Lombrum Naval Base Explained

PNG Defence Force Base Lombrum
Native Name:HMPNGS Tarangau
Location:Manus Island
Country:Papua New Guinea
Type:Naval base
Coordinates:-2.0403°N 147.3719°W
Pushpin Map:Papua New Guinea
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Papua New Guinea
Pushpin Relief:1
Battles:Pacific War, World War II
Garrison:Maritime Operations Element
Occupants:Guardian-class patrol boat

Lombrum Naval Base, also known as HMPNGS Tarangau and formerly PNG Defence Force Base Lombrum, is a naval military base operated by the Maritime Operations Element of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF).[1] It is located on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. Lombrum is the home port of the PNGDF's Pacific-class patrol boat force.

After redevelopment in 1950 by the Royal Australian Navy, it was known as HMAS Seeadler, being renamed HMAS Tarangau soon afterwards.

The Manus Regional Processing Centre was established within the base[2] in 2001.

History

See also: Admiralty Islands campaign. The naval facility, Manus Naval Base, was first built during World War II as a "Lion" which was code for a major Fleet installation of the United States Navy. It was constructed by the Seabees of CBs 11, 58, and 71 and commissioned in January 1944. The base and Seeadler Harbor became a major US Naval Advance Base during the latter part of the war. The base was a major ship repair depot. At the base was the Large auxiliary floating drydock USS ABSD-4 and ASDB-2, able to repair the largest capital ships. There were camps on Manus Island and Los Negros Island. The facility was abandoned by the Americans in 1946 with the downsizing of their military and their policy of containment shifted strategic focus away from the southern Pacific.

The Australian government took over the site, redeveloped it, and reopened it as the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base HMAS Seeadler, commissioning on 1 January 1950 to replace the RAN base at Dreger Harbour, near Finschhafen.[3] [4] The base was renamed HMAS Tarangau, the name of the former Dreger Harbour base,[3] on 1 April 1950.[5] [6]

The base was used as a refueling and stores point for RAN ships traveling between Australia and South East Asia.[6] The size of the facility gradually shrank through the 1950s and 1960s, and the decision was made to hand the facility over to Papua New Guinea as part of the process leading to the nation's independence from Australia.[5] [7] As part of this, Tarangau was paid off on 14 November 1974 and given to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, who reactivated the base as PNG Defence Force Base Lombrum.[7]

In mid-2020, the base commenced a two stage upgrade funded by Australia.[8] The upgrade was announced by Australia and PNG in 2018.[9] The second stage of the upgrade will cost A$175 million.[10] The upgrade will support PNG's new s that PNG is receiving from Australia. The upgrade will also enable port visits by RAN boats and provide infrastructure for the RAN's ships to deliver troops and equipment.[11]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: HMPNGS Tarangau. Papua New Guinea Defence Force. 12 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20161013032517/http://www.pngdefence.gov.pg/index.php/2016-05-11-12-36-38/2016-05-11-12-38-30. 13 October 2016.
  2. News: Welcome to Manus, the island that has been changed forever by Australian asylum-seeker policy. The Guardian. Jo. Chandler. 16 Dec 2014. 22 November 2019.
  3. Web site: Base At Manus . . . 21 December 1949 . 1 .
  4. Stephen . Eldridge . (member, RAN, 1947–1950) . Verbal History .
  5. Book: Dennis . Peter . Grey . Jeffrey . Morris . Ewan . Prior . Robin . The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History . Oxford University Press . South Melbourne, VIC . 2008 . 2nd . 9780195517842 . 271822831 . 349.
  6. HMAS Tarangau . 14 . 8 . 16 April 1971 . Royal Australian Navy News . . RANNewsApr71.
  7. Book: Moore, John . Jane's Fighting Ships 1977–78 . 80th . 1977 . . Jane's Yearbooks . London . 0531032779 . 18207174 . 20.
  8. Web site: The Joint Initiative at Lombrum Naval Base (PNG) . Department of Defence . 21 January 2024.
  9. Prime Minister Scott Morrison . Joint Statement between Australia and Papua New Guinea . Prime Minister of Australia . http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20201006203304/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/170811/20201007-0059/www.pm.gov.au/media/joint-statement-between-australia-and-papua-new-guinea.html . 6 October 2020 . 1 November 2018 . dead.
  10. News: Faa . Marian . Australian Defence Force to fund $175 million major upgrade for Papua New Guinea's naval base on Manus Island . 25 January 2024 . ABC News . Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 16 June 2021.
  11. Lockyer . Adam . Burke . Justin . Lim . Yves-Heng . Smith . Fred . Manus Island and the Lombrum Naval Base: Five Options for Australia’s Geostrategic Gateway . Royal Australian Navy Sea Power Soundings . 2021 . 35 . 14 . 25 January 2024 . Commonwealth of Australia.