Hansa Bay
Encyclopedia
Hansa Bay is a bay located on the north coast of Papua New Guinea
, in Madang Province
, between Madang
and Wewak
, north east of Bogia
.
, Hansa Bay was a major Japanese naval base
and transit station, between the Wewak region and south eastern bases.
The airfields and encampment
s of Awar and Nubia were also located nearby
On 12 June 1944 the Australian 35th Battalion reached Hansa Bay, pushing inland to the Sepik River.
The abandonment of Japanese stores made it one of the largest arms dumps
captured in the New Guinea campaign to that date.
The extensive number of marine and aircraft engagements in the area during World War II, resulted in many wrecks, which are still to be found. These include approximately 35 shipwreck
s, which are popular with recreational divers
.
Wrecks in the area include:
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, in Madang Province
Madang Province
Madang is a province on the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. The province has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcanoes and its biggest mix of languages...
, between Madang
Madang
Madang is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century....
and Wewak
Wewak
Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak....
, north east of Bogia
Bogia
Borgia is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Lepetellidae....
.
World War II history
During the New Guinea campaignNew Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
, Hansa Bay was a major Japanese naval base
Naval base
A naval base is a military base, where warships and naval ships are deployed when they have no mission at sea or want to restock. Usually ships may also perform some minor repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usually stay on the ships but are undergoing maintenance while...
and transit station, between the Wewak region and south eastern bases.
The airfields and encampment
Military camp
A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent facility for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large campsites. In the Roman era the military camp had highly...
s of Awar and Nubia were also located nearby
On 12 June 1944 the Australian 35th Battalion reached Hansa Bay, pushing inland to the Sepik River.
The abandonment of Japanese stores made it one of the largest arms dumps
Ammunition dump
An ammunition dump, ammunition compound, ammunition depot, bomb dump, ammunition supply point or ammo dump, is a military storage facility for live ammunition and explosives....
captured in the New Guinea campaign to that date.
The extensive number of marine and aircraft engagements in the area during World War II, resulted in many wrecks, which are still to be found. These include approximately 35 shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
s, which are popular with recreational divers
Underwater diving
Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...
.
Wrecks in the area include:
- USS PT-337USS PT-337PT-337 was a PT-103 Class Motor Torpedo Boat that was sunk in action during the Pacific Theater of World War II in Hansa Bay, New Guinea on March 7, 1944.-Events at Hansa Bay:...
: United States Navy motor torpedo boat - Sydney Maru (also known as (Shishi Maru): an Imperial Japanese Navy cargo ship)
- a B-25D MitchellB-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
(serial number 41-30345 tail "Y") United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air ForcesThe United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
bomber - a B-24J-35 (serial number 42-73338) USAAF bomber
- a P-39 Airacobra USAAF fighter
See also
- List of US missions against Hansa Bay 1943-1944
- Photograph of Gunner H.J. SWIFT, 2/14 Australian Field Regiment, reading a sign among wrecked boats in the area controlled by the Australian 5th Div. Salvage Unit from The Australian War Memorial
- photograph of Australian Army Barges loaded with Japanese salvage on the run between Hansa Bay and Madang from The Australian War Memorial