Morobe Bay

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Morobe Bay is a bay within Huon Gulf, on the coast of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.

History

The American and Australian armed forces used Morobe Bay, also known as "Morobe Harbour", as a safe anchorage and staging point as part of the New Guinea campaign during World War II.

A PT boat advanced base was relocated from Tufi and set up within Morobe Bay by the US Navy, instead of Douglas Harbour near Cape Ward Hunt on 20 April 1943.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provinces of Papua New Guinea</span> First-level administrative divisions of Papua New Guinea

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morobe Province</span> Place in Papua New Guinea

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Morobe may refer to several places in Papua New Guinea:

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Labu is an Austronesian language of Papua New Guinea.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finschhafen</span> Place in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea

Finschhafen is a town 80 kilometers (50 mi) 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. Navy men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landing at Nassau Bay</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tufi</span>

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Morobe is a small coastal village located in Morobe Bay, in the south of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.

Kelanoa Harbour is a harbour on the north coast of the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea serving the town of Kelanoa. It is a large bay with an impenetrable reef and a small island.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">US Naval Advance Bases</span> Overseas US Naval Bases

US Naval Advance Bases were built globally by the United States Navy during World War II to support and project U.S. naval operations world-wide. A few were built on allied soil, but most were captured enemy facilities or completely new. Advance bases provided the fleet with support to keep ships tactically available with repair and supply depots of facilities, rather than return them to continental United States. Before Japan declared war on the United States the US Navy had a single fleet sized advanced base in the Territory of Hawaii. It was Naval Station Pearl Harbor. During the war the US Navy Seabees built over 400 advance bases categorized by size. Naval bases were either Lions or Cubs while airfields were either Oaks or Acorns. Lions and Oaks were major facilities while Cubs and Acorns were minor. PT Boats typically would get a Cub and airfields with single runways were Acorns. The larger bases could do refueling and overhaul; loading of troopship and cargo ships; and preparing amphibious assault ships. Some became major repair depots. The Seabees developed auxiliary floating drydocks were able to repair battle damage and do regular maintenance in the field saving ships trans-pacific trips for repair. A few bases also were developed to be R and R for all U.S. personnel. Most Advance Bases were built by the US Navy's Seabees in Naval Construction Battalions (CBs). At the start of the war some civilian contractor were employed in construction. The Seabees in World War II built most of the airfields used by the United States Army Air Forces and United States Marine Corps, as they had the ships and cranes needed to transport the vast amount of equipment needed at the advance bases. The US Army and United States Coast Guard also operated out of many of these facilities. Seabees could build new or repair damaged runways, and with advancements in heavy bomber technology lengthen runways as needed. A few Naval Advance Bases were built for the Korean War and Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Milne Bay</span> Major World War 2 base in Papua New Guinea

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 support the Pacific War had caused overcrowding at the ports on the east coast of Australia. To help the Seabee departed Naval Base Brisbane on June 19, 1943 to set up a new base in Milne Bay. Naval Base Milne Bay headquarters was at Ladava Navy Base. The Royal Australian Navy already had a small base in Milne Bay: HMAS Ladava. Australians were able to defend and keep Milne Bay in the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942. Naval Base Milne Bay was built during World War II to support the many ships and aircraft fighting and patrolling in the South West Pacific theatre of war. Ladava Navy Base provided a large protective US Navy fleet anchorage at Gahora Bay next to Ladava. At Naval Base Milne Bay Seabee built large Naval facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Finschhafen</span> World War 2 base in New Guinea

Naval Base Finschhafen was a United States Navy base built during World War II at Finschhafen on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. The US Navy built a PT boat base, Dreger Harbor PT Boat Base, boat repair depot, and harbor facilities at Dreger Harbour and Langemak Bay to support the Pacific War in 1943. Harbor was also built to support the US Navy in building 6,000-foot Finschafen Airfield, also called Dreger Field, now Finschhafen Airport on the island. The base was part of the New Guinea campaign.

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