Cape St. George is the southernmost point on the island of New Ireland,

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

. It was the namesake for the

Battle of Cape St. George The Battle of Cape St. George was a naval battle of the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II fought on 25 November 1943, between Cape St. George, New Ireland (island), New Ireland, and Buka Island (now part of the North Solomons Provin ...

, fought on 26 November 1943, between New Ireland and Buka.

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Saint George's Channel St George's Channel (, ) is a sea channel connecting the Irish Sea to the north and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It separates Wexford on the southeastern corner of Ireland from St Davids in on the southwestern tip of Wales. Origin of n ...

was used by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

connecting

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

to the open sea and for ships bound for the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

. Allied missions against Japanese forces at Cape St. George and St. George's Channel were conducted on December 31, 1942 – October 26, 1944.Saint Georges Channel New Ireland Province Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Pacific Wrecks Inc. In the course of

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

the Japanese used the Cape to watch out for American bombers from

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

heading towards

. The concrete bunker they built is still there. From information gathered from men from Lambom Village who are the traditional land owners and most of whom have either died or are now very old and who were forced to work for the Japanese, the Japanese commander/officer-in-charge during the war was called Kato. Apart from its association with the war in the Pacific and particularly in the New Guinea Islands region, "Cape St. George" is traditionally known in the local Siar language as Lain Silou – this is in reference to its protruding point into the outer sea and the fact that it is quite dangerous during rough seas to ships sailing past/around it. On February 3, 1944, Medal of Honor recipient, Lt Robert M. Hanson, VMF-215, participated in a fighter sweep. On the return flight he strafed the lighthouse on Cape St. George, New Ireland, that served as an enemy flak tower and observation post. Making his run low on the deck, his blue-gray Corsair took a flak hit to the wing. Hanson tried to ditch but his wing dug into the water and the Corsair cartwheeled and crashed, leaving an oil slick and scattered debris.

References

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

New Ireland Province {{NewIrelandProvince-geo-stub

History

See also

References