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 USN prewar  U.S. Army Nov 1, 1943   M Claringbould 2008 |
Location Nouméa Harbor borders Nouméa in South Province (Province Sud) on New Caledonia (Nouvelle-Calédonie). Wartime History On April 18, 1941 a PBY Catalina made the first flight from Sydney to Nouméa Harbor and delivered the first air mail letter to Nouméa. During World War II, Nouméa Harbor was used by Allied warships and transports including the U.S. Navy (USN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN). In early August 1942, the Allied invasion force departed Nouméa Harbor bound for the Solomon Islands. Nickel Docks The prewar Nickel Docks were located at the southern end of Nouméa Harbor and included a private wharf, cranes and a smelter at Point Doniamo. Early in the Pacific War, an Australian commando squadron set demolition charges to blow up the works in the event the Japanese landed. During the American occupation, the prewar dock was lengthened and expanded for use in addition to the the main dock at Nouméa. During World War II, Nickel production was allowed to continue, provided it did not interfere with military needs and operations. Nickel Dock Explosion On November 1, 1943, four ships SS Juan Cabrillo, USS Cassiopeia, SS James Buchanan and SS Cape Breton were unloading at two finger piers built by U.S. Navy (USN) Naval Construction Battalion (NCB) "Seabees". The handling of munitions caused an accidental explosion later dubbed the "Nickel Dock Explosion" with roughly 100 men killed and missing plus another 100 wounded, The blasted moved the ships off their moorings, but did not cause serious damage to the vessels. Ben Glusing adds: "I was an officer of the 208th Military Police Company, which furnished guard duty of the docks. I arrived at the scene 8-10 minutes after the first blast. Explosion was followed by fires, all lasting about four and a half hours. We suffered seven men injured; no fatalities. The explosion was, for some years, classified, and now declassified." Nouméa Harbor Seaplane Base Harbor used as a seaplane landing area during the Pacific War. Contribute
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