ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY HARBOUR DEFENCES - PORT MORESBY
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY
HARBOUR DEFENCES - PORT MORESBY
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| Overlooking Paga Hill at Port Moresby - 1942. The shipping channel is behind the hill. | The main shipping channel as seen from Paga Hill in 1956. The location of the Boom is shown. | The Malaita after being torpedoed off Port Moresby on 30 August 1942 |
Port Moresby lies on the southeast shore of New Guinea and is built around
Fairfax Harbour, the island’s largest harbour. As the city capital and
administrative centre of Papua New Guinea, it has the greatest population
density in the country. During World War 2 Port Moresby was coveted by both
sides for control of the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean. The Allies
defeated Japanese naval forces destined for Port Moresby in the 1942 Battle of
the Coral Sea. The area became a major American and Australian staging area and
airfield complex in support of the Allied push to the north of New Guinea. Japan
suffered a further blow in 1943 when they were routed on the Owen Stanley Range.
Harbour defences consisted of several army batteries and a naval anti-submarine
indicator loop installation. This webpage is mostly concerned with the Indicator
Loops. The 'Loops' are long lengths of armoured cables laid on the seabed in
shipping channels designed to detect submarines passing overhead. More details
of how they work can be found on my How an Indicator
Loop works webpage. Other Loop installations can be seen on the
Indicator Loops
around the World (Home Page).
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| New Guinea is to the north of Australia | Port Moresby is located in New Guinea - along the southern coast |
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If you have any feedback please email me: Dr Richard Walding Research Fellow - School of Science Griffith University Brisbane, Australia Email: waldingr49@yahoo.com.au |
Thank you to John Douglas, a Port Moresby historian, for his contributions to this webpage. Email: dougal@daltron.com.pg
LINKS TO MY RELATED PAGES:
Indicator Loops
around the World (Home Page)
How an indicator loop works
PORT MORESBY - BY CAPTAIN MORESBY ABOARD HMS BASILISK
In 1873 and 1875 Captain John Moresby RN (later Admiral) aboard the
'old-fashioned paddler' HMS Basilisk wrote of his expeditions in New
Guinea on behalf of the British Admiralty. The names "Moresby" and "Basilisk"
are synonymous with New Guinea today and his report makes interesting reading.
During the survey of the southern coast he discovered the harbour which he named
Fairfax after his father Admiral Fairfax Moresby. The town established there,
based on already existing native villages (principally Hanuabada) was named Port
Moresby and is now the nation's capital. John Moresby was also searching for a
shorter route between Australia and China and on the eastern tip of the island
he discovered the China Straits. He continued exploring along the north west
coast as far as the Huon Gulf. For your information, I have attached selected
parts of his second paper "Discoveries
in Eastern New Guinea" related to Port Moresby itself, taken from the
Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 45 (1875), pp.
153-170.
PRE-WAR IN PORT MORESBY
Port Moresby saw little of the Navy in the 1930s - usually just the one
visit by the Australian Squadron in September each year. Not all of the squadron
would come to Port Moresby, usually just one or two while the others visited
other ports (Rabaul, Darwin etc). For example, in 1930 Rear Admiral
E. R. G. R. Evans brought the flagship HMAS Australia and aircraft
carrier HMAS Albatross for a winter visit from 11-13 September. In 1932,
the Spring cruise of the squadron saw the cruiser HMAS Australia and the
destroyer HMAS Tattoo drop in. For the Spring cruises in 1935 and 1936 HMAS Canberra,
flagship of Rear Adm W. T. R Ford (1935) and Rear Adm R. H. O Lane-Poole (1936) had five-day visits
in September
but there was little else until the following year.
Of major significance to the defence of Papua and New Guinea was the volcanic
eruption on Baluan Island at Rabaul, New Guinea's capital on the 31st May 1937.
Blanche Bay at Rabaul was said to be a 'sea of terror'. With the death
of 400 residents, the Australian Government had to decide the fate of the town.
The Australian Governor General Lord Gowrie and Lady Gowrie aboard HMAS
Australia had a timely visit in a month later. The Government announced that the two territories - Papua and New Guinea - would be
amalgamated and Port Moresby would be the capital. Under the Mandate that
covered New Guinea, Australia was not permitted to build defence installations
in New Guinea but under amalgamation it could be defended from fortifications in
Papua. To strengthen defences, more information about the Port Moresby harbour
was needed. On 10th October 1936 1936 Lt Cmr Robert Bagster Atlee Hunt (RAN) from the Hydrographic Branch
arrived in Port Moresby aboard the surveying ship HMAS Moresby to make a
detailed survey of the approaches to the harbour. This map was of vital importance in the coming war and was considered to be of
such a high standard that the approaches were not resurveyed until 1996. Lt Cmr
Hunt folowed this up with a survey of the approaches to Port Darwin before
returning to Sydney. Land
was also surveyed at Port Moresby by military officers and was resumed for defence
purposes.
