Location
Lat 5° 27' 0S Long 154° 40' 0E  Island located in the Buka Passage, between Buka and Bonis on the northern coast of Bougainville.

Prewar, there was a Government Station on Sohano, manned by Ken Bridges the Assistant District Officer (ADO) in charge until November 1941, replaced by Jack Read. Occupied by the Japanese, the island was used as a base area, and by seaplanes of the Buka Seaplane Base and barges occasionally anchored in the Sohano Channel and Buka Passage near the isalnd.

Missions Against Sohano
November 16, 1943 - June 10, 1944

Buka Seaplane Base
Channel and island used by the Japanese during the war

Sohano Island Japanese Memorial
Errected in 1984 for the 65,000 Japanese that died in the Bougainville campaign. Nearby, is a F1M2 Pete fuselage, recovered from the Sohano Channel, and fire extinguisher ground unit.

Mitsubishi F1M2 Pete
Crashed in nearby mangrove swamp, salvaged and displayed on the island

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Last Updated
October 1, 2009