USS Tulsa (PG-22) with PT boat at Milen Bay 1943

US Naval Base New Guinea was number of

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 ...

bases on the

Island of New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

(

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 ...

Dutch New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea ( nl, Nederlands-Nieuw-Guinea, id, Nugini Belanda) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdo ...

and British New Guinea) 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 ...

. Australia entered World War II on 3 September 1939, being a self-governing nation within the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The United States formally entered the war on 7 December 1941, following the

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 ...

bombing of

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor Japan quickly took over much of the

South Pacific 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 ...

. The United States lost key Naval Bases in the South Pacific including:

Naval Base Manila Map of Manila, Naval Base Manila is at Cavite in Manila Bay Naval Base Manila, Naval Air Base Manila was a major United States Navy base south of the City of Manila, on Luzon Island in the Philippines. Some of the bases dates back to 1898, t ...

and

Naval Base Subic Bay Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the Spanish Navy and subsequently the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines. The base was 262 square miles, about the size of Singapore. T ...

lost in the 1941 invasion of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Also lost was

Naval Base Guam Naval Base Guam is a strategic United States Navy#United States territories, U.S. naval base located on Apra Harbor and occupying the Orote Peninsula. In 2009, it was combined with Andersen Air Force Base to form Joint Region Marianas, which is a ...

and

Wake Atoll Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...

. As such the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

needed new bases in the South West Pacific for staging attacks on Japan's southern empire, the United States built bases first in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, then in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

History

With the

American-British-Dutch-Australian Command The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, or ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia in early 1942, during the Pacific War in World War II. The command consists of the forces of Australia ...

(ABDACOM) the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

tried to limit the advance of Japan. ABDACOM did not have enough troops or supplies to carry out the mission. The northern parts of New Guinea was captured by Japan. The US Naval built bases for troops, ships,

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

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 ...

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 ...

s, supply depots, training camps, fleet recreation facilities, and ship repair depots. To keep supplies following the bases were supplied by the vast II United States Merchant Navy. Some of the bases were shared with 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

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

. By spring 1943, the build up of the US Navy to support the

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 ...

had caused overcrowding at the ports on the east coast of Australia. To help the US Navy Seabees departed

Naval Base Brisbane Naval Base Brisbane was a major United States Navy base built in the early part of World War II at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. At first, operated as a base for patrol aircraft and convoy escort aircraft to protect the last leg of the Pacific ...

on 19 June 1943 to set up a new base in

Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...

. The Naval Base Milne Bay was a new major United States Navy sea and airbase base built on Milne Bay in

Milne Bay Province Milne Bay is a province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Alotau. The province covers 14,345 km² of land and 252,990 km² of sea, within the province there are more than 600 islands, about 160 of which are inhabited. The province has a ...

in south-eastern Papua New Guinea. New Guinea is a

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

island near the

equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...

. Troops had to battle heavy rains and

tropical diseases Tropical diseases are diseases that are prevalent in or unique to tropical and subtropical regions. The diseases are less prevalent in temperate climates, due in part to the occurrence of a cold season, which controls the insect population by forci ...

. After the war in 1945, the New Guinea bases closed.US Navy, Bases of World War II
/ref> Japan built a large base at

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 ...

on the island of

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...

with 110,000 Japanese troops. Rabaul was invasion bypassed in the island hoping Pacific war efforts. Rabaul was attacked by air and had its supply lines cut off by sea, called Operation Cartwheel, making the

neutralisation of Rabaul Rabaul is a town in Eastern New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Japanese forces landed on Rabaul on 23 February 1942, capturing it in February of that year. The former Australian territory was transformed into a major Japanese naval and air install ...

Major bases in New Guinea

* Naval Base Milne Bay Fleet Pos Office # 167 codename Edur ** Kana Kopa PT Boat Base FPO# 714 **

Milne Bay Submarine Base Naval Base Milne Bay, also called Naval Advance Base Milne Bay, was new major United States Navy sea and airbase base built on Milne Bay in Milne Bay Province in south-eastern Papua New Guinea. By spring 1943, the build up of the US Navy to s ...

