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Kennedy Island (local name Kasolo Island, also known as Plum Pudding Island), is a , uninhabited island in
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 ...
that was named after
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
, following an incident involving Kennedy during his
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 ...
naval career. Kennedy Island lies 15 minutes by boat from Gizo, the provincial capital of the
Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: *Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provinc ...
of Solomon Islands.


History


''PT-109'' incident

The island is notable for its role in the story of ''PT-109'', part of the
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II The Pacific Ocean theater of World War II was a major theater of the Pacific War, the war between the Allies and the Empire of Japan. It included the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas (command). which included most of the Pacific Ocean and its isl ...
. In August 1943, it was to this island that the crew of the ship, commanded by then
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
Kennedy, swam after their craft was rammed and sunk by the Japanese destroyer ''Amagiri''. Two American sailors died in the incident. Kennedy later had the crew swim to the larger
Olasana Island Olasana Island is a 7.93 hectare, uninhabited island in the New Georgia Islands, in Western Province, in the independent nation of Solomon Islands. The island is primarily notable for its role in the events after the sinking of '' PT-109'' involv ...
where they were found and helped by Melanesian scouts,
Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana Biuku Gasa (27 July 1923 – 23 November 2005) and Eroni Kumana (c. 1918 – 2 August 2014) were Solomon Islands, Solomon Islanders of Melanesians, Melanesian descent who found John F. Kennedy and his surviving Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109, ''PT-109 ...
, dispatched by coastwatcher
Reg Evans Reginald Evans (27 March 1928 – 7 February 2009) was a British-born actor active in Australian radio, theatre, television and cinema from the 1960s, after having started his career in his native England. Early life Evans started drama while ...
. A small shrine to Kennedy, built by Solomon Islander Eroni Kumana who aided in the rescue of the crew, stands on the island.


Recent history

The island remains uninhabited, but is a tourist attraction. In 2003, a race was held where participants re-enacted Kennedy's swim. Previously a public area, it was acquired in 2004 at a cost of SI$7000 (US$950) by Joseph Douglas, an advisor to then Caretaker Premier of Western Province
Clement Base Clement or Clément may refer to: People * Clement (name), a given name and surname * Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People Places * Clément, French Guiana, a town * Clement, Missouri, U.S. * Clement Township, Michigan, U.S. * Clement's ...
. The legality of the sale was the subject of a legal challenge. In 2009, Douglas sold Kennedy Island to Gizo Hotel (owned by Australian Shane Kennedy), one year after brother Dan Kennedy purchased the resort closest to Kennedy Island (Fatboys on Mbabanga Island). In August 2023, U.S. Ambassador to Australia and daughter of President Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American author, diplomat, and attorney who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to Australia, United States ambassador to Australia from 2022 to 2024. She previously serv ...
and her son
Jack Schlossberg John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg (born January 19, 1993) is an American writer. He has written about politics for several publications and news outlets. He is the only grandson of the 35th president of the United States John F. Kennedy and First ...
recreated part of President Kennedy’s historic swim following the sinking of PT-109. Joined by a team of Solomon Islander swimmers, the Ambassador and Jack swam about 1.2km between Naru and Olasana Islands — a passage that President Kennedy swam multiple times in the days after the sinking of PT-109 to bring his crew supplies and communicate with the Solomon Scouts.


See also

*
Desert island An uninhabited island, desert island, or deserted island, is an island, islet or atoll which lacks permanent human population. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereotypes ...
*
List of islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refer ...


References

*


External links


Aerial photograph of Kennedy island
{{coord, 8, 6, 46, S, 156, 54, 20, E, type:isle_region:SB, display=title Islands of the Solomon Islands Monument and memorials to John F. Kennedy Solomon Islands–United States relations Uninhabited islands of the Solomon Islands Western Province (Solomon Islands)