As the threat of Japanese expansion in the area to the north of Australia became more apparent, Australian and British planners decided upon constructing a battery on Paga Hill in Port Moresby. This had been planned for in the interwar period and land had been set aside but more pressing use of the money was found. On December 6, 1938, the the new Australian Minister for Defence, Brigadier Street, announced funding for Port Moresby: for fixed defences, a flying boat station and a naval (fuelling) base from which cruisers and small craft could operate. This was part of a
£63 million plan to rearm Australia by 1940-41. In 1939 when war broke out in Europe, construction of Paga Hill gun battery construction recommenced in earnest. Two six inch coastal guns were installed and work continued on the supporting infrastructure (magazines, access tunnels, observation posts etc). Since the greater part of Papua New Guinea was uninhabited, the communications facilities were naturally poor and the roads were not extensive. The total length was only 136 miles (approximately 218 kilometers) of which 109 miles was in the Central Province, 16 miles in the Eastern Province, and 11 miles in Southeastern Province. These roads only connected the villages in the vicinity of the coast. Nevertheless, prior to Japan's entry into the war in 1941, Port Moresby was still a small administrative town with about 3000 residents including 2000 natives and 800 Europeans (mainly Australians). There were about 50 military vehicles and 200 cars in use (but no buses). As it is today, Port Moresby was dry for the period of eight months between June and January each year and the rainfall is very small. The locals depended on rainfall and sometimes had to transport water from other areas. The Government has constructed water storage tanks with galvanized iron roofs for use during droughts southwest of Tuaguba Hill.In March 1939, a small "mobile military force" of two officers and 38 men of an Australian artillery regiment arrived and established a permanent settlement at Paga Point in Port Moresby. They constructed an extension to the road (Chalmers Crescent) around Paga Hill and right up to the 110 metre high crest of the hill. A gun emplacement was built that commanded the approaches to Basilisk Passage, the main shipping route through the reef to Port Moresby harbour (see map below). HMAS Swan departs Sydney on June 8 1939 for Port Moresby and Darwin with supplies. This is followed up with a visit to Port Moresby by the cruiser HMAS Canberra on 18 August 1939.
THE EUROPEAN WAR BEGINS
After the outbreak of the European war with Germany in September 1939,
life hardly changed in Port Moresby, or in Papua and New Guinea for that matter.
In July 1940, a detatchment of 150 men from a Queensland militia unit was sent
to Port Moresby, and they were joined by small naval and airforce units.
In late November 1940, the Australian government advised the public that the
budget now allowed for naval bases and anti-submarine defences at Darwin and
Port Moresby but the Government was advised by the Navy that 4000 mines would be
needed to fight a Pacific war and 100s of these would be required at Port
Moresby. Prime Minister Robert Menzies was tardy with this - he still believed
that Japan would not attack and only placed an order for 500 mines. However,
back in Port Moresby, with the establishment of the gun emplacement at Paga Point,
the town had in effect become a garrison town and changes were now about to
happen. On February 11, 1941, In response to the ominous signs that Japan was
preparing for military aggression in the South-West Pacific region, the
Australian Federal Opposition leader John Curtin weighed into the debate with a
public call for strengthening of defences at Darwin and Port Moresby. The Australian government
undertook a rapid expansion of Australia's volunteer Citizen Military Forces -
the 'militia' - for the defence of the Australian mainland and overseas
territories. Although liable to be called up to defend Australia, these militia
troops were inadequately trained, and lacked adequate equipment and weapons.