** Gilli Gilli Base FPO# 717 ** Swinger Bay Alotau Base FPO# 818 ** Hilimoi Bay hospital FPO# 817 *

Naval Base Port Moresby Naval Base Port Moresby was a United States Navy base built during World War II at the city of Port Moresby on Papua New Guinea. The US Navy built a communication center and advance base headquarters for the US Seventh Fleet to support the Pacifi ...

FPO# 162 * Naval Base Finschhafen FPO# 722 code codename Urom 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 ...

Naval Base Hollandia Naval Base Hollandia was a United States Navy base built during World War II at Humboldt Bay, near the city of Hollandia (now Jayapura) in New Guinea. The base was built by the US Navy Seabees during the Battle of Hollandia, starting on May ...

FPO# 3115 * Naval Base Madang FPO# 928 *

Naval Base Woodlark Island Naval Base Woodlark Island was a United States Navy base built during World War II on Woodlark Island on Papua New Guinea. The US Navy built a PT boat base, boat repair depot, and harbor facilities at the city of Guasopa to support the Pacific ...

FPO# 528 *

Naval Base Merauke Naval Base Merauke was a United States Navy base built during World War II at city of Merauke in the South Papua province of Indonesia, then Papua New Guinea. The base was 2 miles from the mouth of the Merauke River. The US Navy built a PT boa ...

*Naval Base Biak Island to support Mokmer Airfield. FPO# 3505 *

Naval Base Manus Manus Naval Base, Naval supply depot with piers and 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 Navy on the Manus Island and a smaller isla ...

, in the Admiralty Islands, just north of New Guinea, including Seeadler Harbor

Minor bases in New Guinea

Oceania UN Geoscheme - Map of Micronesia

Naval Base Lae The Landing at Lae was an amphibious landing to the east of Lae and then the subsequent advance on the town during the Salamaua–Lae campaign of World War II. Part of Operation Postern, which was undertaken to capture the Japanese base at La ...

Naval Base Mios Woendi Mios Woendi island is an island in the Schouten Islands of Papua province, eastern Indonesia. It lies in Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) off the northwestern coast of the island nation of Papua New Guinea. Description The island is in ...

*Naval Base Fegrusson on Fegrusson Island FPO # 523 *Naval Base Samarai Island on

Samarai Islands The Samarai Islands archipelago, part of the larger Louisiade Archipelago, is located southeast of mainland New Guinea island, within the nation of Papua New Guinea. Geography The archipelago consists of: 4 larger volcanic islands frequently ...

FPO # 421 *Naval Base Goodenough Island on Goodenough Island FPO # 724 *Naval Base Aitape at

Aitape Aitape is a small town of about 18,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the ...

FPO# 927 *Naval Base Wewak at

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 ...

FPO# 3074 *Naval Base Saidor at Saidor FPO# 3086 * Naval Base Sungum FPO# 3088 *Naval Base Japen Island on Japen Island *Naval Base Vogelkop on

Vogelkop The Bird's Head Peninsula ( Indonesian: ''Kepala Burung'', nl, Vogelkop) or Doberai Peninsula (''Semenanjung Doberai''), is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indonesian provinces ...

Island **

Naval Base Cape Sansapor The Battle of Sansapor (Operation Globetrotter) was an amphibious landing and subsequent operations around Sansapor, Dutch New Guinea on the Vogelkop Peninsula during World War II. Naval force Admiral William Fechteler's Attack Force (Task Forc ...

FPO# 3151 *Naval Base Kornasoren FPO# 3155 and Naval Base Kamirion FPO#3265 on

Noemfoor Island Numfor (also Numfoor, Noemfoor, Noemfoer) is one of the Schouten Islands (also known as the Biak Islands) in Papua province, northeastern Indonesia. It was the site of conflict between Japanese and the Allied forces during World War II, and w ...

in support of Kornasoren Airfields *Naval Base in Tufi, PT boat base *Naval Base at Gasmata Fleet Post Office #723 *Naval Base Wakde Island on Wakde Island in support of

Wakde Airfield Wakde Airfield is a World War II airfield located on Wakde Island, off the northern coast of New Guinea in Papua, Indonesia. The airfield was abandoned after the war and today is almost totally returned to its natural state. History The airfield ...

