The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Suva (178.426E
18.135S), on the island of Viti
Levu in the Fiji Island
group, is an important harbor about
1200 miles
north of New Zealand that
formed an important part of the chain of bases between the U.S. West Coast
and Australia. Commercial shipping had made Suva a
regular port of call before the war and Pan Am had a station for its
Clipper service. The population in 1940 was about 15,000 persons. The
anchorage was about three miles (5 km) across and two miles (3 km) deep
with a natural reef breakwater and a
narrow entrance at Levu Passage.
At the time war
broke out, the island was garrisoned by the 8 New
Zealand Brigade Group. These had build an airfield at Narawa, about 15 miles
(24 km) north of Suva on the Rewa River, with two 5000' (1520 meter)
runways. Another 3600' (1100 meter) runway was constructed by Seabees at Nausori, ten miles
northeast of Suva.
Climate Information:
Elevation 20'
Temperatures: Jan 86/74, Apr 84/73, Jul 79/68, Oct 81/70, record 98/55
Rainfall: Jan 18/11.4, Apr 19/12.2, Jul 14/4.9, Oct 15/8.3 == 117.1" per annum
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007-2008, 2010 by Kent G. Budge. Index
