus

Manus Naval Base was a number of bases built after the

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 ...

Battle of Manus The Admiralty Islands campaign (Operation Brewer) was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which the United States Army's 1st Cavalry Division took the Japanese-held Admiralty Islands. Acting on reports from airm ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

on the

Manus Island Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...

and a smaller island just east,

Los Negros Island Los Negros Island is the third largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is significant because it contains the main airport of Manus Province on its eastern coastline, at Momote. It is connected to Lorengau, the capital of the province, on Manus I ...

in the

Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-co ...

chain. The major naval base construction started with the Los Negros landings on February 28, 1944. The Navy repaired and did the expansion of the airfields on the Admiralty Islands. United States Navy

Seabee United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

built or repaired the facilities on the islands. The large Manus Naval Base, also called the Admiralty Island base, supported

United States Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...

, Southwest Pacific command, and part of the Pacific Fleet. The base was abandoned by the US Navy after the war.

History

Japanese called Los Negros Island the Hyane Island and had built some facilities on the two islands. Manus Island was picked for a major air and sea base as it was near

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

strong points: 387 miles to

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 ...

, 694 miles to Truk, 273 miles

Kavieng Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2009, it had a population of 17,248. Kavi ...

and 244 miles to

Wewak Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city (seat) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak. Hi ...

. The other reason was Manus Island's

Seeadler Harbor Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II. In German, "Seeadler" means sea eagle, pointing to German colonial activity between 1884 an ...

, which offered the largest and most protected Southwest Pacific fleet anchorage. By March 1944 the beaches were secured enough that the Seabees started construction. The first airfield captured was Hyane Airfield which was renamed

Momote Airfield Momote Airport is an airport on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea. It also serves Manus Island, which is connected to Los Negros by a bridge. History Hayne Airfield Built by the Imperial Japanese at Momote during Worl ...

. While the airfield was captured the outlining area still had fighting and the airfield was attacked two times while under construction. Hyane Airfield has one 4,000-foot runway in poor condition. On March 10,

fighter plane Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield p ...

s began using the Momote Airfield. Seabees completed all Momote Airfield construction and improvements on June 1, 1944 and turned the 7,800-feet runway Momote Airfield over to the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. The newly built air base had a camp, 90 fighters and 80

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

s, a tank farm with 17,000-barrel

aviation gasoline Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles, whi ...

that was filled from a small

T1 tanker The T1 tanker or T1 are a class of sea worthy small tanker ships used to transport fuel oil before and during World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. The T1 tanker classification is still in use today. T1 tankers are about in length and are ...

harbor and an

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

depot. On April 1, 1944 Seabees started construction at

Mokerang Airfield Mokerang Airfield, was an airfield on the northwest tip of Los Negros Island, NNW of Momote Airfield. History It was built by the Imperial Japanese at Mokerang Plantation shortly after Lorengau Airfield during World War II and liberated durin ...

on Los Negros Island with the US Army engineers. The existing runway was improved to 8,000 feet and a new second 8,000 feet runway was built. Built at Mokerang Airfield were: a base camp, supply depot, repair depot, and a 30,000-barrel tank farm. At Hyane Harbor Seabees constructed a 500-bed evacuation

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

for the US Army. For the US Navy, at Hyane Harbor Seabees built a waterfront complex: two

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

wharves A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...

, a repair pier, 800-foot ship refueling pier, and a ship unloading and repair crane. Also starting on June 19, 1944, at Hyane Harbor was a pontoon assembly depot, as it was found that shipping pontoon flat, unassembled took a lot less space in ships. The pontoon depot had a personnel camp and warehouses. For the US Army and Navy a large aviation supply depot was built. For the Navy a 5,000 runway was built and a 7,000-barrel aviation-gasoline tank farm. To support the activity at Hyane Harbor a small-boat repair depot and camp was built. As the built up in the Pacific continued in April 1944, two new camp constructions were started on Los Negros Island: Papitalai Point and one at Lombrum Point. At Papitalai Point Seabee 58th Battalion built a base camp, depot, a

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...

overhaul base,

fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...

and

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

tank farm. Seabee started work at Lombrum Point on April 17, 1944, which become

Lombrum Naval Base Lombrum Naval Base, also known as HMPNGS ''Tarangau'' and formerly PNG Defence Force Base Lombrum, is a naval military base operated by the Maritime Operations Element of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF). It is located on Manus Island i ...

