# Emirau Island

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Island in Papua New Guinea

Satellite image of Emirau Island

**Emirau Island**, also called **Emira**, is an island in the [Bismarck Archipelago](/source/Bismarck_Archipelago) located at [1°38.5′S 149°58.5′E / 1.6417°S 149.9750°E / -1.6417; 149.9750](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Emirau_Island&params=1_38.5_S_149_58.5_E_). Emira is part of what on many maps are charted as the [St Matthias Islands](/source/St_Matthias_Islands), also known as the Mussau Islands, a small group to the northwest of the main island group of [New Ireland](/source/New_Ireland_(island)). Early explorers named it Squally Island, a name found in some early records. It is part of [New Ireland Province](/source/New_Ireland_Province), [Papua New Guinea](/source/Papua_New_Guinea). The local language is a dialect of the [Mussau-Emira language](/source/Mussau-Emira_language).

## World War II

Early in [World War II](/source/World_War_II) this small island became international news when over 500 prisoners from various ships (including [RMS *Rangitane*](/source/MS_Rangitane_(1929))) sunk by German surface raiders were released following the first [attack on Nauru](/source/German_attacks_on_Nauru) and subsequently rescued by the Australian authorities.

Released prisoners on Emirau

[Emirau was seized unopposed](/source/Landing_on_Emirau) by two battalions of the United States [4th Marine Division](/source/4th_Marine_Division_(United_States)) on 20 March 1944.[1]

### Base development

**Naval Base Emirau** construction activities were taken in hand by the US Navy [Seabees](/source/Seabee) of the 18th Construction Regiment, which consisted of the 27th, 61st, and 63rd Construction Battalions and the 17th Special Battalion, which arrived between 25 and 30 March, and the 77th Construction Battalion which arrived on 14 April. The 27th built a [PT boat](/source/PT_boat) base, an [LCT](/source/Landing_craft_tank) floating [dry dock](/source/Dry_dock) and [slipway](/source/Slipway), and roads. The 61st constructed housing, ammunition storage facilities, a runway, and some of the buildings at the PT boat base. It also handled sawmill operations. The 63rd assisted at the sawmill and worked on the roads, camps, harbor facilities, warehouses, magazines and [avgas](/source/Avgas) dumps. The 77th built taxiways, [hardstands](/source/Hardstand), aviation workshops and the avgas tank farm. The 88th worked on runways, roads, radar stations and a causeway at the eastern end of the island.[1]: 303–4

[Two airfields](/source/Emirau_Airport#World_War_II) were constructed, Inshore and North Cape. These were heavy bomber strips, 7,000 feet (2,100 m) long and 300 feet (91 m) wide. The former had parking for 210 fighters or light bombers; the latter for 84 heavy bombers. Both were fully equipped with towers, lighting, and a dispensary. The aviation tank farm consisted of three 10,000-[barrel](/source/Barrel_(unit)) (~1,400 [t](/source/Tonne)) and nineteen 1,000-barrel (~140 t) tanks together with the appropriate filling and distribution points. A reserve of 40,000 barrels (~5,500 t) was stored in drums. Three hospitals were established, a 100-bed naval base hospital, the 160-bed 24th Army Field Hospital, and the 150-bed Acorn 7 Hospital. The anchorage at Hamburg Bay could accommodate up to five capital ships. Port facilities included eight cranes, 42,000 cubic feet (1,200 m3) of refrigerated space, and 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of covered storage. The port could handle 800 [measurement tons](/source/Measurement_ton) (910 [m3](/source/Cubic_metre)) of cargo per day. Connecting the various facilities was 40 miles (64 km) of coral-surfaced all-weather road. All this work was completed by August and Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU) 502 assumed responsibility for maintenance work. All the construction battalions departed by December.[1]: 303–4

### Garrison

The 4th Marines were relieved as the garrison of Emirau by the [147th Infantry](/source/147th_Regiment_(United_States)) on 11 April 1944. The next day, General [Alfred H. Noble](/source/Alfred_H._Noble) was replaced as island commander by Marine aviator Major General [James T. Moore](/source/James_T._Moore_(USMC)), the commanding general of the [1st Marine Aircraft Wing](/source/1st_Marine_Aircraft_Wing).[2] In turn, the 147th Infantry was relieved as garrison by the 369th Infantry in June.[3]

In August, General [Douglas MacArthur](/source/Douglas_MacArthur) directed that responsibility for garrisoning Emirau would be transferred to the Australian Army.[4] The Australian [8th Infantry Battalion](/source/8th_Battalion_(Australia)) arrived to take over the garrison role on Emirau on 30 September.[5] They were met by a small [ANGAU](/source/ANGAU) detachment that had been on the island since May.[6] [Marine Aircraft Group 12](/source/Marine_Aircraft_Group_12) operated from Emirau until December, when it moved to [Leyte](/source/Leyte), its place was taken by squadrons of the [Royal New Zealand Air Force](/source/Royal_New_Zealand_Air_Force) (RNZAF).[7]

On 20 March 1945, MacArthur authorized a reduction in the garrison size to one company of the 8th Infantry Battalion. In June 1945, it too was withdrawn.[8] CBMU 502 departed for [Manus Island](/source/Manus_Island) that month.[1]: 304 The RNZAF maintained a bomber-reconnaissance squadron at Emirau until July 1945 and a fighter squadron until August, when all forces were withdrawn from the island.[9]

### PT boat operations

USN PT boats were based on Emirau Island.[10] Squadron 11-2 (including *PT-177*, *PT-182*, *PT-185*, and *PT-186*), under the command of Lieutenant John H. Stillman, was transferred to Emirau Island in May 1944.[10]

## See also

- [Emirau Airport](/source/Emirau_Airport)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bases_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bases_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Bases_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Bases_1-3) [*Building the Navy's Bases in World War II History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946*](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/building-the-navys-bases.html). US Government Printing Office. 1947. p. 303. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Shaw and Kane, *Isolation of Rabaul*, p. 523

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Lee, *The Employment of Negro Troops*, p. 524

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Long, *The Final Campaigns*, p. 93

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** War Diary, 23rd Infantry Brigade, 30 September 1944, AWM52 8/2/3

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Powell, *The Third Force*, pp. 132-133

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Shaw and Kane, *Isolation of Rabaul*, p. 533

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Long, *The Final Campaigns*, p. 201

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Ross, [*Operations from Emirau*](https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2AirF-c19-8.html) Retrieved 18 January 2009

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-HLB_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-HLB_10-1) Barbin, Harold L. (2010). *Beachheads Secured Volume II, The History of Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boats,Their Bases, and Tenders of World War II, June 1939–August 31, 1945*. pp. 549–550.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Emirau](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Emirau).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Emirau Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirau_Island) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirau_Island?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.