One-thousand garrison troops - a company of the 49th Battalion of the Australian
Military Forces - arrived in March 1941 without the most basic infantry
equipment. The 49th had been raised from conscripts in Queensland for “tropical
service” in February 1941 and sailed to the islands in the Torres Strait where
some disembarked for garrison duty at Thursday Island. The rest of the battalion
arrived in Port Moresby in March. The battalion undertook little training once
in Port Moresby and mainly provided labour for working parties and unloaded
ships’ stores at the expense of weapon and infantry training, cohesion, morale
and discipline. During this time the 49th’s morale was low and had
reportedly the worst discipline in Moresby. It is fair to say that they were
young (the average age of these militia recruits was 18½
years)
and poorly trained. They placed a heavy burden on the town. The 39th and 53rd
Battalions were raised in Australia, departed Sydney 27th December 1941 on the
Aquitania and reached Port Moresby on 3rd January 1942 to form the 30th
Brigade commanded by Major General Basil Moorhouse Morris, Commander of the 8th
Military District. They they could not immediately be fed and sheltered because
their food supplies and camping equipment had been stowed at the bottom of the
ship's hold. Many of the raw recruits of the 53rd Battalion had never handled a
rifle until they were put on board the ship bound for Port Moresby. The 53rd
battalion was assigned to the Napa Napa peninsula, an arid strip of stony,
timbered hills and mosquito-infested mangrove swamps on the remote western side
of Port Moresby harbour. Until Japan invaded New Guinea in 1942 the
responsibility for the defence of Port Moresby was tasked to these battalions
where they would play a critical and heroic role in delaying the momentum of the
Japanese advance.
In July 1941 Menzies informed the public that the
first minefield of the war was to be laid in the approaches to Port Moresby.
But, to the Navy, this was not enough. Other ports needed defending. When the
Labor Government under Prime Minister Curtin assumed office in October 1941
another 2000 mines were ordered for the eastern seaboard of Australia (Sydney,
Newcastle, Brisbane...).
JAPANESE INTEREST IN PORT MORESBY - 1941
Japan's strategic planning of its war operations was based upon intelligence
gathered by the armed services and their overseas agents over a considerable
period of time preceding the outbreak of hostilities. When the Japanese forces
struck on 8 December 1941, they possessed a fairly accurate knowledge of ground,
air, and naval strength in the areas attacked, of the locations of airfields and
fortifications, and of the terrain and climatic conditions under which they
would have to fight. Detailed reports by military intelligence agents who toured
the southern areas prior to the war were also in the hands of the Japanese Army
planning staffs. One such report, made by Major Tetsuo Toyofuku on the basis of
personal observation in March 1941, covered British New Guinea and was used as
the basis of an intelligence study on this area compiled by the Japanese Army
General Staff. The study known as "Military Data on British New Guinea" was
reproduced by (Japanese) General Headquarters, Southern
Army, in 1942 for use in
the New Guinea operations. An extract from the Japanese study shows the assessment of
Port Moresby's harbour was very accurate:
(1) General Condition of Harbor and City: Port Moresby has a good, wide harbor, and the bay is entered by passing between Hanudamava Island (at the mouth of the harbor) and Bogirohodobi Point, approximately 1.5 miles (2400m) to the east. At the beginning of 1940 there were approximately 800 Europeans, approximately 20 Chinese, and no Japanese residents. The natives (approximately 2000) have built their village over the water and live apart from the white residents. The city is situated between Tuaguba Hill and Ela Hill on the eastern shore of the harbor, and is the center of the government, military affairs, economics, transportation, communications, etc. of Australian-controlled New Guinea. There are various offices, including government offices and branch offices, a radio station, a government-managed electric power plant, church, school, European and native hospitals, an ice plant, bank, hotels, etc.
(2) Value of Port Moresby as a Naval Base: Although the harbor is rather small for a fleet base, it is fairly deep (maximum 10 fathoms), and the bottom is alluvial soil, and one or two squadrons could anchor without difficulty. A space between the coral reefs outside of the harbor offers a very wide anchoring place, large enough for a large fleet to anchor. However, installations for repairs and supply have not been fully established, so it is valuable only as a port of call.
