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U.S. Army. Via Leighton and
Coakley (1955)
Noumea (166.44E
22.26S) is the capital of New Caledonia, with an
excellent harbor at Moselle Bay.
It was the
most important rear base during the Guadalcanal campaign, due to its
location halfway between Guadalcanal and New Zealand. The population was
about 11,000 and the city was supplied with hydroelectric power and had a natural gas works. The
port had three
berths at Grand Quay and a single berth at Nickel Dock for loading ore. The
defense
consisted of a single French destroyer
(Le Triomphant) and a single
battalion (800 men) when war came to
the Pacific, and the nearest airfield was at Tontouta 33 miles (53 km) to the
north.
American
forces first arrived at Noumea on 12
March 1942, and included the first of the "Seabees." However, the base fell
under the administrative command of the U.S. Army, and as a result the
port facilities were underdeveloped and nearly overwhelmed in the first
months of the Guadalcanal campaign. Estimated ship handling capacity
was 24 ships per month, but by 23 September 1942 there were 86 ships at
anchor. Many of these were effectively floating warehouses. The berths
had no heavy cranes for large items like 20-ton radar sets.
In October 1942 the U.S. Navy decided to relocate
its principal South Pacific fleet base here, and rapid improvements
began. This included a fuel tank farm and an auxiliary airfield at
Magenta Bay three miles (5 km) northeast of the city.
Climate information
Elevation: 30' Temperatures: Jan 86/72, Apr
83/70, Jul 76/62, Oct 80/65, record 99/52
Rainfall: Jan 10/3.7, Apr 13/5.2, Jul 13/3.6, Oct 7/2.0 == 43.5" per
annum
References
Frank
(1990)
Leighton and
Coakley (1955)
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