Samarai Advanced Seaplane Base
Encyclopedia
Samarai Advanced Seaplane Base was a US Navy seaplane
base at Samarai Island, Papua New Guinea
during World War II
.
The advanced seaplane base was built by a detachment of the 84th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) with help from members of USS San Pablo (AVP-30)
, a seaplane tender
. The base was built within 42 days and included a 50 feet (15.2 m) ramp, small hangar, 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) apron, barrack accommodation for 270 men and four 1,000 barrel aviation fuel tanks.
The seaplane tenders sailors worked around the clock to fuel, repair, arm, control the seaplanes, feed and care for the PBY Catalina
crews.
Operations from the base included attacking enemy shipping along the coasts of New Guinea
, New Britain
, New Ireland
, and the Bismarck Sea
. Heavy losses were inflicted upon Imperial Japanese inter-island barge traffic and shipping. The aircraft harassed enemy troops with night bombing and strafing missions, conducted photo intelligence operations, provided air-sea search and rescue support for downed allied pilots and sailors of sunken vessels. They also transported high ranking officers, friendly coast watchers, and native guerrilla units.
The seaplane base appears to have been abandoned in May 1944.
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
base at Samarai Island, Papua New Guinea
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...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The advanced seaplane base was built by a detachment of the 84th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) with help from members of USS San Pablo (AVP-30)
USS San Pablo (AVP-30)
USS San Pablo was a United States Navy Barnegat-class seaplane tender which was in commission as such from 1943 to 1947 and then served as a commissioned hydrographic survey ship, redesignated AGS-30, from 1948 to 1969...
, a seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
. The base was built within 42 days and included a 50 feet (15.2 m) ramp, small hangar, 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) apron, barrack accommodation for 270 men and four 1,000 barrel aviation fuel tanks.
The seaplane tenders sailors worked around the clock to fuel, repair, arm, control the seaplanes, feed and care for the PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
crews.
Operations from the base included attacking enemy shipping along the coasts of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
, New Ireland
New Ireland (island)
New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...
, and the Bismarck Sea
Bismarck Sea
The Bismarck Sea lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean to the north of the island of Papua New Guinea and to the south of the Bismarck Archipelago and Admiralty Islands. Like the Bismarck archipelago, it is named in honour of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck...
. Heavy losses were inflicted upon Imperial Japanese inter-island barge traffic and shipping. The aircraft harassed enemy troops with night bombing and strafing missions, conducted photo intelligence operations, provided air-sea search and rescue support for downed allied pilots and sailors of sunken vessels. They also transported high ranking officers, friendly coast watchers, and native guerrilla units.
The seaplane base appears to have been abandoned in May 1944.
Units Based at Samari Advanced Seaplane Base
- Patrol Squadron Thirty Three (VP-33), Fleet Air Wing 17 (PBY CatalinaPBY CatalinaThe Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
) - Patrol Squadron Thirty Four (VP-34), Fleet Air Wing 17 (PBY CatalinaPBY CatalinaThe Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
) - Patrol Squadron One Hundred One (VP-101), Fleet Air Wing 17 (PBY CatalinaPBY CatalinaThe Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
) - USS San Pablo (AVP-30)USS San Pablo (AVP-30)USS San Pablo was a United States Navy Barnegat-class seaplane tender which was in commission as such from 1943 to 1947 and then served as a commissioned hydrographic survey ship, redesignated AGS-30, from 1948 to 1969...
(Seaplane tenderSeaplane tenderA seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
) - USS Half Moon (AVP-26)USS Half Moon (AVP-26)USS Half Moon was a seaplane tender that served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946.-Construction and early deployment:Half Moon was laid down as a small seaplane tender on 10 March 1942 by Lake Washington Shipyards, Houghton, Washington, and was launched as such on 12 July 1942,...
(Seaplane tenderSeaplane tenderA seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
)