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Long Island

Coastwatchers at War in New Guinea - the 2nd Mission

Lionel Veale

Long Island, also called Pono, may have been first seen in 1545 by Ynigo Oritz de Retes however it was no documented until 1643 by Abel Tasman who mistook it for part of the New Guinea mainland. In 1700 William Dampier named it Long Island as he sailed past on the eastern side; that route is now called the Dampier Straits.

This island was important to the New Guinea operation because of its strategic location, the most northerly island as the allies planned their attacks up the east coast of New Guinea and also to recapture New Britain.

Situated between the New Guinea mainland and New Britain, with the Vitiaz Straits on the west and Dampier Straits on the east, the island's position made it ideal for a Coastwatcher mission, watching for the advance of Japanese shipping and troops as well as reporting enemy aircraft as they set out on air raids against the allied bases and positions to the south.

1'0 avoid detection by allied radar, Japanese planes with bases at Wewak and Madang used the Straits between New Guinea and New Britain; this brought their route over, or within sight of Long Island.

This story is about the Coastwatcher party which carried out the mission on Long Island. The author was a member of this mission; this is an authoritative record of that particular operation.