(3) Military Preparations: Information obtained by observation of the actual area follows: (a) Garrison Strength: Army: There is a barracks at Granville East (approximately 1 kilometer northeast of the city), which, judging from its size and the amount of equipment, can accommodate approximately 1,000 men. The present garrison appears to be composed wholly of infantry troops, without artillery. Others: A Royal Australian Artillery Detachment (2 Officers, 38 non-commissioned officers, and privates, who arrived with 6-inch guns) apparently is stationed on Ela Hill and will be reinforced, judging from the fact that the number of barracks on the hill is being increased. Navy: The strength is not known but appears to be about 30 men. The orderly room is located at the side of the government pier. The station ship has not been identified; only 2 or 3 launches have been identified. (b) Installations: A road for military use has been built to the top of Ela Hill, and two 6-inch guns are placed on top of this hill. The main line of fire of these guns apparently is directed toward Basilisk Passage. The guns are exposed on top of the hill. According to information, they will be increased by two more guns. In addition to the Kila Kila airfield, approximately 4 kilometers east of Port Moresby, an airfield for military use, approximately 11 kilometers from Port Moresby (location unknown), is expected to be constructed. A single road parallel to the coastal highway, and halfway up the hill of Tuaguba, is being constructed.(4) Passage of channels: The greatest difficulty in a landing operation at Port Moresby would be passing through the waterways. There are three channels entering the harbor of Port Moresby. Liljeblad Passage, on the extreme west, has a very strong current and shoals. This passage cannot be used in general because there are shallows before the mouth of the harbor. Therefore, it is difficult to enter this passage. Basilisk Passage, in the center, is the channel used by vessels at present, but it is about 6 kilometers from the gun emplacement on Ela Hill and thus is within the guns' effective range. In general, unless the gun emplacement is destroyed, it would be difficult to enter through this channel. Padana Nahua, at the extreme east, is quite wide (about 900 meters and is outside the effective range of the gun emplacement (about 18,000 meters). This channel should be selected for an entrance. However, all three waterways are neither very deep nor wide, and could easily be covered with mines and other obstacles. These obstacles must be cleared first of all. If a place where the Nateara and Sinavi coral reefs can be passed over with boats could be found, then an approach could be made without risking the danger of passing through the channel. Anchoring outside a coral reef is very difficult, so in such a case the transfer to boats would have to be made while drifting.
What is interesting is the lack of commentary on the possible
use of Indicator Loops. There is no evidence that Japan knew of the planned use
of Loops by the allies in WW2. No reference in any of Japanese documents reveals
any indication that they were aware of allied development of such a device.
PAGA HILL & OTHER BATTERIES
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Paga Hill gun - taken in the 1950s |
THE HARBOUR
Port Moresby harbour is protected from the open sea by a barrier reef that
extends right along the coastline of Port Moresby and the land to the west and
east. South-west of the city is an island called Daugo (Fishermen's) Island and
outside this, a reef called Sinavi Reef. This reef makes up the western barrier
to the harbour and is also the western side of the main entrance to the harbour,
Basilisk Passage.
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HMAS Basilisk Shore Station - October 1943 |
HARBOUR DEFENCES
On the 2nd September 1939 - one day before war with Germany was declared - the
Admiralty warned the Australian Navy Office of the deteriorating situation with
Germany and the RAN immediately began an Examination Service at all capital city
ports, and at Darwin, Newcastle and Port Moresby. Vessels about to enter a
defended port would be stopped by the Examination Service steamer under guns of
the shore batteries, and identified before being given permission to enter. This
was the start of Port Moresby's naval defences. However, Port Moresby was
without passive harbour defences such as antisubmarine nets, booms, indicator
loops or mines up until the entry of Japan into the war. Preparation for
defensive minefields in Australia and its neighbours to meet an Eastern
(Japanese) war began much earlier. In 1923 the Admiralty recommended to the
Australian Naval Board that naval mines should be manufactured in Australia and
finally in October 1939 an agreement with Ford Australia saw the first mines
ordered (500). A naval mining policy was adopted by War Cabinet in September
1940. The coastal vessel Bungaree (3155 tons) was requisitioned in
October 1940 as a minelayer and was commissioned on 9th June 1941. The next
month (August 1941) Bungaree laid the first defensive minefield at Port
Moresby; and in October and November laid additional fields in Torres Strait and
in passages through the Barrier reef. At this stage Indicator Loops had not yet
been considered for Port Moresby but by the end of November 1941, the
antisubmarine school HMAS Rushcutter had been instructed to consider
loops and begin planning for their deployment at Port Moresby. This was prior to
Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and the beginning of the war in the Pacific.
Soon after the entry of Japan into the war on 7th December 1941, Port Moresby defences were
strengthened by the appointment (on 29th January 1942) of Commander Robert B. A.