. At Lombrum Point Seabee built

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

repair base, a

ship repair Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

base, and a

Landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...

repair base. Each base required the building of camps, depots, piers and shops. Landing craft base supported LCT,

LSM In molecular biology, LSm proteins are a family of RNA-binding proteins found in virtually every cellular organism. LSm is a contraction of 'like Sm', because the first identified members of the LSm protein family were the Sm proteins. LSm pro ...

, and a host of smaller landing craft. For ship repair, different sized

Auxiliary floating drydock An auxiliary floating drydock is a type of US Navy floating dry dock. Floating dry docks are able to submerge underwater and to be placed under a ship in need of repair below the water line. Water is then pumped out of the floating dry dock, r ...

s were towed to the base. The largest

USS AFDB-2 USS ABSD-2, later redesignated as AFDB-2, was a ten-section, non-self-propelled, large auxiliary floating drydock of the US Navy. Advance Base Sectional Dock-2 (Auxiliary Floating Dock Big-2) was constructed in sections during 1942 and 1943 by t ...

and USS ABSD-4 were able to

drydock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

battleships A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

. Also at Lombrum Point Seabee built a seaplane base with a concrete seaplane ramp and 8,000-barrel tank farm. At the captured coastal Lorengau Airfield a large supply depot was built. Lorengau Airfield was a 3,500-foot grass runway and due to lack of space, it was not improved, but a support camp and depot was built at the Lorengau Airfield. Navy Base headquarters was built at Lorengau, near the mouth of Lorengau River. At the Lorengau Navy Base Seabee built a 1,000-bed Navy Hospital 15. The headquarters also had a camp for 5,000 men incoming Troops. Pityilu Airfield, on

Pityilu Island Map Pityilu Island with air base 1944 Pityilu Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and part of the Admiralty Islands. It is off the northern coast of Manus Island and is nearly 4.8 km long and varies in width from ...

was built to support aircraft carriers, with a training center and storage of 350 spare fighter planes for later aircraft carrier use. Ponam Airfield on Ponam Island was also built to support aircraft carrier fighter planes. After the war, most bases were abandoned in 1946 and 1947. Momote Airfield became

Momote Airport Momote Airport is an airport on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea. It also serves Manus Island, which is connected to Los Negros by a bridge. History Hayne Airfield Built by the Imperial Japanese at Momote during Worl ...

. Some bases were turned over to the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

and later to the

Papua New Guinea Defence Force The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Papua New Guinea. It originated from the Australian Army land forces of the territory of Papua New Guinea before independence, coming into bei ...

Bases and facilities

Large fleet anchorage (some times called Manus Island Harbor or Manus Harbor) *Lombrum Seaplane Base, with

PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...

G-21 Goose The Grumman G-21 Goose is an amphibious flying boat designed by Grumman to serve as an eight-seat "commuter" aircraft for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman's first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft, and i ...

PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner was an American patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and PB2Y Coronado in service. A total of 1,366 PBMs were built, with the fir ...

(VPB-71,

VPB-52 VPB-52 was a Patrol Bombing Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Torpedo Squadron 3D15 (VT-3D15) on 12 July 1928, redesignated Patrol Squadron 3-S (VP-3S) on 21 January 1931, redesignated Patrol Squadron 3 Base Force (VP-3F) ...

VP-33 VP-33 was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 12-F (VP-12F) on 1 November 1935, redesignated Patrol Squadron 12 (VP-12) on 1 October 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 51 (VP-51) on 1 July 1939, rede ...

and

VPB-34 VPB-34 was a Patrol Bombing Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 34 (VP-34) on 16 April 1942, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 34 (VPB-34) on 1 October 1944 and disestablished on 7 April 1945. Operational ...

PBY-1 Patrols and air-sea rescue, and

FAW-17 A Patrol Wing (PatWing) was a United States Navy aviation unit with the commander of a Patrol Wing known as the Commodore (United States), Commodore, the ComPatWing or COMPATWING. From 1 November 1942 to 30 June 1973 Patrol Wings were designated "F ...

