The Purdy Islands (or Mwilitau Islands) are an uninhabited island group in the
Bismarck Sea
The Bismarck Sea (, ) lies in the south-western Pacific Ocean within the Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinean exclusive economic zone. It is located north-east of the island of New Guinea and south of the Bismarck Archipelago. It has coastlines i ...
, belonging to the people of M'Buke Island in Manus,
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 ...
. The Purdy Islands, Mole, Mouse, Rat, plus Alim and Bat (or North Bat and South Bat), form part of the
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 40 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island.
These rainforest-cov ...
group, in
Manus Province
Manus Province is the smallest Provinces of Papua New Guinea, province in Papua New Guinea in terms of both land area and population, with a land area of , but with more than of water, and the total population is 60,485 (2011 census). The provi ...
.
History
The islands are owned by the Mbuke people.
They were named after
hydrographer
Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary ...
RAAF
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...
radar
Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
station 340 RS between March 1944 and April 1944 during the Second World War. It was one of five such radar stations located within the
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 40 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island.
These rainforest-cov ...
to support the American Invasion. Bat Island proved to be a very dangerous location because it was infested with rats that carried mites which in turn carried
Scrub typhus
Scrub typhus or bush typhus is a form of typhus caused by the intracellular parasite '' Orientia tsutsugamushi'', a Gram-negative α-proteobacterium of family Rickettsiaceae first isolated and identified in 1930 in Japan.Scrub typhus
Scrub typhus or bush typhus is a form of typhus caused by the intracellular parasite '' Orientia tsutsugamushi'', a Gram-negative α-proteobacterium of family Rickettsiaceae first isolated and identified in 1930 in Japan.LW-AW radar station and all the equipment that had been left behind. There is one survivor of this radar station still living in Australia as at July 2018.
Geography
Located in the Bismarck Sea, the Purdys are part of the Admiralty Islands group, which also contains Admiralty Island, Jesus Maria Island, Los Reyes Islands, La Vandola Island (Nauna Island), Hayrick Island (Papialou Island), Platform Island, Small Round Island, High Island, Low Island, San Miguel Islands, Elizabeth Island (Alim Island), Anachoretes Islands, Los Monjos Island, Boudeuse Island (Liot Island), L'Echiquier Islands, Los Eremitanos Islands, Matty Island, and Durour Island. The Purdy Island group lies to the southwest of
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...
and belongs administratively to
Manus Province
Manus Province is the smallest Provinces of Papua New Guinea, province in Papua New Guinea in terms of both land area and population, with a land area of , but with more than of water, and the total population is 60,485 (2011 census). The provi ...
.
The Purdy group includes five islands. These are Alim and Bat (or North Bat and South Bat), as well as Mole, Mouse, and Rat. Bat Island is to the west, Rat and Mouse Islands are to the east, Mole Island is to the northeast of Mouse. About west of Mouse Island can be found Latent Reef. Another reef is southwest of Bat Island. Other formations nearby include the shoals named Sherburne and Sydney, as well as the reefs named Circular and Albert. They consist of coral formations.
Fauna and flora
The uninhabited islands are a breeding ground for the
green sea turtle
The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...
. The islands are visited by people only to exploit the turtle and coconut
palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...
.
Further reading
* Krauss, Noel Louis Hilmer (1979), ''Bibliography of the Purdy Islands, New Guinea''