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Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands, Pacific group which lies 320 km. (200 mi.) north-east of what was then the Australian mandate of New Guinea of which they formed a part. The Japanese developed air bases there after occupying the islands in April 1942 and Seeadler harbour provided an ideal fleet anchorage. Their capture was therefore an essential requisite for General MacArthur's plan to isolate and reduce Rabaul, and he gave the task of seizing the islands to Lt-General Walter Krueger'sAlamo Force. On 29 February 1944 the 1st Cavalry Division, supported by 73rd Wing of the Royal Australian Air Force, landed on one of the principal islands, Los Negros, before moving to the other, Manus, the following week. The Japanese garrison, which included two infantry battalions and naval detachments, resisted tenaciously and the islands were not declared secure until 18 May. The 1st Cavalry Division lost 326 men killed and 1,189 wounded.
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I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Admiralty Islands." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Admiralty Islands." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-AdmiraltyIslands.html I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Admiralty Islands." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-AdmiraltyIslands.html |
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Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea The 21 Islands Discovered in 1616 and originally named by the Dutch navigator, Willem Schouten†. They were renamed in 1767 by the British sea captain Philip Carteret in gratitude to the British Admiralty, the government department that directed the Royal Navy, which sponsored his expedition. They were part of German New Guinea from 1884 until their capture by Australian troops in 1914. Six years later they were included in an Australian League of Nations mandate. The islands came under Japanese occupation in 1942–4, and then became part of the UN Trust Territory of New Guinea in 1946 before finally joining Papua New Guinea on its independence in 1975.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Admiralty Islands." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Admiralty Islands." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-AdmiraltyIslands.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Admiralty Islands." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-AdmiraltyIslands.html |
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Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands group of 40 volcanic islands, c.800 sq mi (2,070 sq km), SW Pacific, in the Bismarck Archipelago and part of Papua New Guinea. Lorengau, the chief port and administrative center of the group, is on Manus, the largest island. Copra, pearls, and marine shells are the principal products. Discovered by the Dutch navigator Willem Schouten in 1616, the group became part of German New Guinea in 1884 and an Australian League of Nations mandate in 1920. |
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Cite this article
"Admiralty Islands." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Admiralty Islands." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AdmiralIsl.html "Admiralty Islands." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AdmiralIsl.html |
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