Patrol and Reconnaissance *

PT Boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...

Base *

Submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

base *Pityilu Island fleet recreation center for up to 10,000 troops. *

(HMPNGS Tarangau) *Advanced Base Construction Depot (ABCD) - Seabee Camp *Mokerang, floating

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

dock, a fixed Liberty dock, and a pile dock * LST landing beach * USS Hope (AH-7),

USS Bountiful (AH-9) The first USS ''Henderson'' (AP-1) was a transport in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II. In 1943, she was converted to a hospital ship and commissioned as USS ''Bountiful'' (AH-9). Named for Marine Colonel Archibald Hend ...

and

USS Refuge (AH-11) USS ''Refuge'' (AH-11), was a hospital ship of the United States Navy during World War II. The ship was built in 1921 by the New York Shipbuilding Corp., of Camden, New Jersey, as SS ''Blue Hen State'', but was renamed ''President Garfield'' in ...

hospital ships *

Lorengau Lorengau is the major town in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. The town is located on the edge of Seeadler Harbour on Manus Island, in the Admiralty Islands, and in 2000 Lorengau was recorded to have a population of 5,829. History World War ...

Naval Depot *Naval Air Station Receiving station, Lorengau *Salami, communication center *Koruniat Island, on 4 April 1944, the 5th Cavalry established a base on this island. *

Crash boat Crash Rescue Boat is a name used in the United States to describe military high-speed offshore rescue boats, similar in size and performance to motor torpedo boats, used to rescue pilots and aircrews of crashed aircraft. During World War II th ...

base *

Ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

depots *Base and Fleet Headquarters *Post office FPO# 3205 SF Manus Island *Quartermaster depot *Medical center *128 storage depot buildings *50

refrigerator A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...

storage units *5 miles of road * Water-supply systems able to produce 4,000,000 gallons per day *Many piers and Pontoons docks *

Sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

Coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

quarries for fill *

Power Plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

s *

Radar Station Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, wea ...

s *

Mess hall The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

s * Tankers: USS Caribou,

USS Alameda USS ''Alameda'' has been the name of more than one United States Navy ship, and may refer to: * , the proposed designation for a motorboat considered for naval use in 1917 but never acquired by the Navy * , the proposed designation for a steamer c ...

, USS Arethusa, USS Leopard and

USS Armadillo USS ''Armadillo'' (IX-111), the lead ship of her class of tanker was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the armadillo, an insect-eating mammal which has an armorlike shell encasing its back and head. Construction She was l ...

*Repair Base *Major ship repair base with

Large auxiliary floating drydock An auxiliary floating drydock is a type of US Navy floating dry dock. Floating dry docks are able to submerge underwater and to be placed under a ship in need of repair below the water line. Water is then pumped out of the floating dry dock, ...

USS ABSD-4 and ASDB-2 * USS ARD-19 Floating dry dock *

USS White Sands (ARD-20) USS ''White Sands'' (ARD-20), ex-USS ''ARD-20'', ex-USS ''ARD(BS)-20'', later AGDS-1, was a United States Navy auxiliary repair dock in service from 1944 to 1947 and from 1966 to 1974 and an Auxiliary floating drydock. Construction and commissio ...

Service Squadron A Service Squadron (ServRon) was a United States Navy squadron that supported fleet combat ships and US Navy Auxiliary ships. Service Squadrons were used by the US Navy from their inception in 1943 to as late as the early 1980s. At the time of th ...

- Lombrum *Part depots - Lombrum *

Machine shop A machine shop or engineering workshop (UK) is a room, building, or company where machining, a form of subtractive manufacturing, is done. In a machine shop, machinists use machine tools and cutting tools to make parts, usually of metal or plast ...

s *Engineering camp *Chemical Engineering Camp * Motor pool * USS Argonne (AS-10) * USS Mindanao (ARG-3) *

USS Medusa (AR-1) USS ''Medusa'' (AR-1) was the United States Navy's first purpose-built repair ship. She served in the U.S. Navy from 1924 to 1946. Technical characteristics Authorized as part of the naval programs of 1916 and 1918, ''Medusa'' was laid down at t ...