FPO# 3415 *

Naval Base Noemfoor The Battle of Noemfoor was part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II. It took place on the island of Noemfoor, in Dutch New Guinea (now Papua, in Indonesia), between 2 July and 31 August 1944. During the battle, Allied forces landed on ...

Buna, Papua New Guinea Buna is a village in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. It was the site in part, of the Battle of Buna–Gona during World War II, when it constituted a variety of native huts and a handful of houses with an airstrip. Buna was the trailhead to the Ko ...

– Advanced Base, airfield, PT boat base (

Battle of Buna–Gona The battle of Buna–Gona was part of the New Guinea campaign in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. It followed the conclusion of the Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was fought by ...

) *Base on Sasavele Island FPO# 529, part of the

Landings on Rendova The Landings on Rendova were amphibious military assaults by United States Army, Marine Corps and Navy forces on Rendova Island in the Solomon Islands on 30 June 1943. The small Japanese garrison was quickly overwhelmed by US troops, but the isla ...

*Base at Mohile, FPO# 806 *Naval Base Ondonga, FPO# 626, at

Ondonga Airfield Ondonga Airfield is a former World War II airfield on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands archipelago. History World War II The Munda Point area was secured on 5 August 1943. While the rehabilitation and expansion of Munda Point Airfield was th ...

Naval Base Cape Gloucester The Battle of Cape Gloucester was fought in the Pacific War, Pacific theater of World War II between Empire of Japan, Japanese and Allies of World War II, Allied forces on the island of New Britain, Territory of New Guinea, between 26 December 1 ...

, New Britain FPO# 721 *Naval Base Talasea at

Talasea Talasea is a village on the Talasea Peninsula, West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Indep ...

, New Britain FPO# 941 *Naval Base Hoskins at

Hoskins Airport Hoskins Airport (IATA: HKN, ICAO: AYHK) is an airport in Hoskins (on the island of New Britain) in Papua New Guinea. The airport serves Kimbe Kimbe is the capital of the province of West New Britain in Papua New Guinea, and the largest settlemen ...

, New Britain FPO# 942 *Naval Base Rabaul at

, New Britain FPO# 3068 *Naval Base Nantambu at Nantambu, New Britain FPO# 3422 *Naval Base Green Islands at

Green Islands The Green Islands is a small archipelago of islands in the Solomon Sea, within the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in northeastern Papua New Guinea. They are located at , about northwest of Bougainville Island, and about east of Rabaul ...

after

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

PT boat base *Naval Base Emirau in Homestead Lagoon on

Emirau Island Emirau Island, also called Emira, is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago located at . It is currently part of the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea. The local language is a dialect of the Mussau-Emira language. Emira is part of what o ...

, New Britain, PT Boat base *Naval Base Kiriwina, at

Kiriwina Island Kiriwina is the largest of the Trobriand Islands, with an area of 290.5 km². It is part of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. Most of the 12,000 people who live in the Trobriands live on Kiriwina. The Kilivila language, also known ...

, PT boat base and support of

Kiriwina Airfield Losuia Airport is an airport in Losuia, on the island of Kiriwina, Papua New Guinea. History Kiriwina Airfield was a coral surfaced long x wide single runway, built by US Army Engineers with assistance from combat troops shortly after occupyi ...

*Naval Base Rein Bay, PT boat base at *Naval Base Amsterdam Island at

Amsterdam Island Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban area ...

also called Mios Su * Fergusson Island PT Boat Base

POWs

As in other theaters of war Japan's treatment of POWs and civilians was very poor. Many were exhausted from hunger and disease. Many deaths were caused by the diversion of food, such as rice, to Japanese troops from the New Guinea population. Some were turned into Japan's forced labourers, called romusha. International Red Cross packages were not distributed to POWs. In the New Guinea there were both massacres and executions of POWs: *At the Tol Plantation massacre 160 Australian were executed and at nearby Waitavalo Plantation, another group of eleven Australian prisoners were shot. *On the

Japanese destroyer Akikaze was a , built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following the end of World War I. The ''Minekaze'' class of destroyers were considered advanced for their time; these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s. The class w ...

on 18 March 1943 German residents from

, New Guinea were executed. About thirty German residents, including German clergymen, nuns with two children were taken after Japan suspected a radio transmitter at Wewak was reporting ship movements to the Americans. *Australian POW, Sgt.

