Simpson Harbour is a sheltered
harbour
A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...
of
Blanche Bay, on the
Gazelle Peninsula
The Gazelle Peninsula is a large peninsula in northeastern East New Britain, Papua New Guinea located on the island of New Britain within the Bismarck Archipelago, situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
The Rabaul caldera is located on t ...
in the extreme north of
New Britain
New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...
. The harbour is named after Captain Cortland Simpson, who surveyed the bay while in command of in 1872.
[
] The former capital city of
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 ...
is on its shores.
The harbour is part of a huge flooded caldera,
Rabaul caldera. The harbour is ringed by a number of volcanoes.
History
The
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force captured Rabaul during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
after entering Simpson Harbour.
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 ...
, the
Imperial Japanese utilised the harbour as a major naval base. Approximately 65 Japanese ships were sunk in the harbour by
Allied air attacks.
The surrender of the Japanese forces of New Guinea, New Britain, and the Solomon Islands took place on 6 September 1945 in a ceremony aboard the
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
. Representing the Japanese were General
Hitoshi Imamura, Commander
Eighth Area Army, and Admiral
Jinichi Kusaka, Commander
Southeast Area Fleet.
Image:Aust fleet Rabaul (AWM J03326).jpg, The Australian squadron entering Simpson Harbour, Rabaul, in September 1914
File:RabaulSunkShip.jpg, Sunken Japanese transport ships in Simpson Harbour at Rabaul (1943)
File:Japanese cruiser Haguro at Rabaul.jpg, Aircraft of the USAAF attack Japanese ships, 2 November 1943
File:B-25s in New Guinea.jpg, 90th Bomb Squadron during the 2 November 1943 attack on Simpson harbor
See also
*
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force
*
Bombing of Rabaul (1942)
The Bombing of Rabaul in February and March 1942 occurred when Allied forces launched counter-attacks against the Empire of Japan base at Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. Rabaul had been captured by the Japanese during the Battle of Rabaul in late Janua ...
*
Bombing of Rabaul (November 1943)
References
External links
Pacific War Wrecks
East New Britain Province
{{EastNewBritainProvince-geo-stub