USS Briareus (AR-12) USS ''Briareus'' was originally the cargo ship SS ''Hawaiian Planter'' laid down as a Maritime Commission type C3 Mod. at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company for the Matson Line and delivered 15 May 1941. ...

USS Vestal USS ''Vestal'' (AR-4) was a repair ship in service with the United States Navy from 1913 to 1946. Before her conversion to a repair ship, she had served as a collier since 1909. ''Vestal'' served in both World Wars. She was damaged during the ...

USS Cebu (ARG-6) USS ''Cebu'' (ARG-6) was a ''Luzon''-class internal combustion engine repair ship that saw service in the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Cebu, an island in the Philippines, it was the second ship of the Navy to bear this name ...

USS Fortune (IX-146) The second USS ''Fortune'' (IX-146) was built in 1921 by Doulett and Williams, New Orleans, La., as ''City of Elwood''; acquired by the Navy 16 February 1944; and commissioned 19 February 1944. She was reclassified AVS-2 on 25 May 1945. Commis ...

*USS Aviation, parts ship *

USS Piedmont (AD-17) USS ''Piedmont'' (AD–17) was a built during World War II for the United States Navy. Her task was to service destroyers in, or near, battle areas and to keep them fit for duty. She served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, the Cold Wa ...

* USS Sierra (AD-18) * USS Whitney (AD-4) *

USS Amycus USS ''Amycus'' (ARL-2) was one of 39 landing craft repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Amycus (in Greek mythology, the son of Poseidon and Melia), she was the only US Naval vessel to bear the name. Con ...

USS Current (ARS-22) USS Current (ARS-22) was a ''Diver''-class rescue and salvage ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels. ''Current'' (ARS-22) was launched 25 September 1943 by Basalt Rock Company ...

USS Apache (ATF-67) USS ''Apache'' (AT-67/ATF-67) was a , later fleet ocean tug, in commission in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1974. She saw service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Construction and commissionin ...

* USS Chimaera (ARL-33) *

USS Currituck (AV-7) USS ''Currituck'' (AV-7) was the first of four ''Currituck'' class seaplane tenders, and was nicknamed the ''Wild Goose''. She was built during World War II and served during the Cold War. The second US ship to be named for the Currituck Sou ...

USS Creon (ARL-11) USS ''Creon'' (ARL-11) was one of 39 ''Achelous''-class landing craft repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Creon (the name of two mythological Greek kings, a mythological son of Heracles, and a historical ...

* USS Oyster Bay (AGP-6) *

USS Euryale USS ''Euryale'' (AS-22) was built as the ''Hawaiian Merchant'' by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Kearny, New Jersey for the Matson Navigation Company. ''Hawaiian Merchant'' was launched 12 April 1941, minutes after sister ship ...

* USS Tangier (AV-8) * USS San Pablo (AVP-30) *

USS Willoughby (AGP-9) The second USS ''Willoughby'' (AGP-9) was a motor torpedo boat tender that served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946, seeing service in the later stages of World War II. Transferred to the United States Coast Guard in 1946, she was in ...

USS Wright (AV-1) USS ''Wright'' (AZ-1/AV-1) was a one-of-a-kind auxiliary ship in the United States Navy, named for aviation pioneer Orville Wright. Originally built as a kite balloon tender, she was converted into a seaplane tender after kite balloons were ...

Airfields

two 8,000 feet bomber runways, Army and Navy use. *

(Hyane Airfield) 7,800-feet foot runway, turned over to US Army, after war

. * Lorengau Airfield 3,500 foot grass runway, not used, became supply depot. *NAS Ponam Airfield on Ponam Island was built by the US Navy in June 1944. This was an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

flighter plane overhaul base, has one coral-surfaced 5,000 foot runway. Ponam Airfield did

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

patrols. Later became HMS Nabaron, after the US Navy closed base on September 1, 1947. It was also used by the Royal Navy in March–April 1945, camp was at . **Based at Ponam Airfield was: **78th Naval Construction Battalion **140th Battalion ** ACORN 28 - Seabee unit ** VMF-312 (24 x FG

Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...

unit) **VP-130 (15

Lockheed Ventura The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in 1 ...

