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Location
Lat
6° 55' 0S Long 155° 52' 60E Shortland Island is the largest
island in the Shortland Island Group. Also known as Alu, the local
people's name for the island. to the east is Faisi and south Poporang and Magusaiai.
Japanese ships entered Shortland Harbor on March 30, 1942 around 2am. Occupied without resistance in the early morning. Two SNLF platoon strength forces met no resistance, and one platoon remained to establish a seaplane base.
American Missions
Against Shortland
(USN, 5th AF, 13th AF) October 16, 1942 - December 1943
- May 15, 1944
Shortland Harbor Seaplane Base
Ringed
by Poperang
Island to the east, Shortland island to the west and south, and Faisi
Island to the north. This narrow channel had a seaplane ramp
and service area at Nila on Poperang, and moorings down the shoreline
next to Shortland Island.
Korouvo
Subprovincial headquarters,
located at the SE tip of the island, between Tuha Channel and Kulitana
Bay, with Faisi Island directly
to the north. Korouvo had the only major concentration of buildings
and huts on the island. Located on the Bumbugiai (Bambagiai)
Plantation. Raises of wartime bunkers and fortifications are
visible around the area to this day.
Lofang
Small village on the eastern coast of Shortland Island. Postwar, in the 1970s Alidice Lumber a timber logging operation was based here. Today, the Solomon Islands Police HQ for the area is based here, overlooking Ballale Island to the north.
Japanese Memorial
A simple concrete block memorial, with a small plaque is built on a ridge behind Lofang. Its plaque reads: "In Memoriam: Sacred to the the memory of the soldiers of Japan and other nations who died in the Solomon Islands during World War II. We mourn brave men. We pray for everlasting world peace. This monument was erected by Japanese ex-servicemen who fought on the battlefields of the Solomon Islands. August 13, 1968"
Mine Fields
Japanese and Americans heavily mined
Shortland and Erventa Harbor and approaches. By the middle of 1943, the Japanese minefields were beginning to break up. PT Boats observed and destroyed 50 mines in the area during July, August & September. American aircraft also laid mines at night from low
flying Avenger aircraft from VT-11 and VMSB-143 A number of Avengers were shot down in this manner. In 1944, US Navy fast minelayers also
made a run thru the area. After the war, the Australian Navy cleared
this mine field. But locals reported yellow stains in the water where
mines still lay. A 1956 map (revised 1969) of the area lists the
area of water east of Shortland Island and north of Faisi to be
a 'Former Mined Area'.
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Last Updated
November 2, 2009
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