Hunt OBE of the Royal Australian Navy as Naval Officer in Charge (NOIC) of Port
Moresby and Acting Commander (see photo below). Hunt was a 41 year old highly experienced
officer in charge of the Hydrographic Depot at HMAS Penguin in Sydney. He
was a career naval officer starting as a cadet midshipman in 1914. He had only
just completed a hydrographic survey of the New South Wales coast and more
importantly, in 1937, of Port Moresby harbour. With the United
States arriving in Australia in early 1942, a reconsideration of seacoast defences
was vital. Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary, commander of Allied Naval Forces in
the Command HQ SWPA requested a report on the reinforcement of seacoast defences
and this was undertaken by Major General J. S. Whitelaw MGRA, Australian Army,
Capt. H. J. Ray USN, Staff Officer, HQ SWPA, and Cmr H. J. Buchanan, RAN. Their
report of 18 May 1942 recommended, for Port Moresby, an advanced air base to
supplement the 2 x 6" guns at Basilisk Battery, Paga Hill. They also recommended
the following antisubmarine defences: controlled minefields for Pyramid Point
(at the west entrance of Bootless Bay Inlet) and west of Hanudamava Island (now
known as Gemo Island) and for contact mines at Bootless Point (an inlet
to the east of Port Moresby). They also
recommended that the installation of indicator loops to cover Basilisk Passage
to go ahead but as a low priority. The appearance of the Japanese submarine I-22 off Port Moresby on 4 May
1942 (after her efforts at Pearl Harbor and while on her way to the Coral Sea
for battle) was insufficient to raise the priority of loop installations in Port
Moresby harbour (Basilisk Passage). Nevertheless, cable and instruments were
ordered with an expected delivery date of September/October 1942 (see below).
However the detection of Japanese submarine RO33 off Port Moresby (and
the successful attack by HMAS Arunta on 29 August 1942) made the need for
passive harbour defences imperative and the loop laying program began in
earnest.
INDICATOR LOOP INSTALLATIONS
Three Indicator Loops (Type 803) and two
Harbour Defence Asdics (HDAs) were thus planned for Port Moresby (Operation 'Silver').
On 31 Jan 1943 it was decided to postpone the laying of the HDAs and to lay only
the three loops. The Loop Control station was to be constructed at Bogirohodobi
at the base of Paga Hill. The cable ship HMAS
Bangalow, under the command of Lt F. C. Audall RANR (S), arrived on 25 March 1943 and laid the three loops and this was
completed on 12 April 1943. To set the loops in correct position, their
placement was triangulated from three marker flags: one on Kila Kila Hill to the
east, one on Paga Hill (HMAS Basilisk flagstaff) and one was placed on
top of the hill on Gemo Island. The Basilisk Beacon on Nateara Reef was also
used. The position of the loops as shown on RAN charts is
depicted on the map below. The loop station was set up by 28 year-old A/S Officer Lt Edgar Dillon RANVR (the Port A/S Officer at HMAS Basilisk shore station) and they were
ready for operation on 16th Nov 1943. Dillon had been an Instructor at the
HMAS Rushcutter Anti-submarine school in Sydney since May 1941 and this was his
first posting. He graduated with 'above average ability' in February 1941
and by February 1943 had also completed qualifications with distinction in
Navigation and Fairmiles at the Fairmile School (at HMAS Rushcutter). It
was usual practice to send one of the A/S Instructors from HMAS Rushcutter
to set up the Loop Station and oversee the installation of the recording
equipment and the connections of the tails to the instruments inside the hut.
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Aerial photo of the Loop Hut location on the Bogirohodobi beach at the base of Paga Hill. The rock jetty is a later construction. |
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| Overlooking the loop area with Ely Beach in the foreground. Photo taken by Paul Bryant in 2010 from his flash unit overlooking the beach. |
Once the loops were installed an experienced antisubmarine officer was required;
one conversant with indicator loops, controlled mines and Asdics. Such a person
was Lt Cmr Arnold Beverley Smith who had completed the first A/S Short Course at
Rushcutter in 1940. Smith was Extended Defence Officer (EDO) and Officer
in Charge (OIC) of Seaward Defences (Indicator Loops) at HMAS Melville (Darwin)
and was transferred to HMAS Basilisk (on 27 July 1943) as EDO and OIC of the Seaward Defences (that is, the Loop
station and controlled mines). It was now time for Cmr Hunt - the NOIC Port
Moresby - to be shipped out (on 30 August 1943) and he was appointed Commander
in Charge of the Survey and Hydrographic Branch of the RAN. Lt Cmr Smith was quite a character
and fellow officers enjoyed his company*. He was born in
Toronto, Canada in 1901 so, at 42 years old, he was quite old for A/S
deployment. Most of the A/S officers were in their mid-20s. He was quite proud
of the fact that while in Canada he used to run alcohol down from Canada to the
US where prohibition was in full swing. His health wasn't the best and he was
transferred back to Rushcutter in May 1944. Lt A. G. Stephen, who had
been at Basilisk since 19 March 1944 as Controlled Mining Officer was appointed
EDO and OIC Seaward Defences in Smith's place on 1 May 1944. He continued in
this role until 1 September 1945. Meanwhile, Lt Cmr Lawrence Edwin
Hinchliffe RANR, who was Supply Officer at Basilisk (since 4 January 1944) was appointed Commander and NOIC Port Moresby
effective from 3 July 1944 until 31 May 1945 when Basilisk was decommissioned. Lt Cmr Smith applied to be discharged
from the RAN in 1945 (which
was granted) but he died the next year of
chronic rheumatic endocarditis with hypertension.
