Located
on the north coast of New Guinea, between Madang and
Wewak, north-east of Bogia.
Japanese Occupation
Occupied by the Japanese, Hansa Bay became a major base area and barge shuttle point from Wewak to bases further to the south-east. Two
airfields were located nearby: Awar and Nubia and
encampment and harbor area. Hansa Bay was attacked from the
air to neutralize barge traffic and forces in the area.
Australian Occupation
On June 12,
1944 patrols of the Australian 35th Battalion reached Hansa Bay,
probing as far as the Sepik River. The
Japanese had abandoned large stores making it one of the largest dumps captured
in the New Guinea campaign to that date. At the end of the war, jeeps and
other equipment were dumped into the bay.
American Missions Against Hansa Bay
April 12, 1943 - March 1944
Laing Island
Small island of shore from Hansa Bay. Wartime photos show 100 ton ships and barges
using this island as shelter or docking area. Occupied by a Belgin marine research
center for 20 years, abandoned sometime after 2000.
Manam Island
Volcanic cone-shapped island, located at the south-east corner of Hansa Bay.
Visible from the entire area, it eruped in the late 1990s last.
Awar
(Condor Point, Hansa North)
Aware Point had a number of heavy AA guns and jetty area for barges and ships,
inland from the beah was a supply and bivouac area. A Japanese airstrip was
located to the NW of Awar point, and was used until 1982, today it is abandoned.
Nubia
Site of second Japanese airfield. Also, another pre-war missionary
airstrp.
Japanese Shipwrecks
At least 35 Japanese ships and US aircraft litter the harbor and black
sand beach. All lie in shallow water less than 25M covered in coral and
fish. Some are too deep to inspect without scuba equipment, others are
only in 4-6M of water, from the air raids in 1943 - 44.
