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Makambo Island (Macambo) Central Province Solomon Islands

Martin Clemens c1939

USN August 7, 1942

Location
Makambo Island is a small island located in Tulagi Harbor. To the west is Tulagi Island and to the north is Florida Island (Nggela Sule, Big Gela). American wartime spelling "Macambo" or "Mokambo".

Prewar
A concrete wharf was built on Makambo Island.

Wartime History
On August 7, 1942 liberated by U.S. Marine Corps following their landing on Tulagi Island. During the middle of 1943, PT-boat facilities were constructed on Macambo, with base housing at Calvertville on Nggela Sule Island (Florida Island, Big Gela). An existing concrete wharf at Macambo, in need of repair but still serviceable, was used, but it was necessary to build torpedo overhaul and storage facilities.

Tulagi PT Boat Base (Sesapi/Macambo)
Macambo Island was used to support PT Boat operations including a prewar concrete wharf

In July 1943, U.S. Navy (USN) PT Squadron 1, Squadron 3, and Squadron 8 were using the Sesapi on Tulagi and Macambo Island as PT Boat bases. An prewar concrete wharf at Macambo was repaired but still serviceable and put to use. During 1943, U.S. Navy (USN) Seabees built torpedo overhaul and storage facilities and an eight 1,000-barrel tanks were built at Macambo, with loading line to the dock.

Today
Kevin Denlay adds:
"We search extensively along the north coast of Macambo and well out to the west in 1999 and I did so again over numerous days in 2002 and surprisingly found nothing. So if there were some H6K's sunk there, as it appears there were from the reports, they were long ago removed. Unless of course they are out deeper to the north as I only physically searched down to about 30m using a scooter to cover the length of the island at various depths but imaged out deeper with a sonar, and still nothing. As to the west (end) where the U.S. maps shows them sunk nothing whatsoever and we covered a lot of ground there to as it is quite shallow."

References
USN Building the Navy's Bases in World War II [Chapter 25] page 252

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Last Updated
August 3, 2021

Map 1943

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