V-1 V1, V01 or V-1 can refer to version one (for anything) (e.g., see version control) V1, V01 or V-1 may also refer to: In aircraft * V-1 flying bomb, a World War II German weapon * V1 speed, the maximum speed at which an aircraft pilot may abort ...

unit) **VC-75 (

Grumman F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atlan ...

unit) **

Carrier Aircraft Service Unit US Navy K-class blimp Carrier Aircraft Service Units (CASU) were United States Navy units formed during World War II for the Pacific War to support naval aircraft operations. From 1942 to 1946, 69 Carrier Aircraft Service Units were formed to ...

42 **Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 13 **Carrier Aircraft Service 587 ** Mobile Naval Air Base 4, (

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

) *NAS Pityilu Airfield, on

Built by US Navy in 1944, 5,500 feet runway. aircraft carrier fighter plane training base, with storage of 350 spare planes. Complete camp for 5,000 troops. Was later transferred to the Royal Navy, camp is at **Based at Pityilu Airfield was: **VPB-146 (PV-1, Lockheed Ventura unit) **ACORN 28 **VJ-2 (JM-1 detachment Able,

Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...

unit) **Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 42 **Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 13 *US Navy 5,000 foot x 150 feet runway with 7,000-barrel aviation-gasoline storage **VR-13

Naval Air Transport Service The Naval Air Transport Service or NATS, was a branch of the United States Navy from 1941 to 1948. At its height during World War II, NATS's totaled four wings of 18 squadrons that operated 540 aircraft with 26,000 personnel assigned. Formation, ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

to Manus, with R4D-5 and RY-2 planes ** VPB-117 with

PB4Y-1 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

s ** VB-106 with PB4Y-1 Liberators Aerial view of USS Mindanao (ARG-3) after the explosion of USS Mount Hood (AE-11) at Seeadler Harbor on November 10, 1944

Attacks and lose

* USS Mount Hood (AE-11), an

ammunition ship An ammunition ship is an auxiliary ship specially configured to carry ammunition, usually for naval ships and aircraft. An ammunition ship's cargo handling systems, designed with extreme safety in mind, include ammunition hoists with airlocks bet ...

, exploded on November 10, 1944 in Seeadler Harbor. The 350 men on the ship were killed. She damaged nearby ships, like the USS Mindanao which had 180 crewmen killed and injured by the explosion. * USS ABSD-4 was attacked on April 22, 1945,

Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...

thought that the large floating dock was an aircraft carriers and damaged the dry dock. *

was attacked on April 22, 1945 also, damaging section G.

Seabees units

*Seabees working on Manus Naval Base: *2nd Naval Construction Regiment: 11th, 58th and 71st Naval Construction Battalion * 5th Naval Construction Regiment: 35th, 44th, and 57th Battalions * 40th Battalion *46th Battalion *78th Battalion *17th Battalion *58th Battalion *104th Battalion *20th Special Battalion *21st Special Battalion *22nd Special Battalion *63rd Battalion *140th Battalion *561 Construction Battalion *587 Construction Battalion *621 Construction Battalion *PAD 1 - Navy Pontoons Battalion

Post war

On January 1, 1950

(RAN) founded HMAS ''Seeadler'',

HMPNGS Tarangau Lombrum Naval Base, also known as HMPNGS ''Tarangau'' and formerly PNG Defence Force Base Lombrum, is a naval base, naval military base operated by the Papua New Guinea Defence Force#Maritime Operations Element, Maritime Operations Element of the P ...

(PNG Defence Force Base Lombrum) at the former US Naval Base. The new base replace the older base at

Dreger Harbour Dreger Harbour is a harbour south of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea. During World War II, Dreger Harbour was used by Allied forces after the capture of Finschhafen in October 1943. The US Navy PT Boat Advance Base Six opened in June 1944. The Sea ...

, near

Finschhafen Finschhafen is a town east of Lae on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. The town is commonly misspelt as Finschafen or Finschaven. During World War II, the town was also referred to as Fitch Haven in the logs of some U.S ...

. to replace the RAN base at

, near

. The base was renamed HMAS ''Tarangau'', the name of the former

base, on 1 April 1950. *Monument 1st Calvary Division Memorial - Los Negros *Remains AFDB / ABSD Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock 2 - Los Negros *Remains AFDB / ABSD Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock 4 *Ship wreck Wrecks LCVP Landing Crafts - Los Negros *Ship Wreck "USS Mount Hood (AE-11)" - Los Negros *Japanese Shipwreck - Los Negros .