Leonard Siffleet Leonard George Siffleet (14 January 1916 – 24 October 1943) was an Australian commando of World War II. Born in Gunnedah, New South Wales, he joined the Second Australian Imperial Force in 1941, and by 1943 had reached the rank of ...

, captured in New Guinea, was beheaded in 1943. *

Spencer Walklate Spencer Walklate (11 January 1918 – 3 April 1945) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and served as a special operations serviceman who was killed in action on active service during World War II. Playing career S ...

an Australian Army POW and Eagleton POW were tortured and murdered on Muschu Island a Schouten Islands *The Japanese Lieutenant Hisata Tomiyasu found guilty of killing 14 Indian soldiers and of cannibalism at Wewak in 1944. A common activity in New Guinea.Papua New Guinea War Crimes
'apnews.com''

Gallery

File:Pacific_Theater_Areas;map1.JPG, Pacific War Theater Areas map 1942 File:New Guinea.png, Map of New Guinea, with place names as used in English in the 1940s File:NewBritain2022OSM.png, Map New Britain Island, to the northeast of New Guinea Island File:Backhander Staging Area - New Britain - New Guinea.png, 1943 Backhander Staging Area in New Britain and New Guinea MilneBayLocation.jpg, Location of Naval Base Milne Bay Area of Battle of Milne Bay 1942.jpg, Milne Bay with key locations File:GiliGiliDock 1942 MilneBay.jpg, MV Anshun lying on her side at Gili Gili Dock, in Milne Bay, New Guinea, 1942 CampSeabeeNavalBaseBrisbane_buildingtrips.jpg, Camp Seabee Naval Base Brisbane, base building trips Gurney Airfield.JPG,

Gurney Airfield An Australian Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun of the 2/9th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery at Milne Bay Gurney Airport No. 1 Airstrip An Australian P-40 at Milne Bay Gurney Airport is an airport serving Alotau in the Milne Bay Province of Papua ...

in 1944 LLU's 47 General Hospital, Milne Bay.jpg, US Army, LLU's 47 General Hospital, Milne Bay "Surgical ward treatment at the 268th Station Hospital, Base A, Milne Bay, New Guinea. Left to right, Sgt. Lawrence McKr - NARA - 530771.jpg, Surgical ward treatment at the 268th Station Hospital, Base A, Milne Bay, Left to right, Sgt. Lawrence McKr USSARD10atMareIslandNavyYard.jpg,

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 ...

, ARD, built by the Pacific Bridge Company USS PT-105.jpg, USS PT-105 014651TurnbullGrave1943.jpg, Milne Bay's Turnbull grave in 1943 AWM 026647 P-40 Milne.jpg, An Australian P-40 at Milne Bay Milne Bay 026629.jpg, An Australian

Bofors 40 mm Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

gun of the 2/9th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery at Milne Bay No. 1 Airstrip Milne Bay 070345.jpg, Australian - USA camp at Milne Bay HMAS Anshun wreck.jpeg, MV ''Anshun'' lying on her side at Gili Gili Dock, in Milne Bay, New Guinea, 1942 File:USS Fulton (AS-11) at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii (USA), on 8 June 1942 (80-G-10120).jpg, USS ''Fulton'' was stationed at the Milne Bay to service submarines File:South Pacific islands 1945.jpg, South Pacific islands in 1945

External links

youtube, World War 2 – Defence of Australia

References

{{USWWII Naval Stations of the United States Navy World War II airfields in the Pacific Ocean Theater Airfields of the United States Navy Military installations closed in the 1940s Closed installations of the United States Navy