7:21:31 PM EDT
FOR A UNIQUE VIEW OF SOME 1836 ENGRAVING OF LIFE IN THE SOUTH SEAS BACK IN 1836, CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE:
http://www.mapsouthpacific.com/engravings/index.html
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7:01:35 PM EDT
ttp://www.mapsouthpacific.com/engravings/index.html
ttp://www.mapsouthpacific.com/engravings/index.html
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8:34:43 AM EDT
JAPANESE ARMY IN WORLD WAR II, THE SOUTH PACIFIC AND NEW GUINEA 1942-43
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11:36:51 PM EST
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Rabaul Volcano
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Rabaul's Simpson Harbour is a giant waterway around which sits several volcanoes that could erupt at any moment. In 1937, a huge eruption on the harbour's eastern shores formed a new spewing volcano which was called Vulcan. At this time, Rabaul itself was effectively destroyed, though its European and native population quickly returned after the devastation. Rabaul constantly lived under the constant threat of the malevolent influences of the Pacific Ocean's fiery volcanic rim.
The following recollections are those of Brett Hilder whose first hand recollections of the 1937 volcanic eruption in Rabaul are both interesting and fascinating. |
After nine years' sea service, and with a Master's Certificate, I rejoined Burns Philp as Second Mate of the S.S. Montoro on the New Guinea run. This was my favourite ship, partly for the sentimental reason that she had been launched in the same year as myself, 1911. She was a popular ship, loved as much for her failings as for her homely virtues.
Location map for Rabaul
On my second trip in her we were lying at the wharf in Rabaul, discharging cargo in the humid heat and surrounded by the circle of dead, dormant and steaming volcanoes. At mid-day we were sitting out on deck having our lunch, when a violent 'quake shook the ship and rattled the plates around the table. Rabaul is noted for its shakes, locally known by the native name guria. This last shake was one of a series which had been getting worse daily, but as there hadn't been an eruption for nearly 60 years, there was no undue alarm. The sea-level fell several feet and rose again like a flood tide or bore and it was reported that some reefs near the entrance had risen a few feet and were now nearly awash. We left Rabaul that afternoon for our next port, Kavieng, and had just left that port the following day when we got our first news of the eruption. this included an S.O.S. for us to return to Rabaul to help evacuate the town.
By midnight, when I came on watch, it was bright moonlight, in fact everything seemed to be whiter than usual. I soon found that this was due to a fine white dust carried by the wind, the south east trade, over 150 miles from the eruption at Rabaul.
The heavier dust, ashes, pumice and rocks were falling on the area around Rabaul from a brand new volcano. this had arisen on the site of a low muddy island near the harbour entrance and called Vulcan Island by the Germans because of the hot springs there. Between this island and the shore was a sheltered little strait, and a local firm had built a shipway nearby to take ships up to 500 tons. One of these ships, S.S. Durour, was up on the slip for overhaul and, this being completed, the cr3ew were standing by to get her back into the water. The violent shakes were ringing the ship's bells continuously and had shakes all the props and ladders away from the ship's side. The crew could hardly be blamed for going over the side down ropes and they made their way up to the main road to head for Rabaul. They had just left the ship in time, for Vulcan Island gave a couple of convulsive heaves, then blew straight up into the sky like the cork from a bottle of champagne.
The local population of Rabaul still live under the constant threat of volcanic activity
The column of smoke, steam, hot ash and block mud went to a height of about six miles, like a more modern atomic explosion. Red-hot rocks, up to the size of motor cars and small cottages, fell at intervals out of the column. The Durour received many direct hits as well as being half buried in pumice. The new volcano built itself up to 600 feet in the first 24 hours, as well as joining Vulcan Island on to the mainland. The little strait is no more and the Durour is in the same spot to this day.
During the first terrible night the main road nearby was buried under 40 feet of pumice, so that the few European houses were completely covered and hundreds of natives were buried in their villages. Next morning did not dawn in the town of Rabaul, for the dense pall of ash kept the area in darkness and provided a ste4ady shower of pumice and stones.
The Government decided to evacuat4 the population in Nordup, the nearest part of the sea coast, three miles over the ridge to the east of the town. The great trek was under way all day, streams of choking people and crawling cars with headlights on making their way with visibility down to three feet. In the harbour the small ships had been washed ashore and back again by tidal waves. The only large ship in port, the American freighter Golden Bear, was caught with her holds open, receiving a few hundred tons of pumice into them instead of a cargo of copra.
She made her way out of the harbour, but was heavily bombarded by a jet of steam and pumice from Vulcan Island, which painted her Navy grey on the starboard side. By this time the Montoro was getting near the scene and we spent the morning preparing for the embarkation of evacuees. We turned out all the lifeboats and stripped them of all gear except the steering oar. Our two gangways were turned out, rope holders rigged over the side, and all the cargo nets we could muster to use as scrambling nets, as became common practice in amphibious landings of World War II.
As we approached Nordup the boats were lowered to the water, ready for rapid dropping with our surf boats and two launches. there is no charted anchorage at Nordup, so we lowered down the anchor on 35 fathoms of cable, which brought us up close to the beach. All of a sudden a loud explosion came from the direction of Vulcan, but much closer, and we saw a jet black mass arise from where Matupi volcano had been steaming away fitfully for years. Now it went into full reduction and greatly encouraged the mass exit from the town, firstly because it was much closer than Vulcan and, secondly, because its blast furnaces contained some sulphur to add to the discomforts of suffocation
http://www.janesoceania.com/png_rabaul_volcano/index.htm
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9:24:44 PM EST
FLYING INTO GUADACANAL'S AIRPORT...
FLYING INTO THE AIRPORT AT GUADACANAL...
http://www.apogee.com.au/products/imagery/recent.html
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9:01:26 PM EST
WORLD WAR TWO PHOTOS...AFTER THE BATTLES WERE OVER
IN MEMORIUM...IN HONOR OF THE U.S. FIGHTING MEN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE BATTLES...
AFTER THE BATTLES WERE OVER...
http://guadalcanal3.homestead.com/files/253_ON_Guadalcanal.jpg
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8:37:45 PM EST
http://guadalcanal.homestead.com/guadacanal2004.html
SEARCHING FOR LIVING HISTORY OF WORLD WAR TWO IN THE SOUTH SEAS...GUADACANAL, TALAGI, TULARE, AND OTHER SITES...
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8:09:59 PM EST
THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY IN THE SOUTH SEAS...
THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY IN THE SOUTH SEAS...
THE STALWART AT ANCHOR...penguins waiting for the liberty boats...ha ha..
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8:03:04 PM EST
U.S.NAVY PHOTOS OF GUADACANAL AND SOUTH SEAS
U.S.NAVY PHOTOS OF GUADACANAL AND SOUTH SEAS
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