Gallery

MapofLosNegrosUSNavy.jpg, US Navy map Manus Naval Base in 1945 ShipRepairFacilities_Lombrum1944.jpg, Ship Repair Facilities Manus Naval Base at Lombrum in 1944. Built by 46th Seabees USS Iowa Floating Drydock.jpg, USS Iowa

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

being repaired at Manus Naval Base on December 28, 1944 ARD20 floating repair dry dock.jpg, ARD-20 floating repair dry dock, for repairing subs, destroyers, and small vessels ManusNavalBaseChapelWW2.jpg, Manus Naval Base Chapel. Chapel dedication services on Easter morning, April 1, 1945 WW2 Admiralty Islands ops.jpg, Map Admiralty Islands operations, 29 February to 30 May 1944 Admiralties-day08.JPG, Admiralty Islands map 1944 Map of Manus and Los Negros.jpg, Map of Manus and Los Negros Kittyhawk on Momote.jpg,

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

Kittyhawks on

, 8 March 1944 Ponamisland.jpg, Ponam Island with ruway and base. MomoteAirfieldSeabeesworking1944.jpg,

with Seabees working at night in 1944. CB 40 worked day and night on the Los Negros Momote Airfield. Pityliu IslandAerial.jpg,

with air base. NASPityiluAirfieldmap.jpg, Map Pityilu Island with air base 1944 USNavymaintenancecrewsVB-106Momote Airstrip.jpg, US Navy maintenance crews VB-106 clean engine parts under an airplane wing while raining at Momote Airstrip in March 1944 71 Squadron RAAF Los Negros (AWM image P02874-141).JPG,

No. 71 Squadron RAAF No. 71 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) maritime patrol Squadron (aviation), squadron of World War II. It was formed in January 1943 and conducted patrols off the east coast of Australia until it was disbanded in August 1944. Hi ...

on Los Negros base Small floating drydock at Seeadler Harbor in September 1944.jpg,

Small Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock An auxiliary floating drydock is a type of US Navy Dry dock#Floating, floating dry dock. Floating dry docks are able to submerge underwater and to be placed under a ship in need of repair below the water line. Water is then pumped out of the fl ...

, repairing

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

PC-1121 at Seeadler Harbor in September 1944 P02874.256Kittyhawk1944.jpg, No. 76 Squadron RAAF Seeadler USN drydock 1945.jpg, US Navy floating Dry Dock Number 4 in Seeadler Harbor 1945, surrounded by floating barges with workshops and a tugboat, repairing

seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

and Navy

USS Oyster Bay (AGP-6) tending PT boats in Seeadler Harbor on 25 March 1944.jpg, USS Oyster Bay (AGP-6) tending

s in Seeadler Harbor on March 25, 1944 USS Claxton (DD-571), USS Canberra (CA-70) and USS Killen (DD-593) in floating dry dock ABSD-2 on 2 December 1944 (80-G-304088).jpg, USS Claxton (DD-571), USS Canberra (CA-70) and USS Killen (DD-593) in floating dry dock ABSD-2 on 2 December 1944 USS Mindanao (ARG-3) damaged by explosion of USS Mount Hood (AE-11) in Seeadler Harbor on 10 November 1944.jpg, USS Mindanao (ARG-3) damaged by the explosion of USS Mount Hood (AE-11) in Seeadler Harbor on November 10, 1944

External links

1944 U.S. Military Film "The Admiralty Islands" Capture & Occupation Of Manus & Los Negros youtube Manus Island is Important Pacific Base. Australian Diary 72.youtube "They Came To An Island" U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps Wwii Seabees Construction Battalions 29564

References

{{Islands of Papua New Guinea Military installations closed in the 1940s Closed installations of the United States Navy

Manus Naval Base file:NABManus19455 USNavy.jpg, Manus Naval Base, Naval supply depot with piers and Quonset hut, quonset Hut warehouses on September 18, 1945 Manus Naval Base was a number of bases built after the World War II Battle of Manus by United States N ...

Manus Province Seabees World War II sites in Papua New Guinea