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| Cmr Robert B. A. Hunt OBE, Naval Officer in Charge, Port Moresby and Acting Commander. | Lt R.J. Eddington, RANVR (far left); and Lt A.G. Stephen (far right) manning a 24" Signal Projector at the Port War Signal Station, Paga Point, 28 July 1944. Eddington was the Indicator Loop specialist. Smith was EDO and OIC Seaward Defences. AWM 074853 |
On 29 May 1945 it was
decided to raise the loops and this was completed by HMAS Limosa on 8 Aug
1945. HMAS Basilisk was paid off on 17 December 1945. The station
was dismantled and personnel withdrawn. As a matter of interest, HMAS
Basilisk was re-commissioned under Cmr P. Paffard, RAN on 14 November 1974.
The naval base was decommissioned in 1983.
* Recollections of Lt Syd Sharp RANVR, A/S Officer at HMAS Melville (Darwin)
when Smith was NOIC.
INDICATOR LOOP DETAILS
The lengths of the three loops (1, 2 and 3) were respectively as follows:
1900 yds, 2750 yds, 1200 yds. They were all 400 yds wide (that is, 200 yds between
legs). The tails were 6500 yds, 9000 yds and 4500 yds respectively. In all, 20000
yds of
lead loaded loop cable (Adm Patt 1989) and 15000 yds of tail cable (Adm Patt 7048)
was required. To see a description of these cable types go to my
Cablemakers web page. The cable was sent from
England aboard four different ships (Perseus, Forsdale,
Gloucester and Tongariro) and the galvanometers (integrators) aboard SS City of
Lyons. It was hoped the equipment would arrive by October 1942, and it did.
The rest of the equipment was made locally. Reference:
MP1587/1 355K, Order No. 3739 1 July 1942.
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| Today there are steel pipes (shown as a green line) on the other side of the rock wall. | A close-up of the steel pipes. A thank you to Peter Ziems and Paul Bryant for providing this photo. |
HARBOUR DEFENCE ASDIC
The Navy Office also planned to install two Harbour
Defence Asdics (HDAs) which would have also
required 9000 yds of HDA cable. However, this plan was cancelled. On the map
above, I have shown the most likely locations for the two HDAs.
The HDA is a special sea-bed mounted form of the ship-borne Asdic
(now known as sonar). As with modern sonar, an oscillator (set in 'transmit'
mode) sends out a short pulse of sound at about 15 kHz ( a 'ping') which
would reflect off any large object in its beam. The resulting echo could be
detected by the underwater oscillator (in 'receive' mode). The pattern of
echoes could indicate position and speed of a ship. The duration of the
'ping' was 3/100ths of a second. The speed of sound in water is 5000
ft/second (at 20°C and 3.5% salinity) which enables the sound to travel 2500
yards and return in the 3 seconds before the next ping. This is the maximum
range for detection any echo. The sound beam sent out by the oscillator was
conical in shape (about 16° divergence). The cone pointed away from the
transmitting ship, which meant that the area covered by the Asdic beams
widened with the distance. Within the range of the Asdic, the father away a
submarine was from the hunter ship, the more likely it was to be spotted. On
the map above I have placed the HDAs about 1500 yards on the harbour side of
the loop and before the boom. This is the usual practice. If a enemy ship is
detected on the loop, the officer in the loop hut would have his HSDs
(Higher Submarine Detectors, that is Naval Ratings with higher levels of A/S
qualifications) begin to 'ping' the shipping channel. The green circles on
the map above show the effective range of the HDAs even though they could
detect out to twice this radial distance. However, the HDAs were never
installed. There were two installed in Moreton Bay (Brisbane) and one in
Sydney. Ship-borne Asdics were more useful as they could be used for attack
(and depth charging).
POWER GENERATORS
The Indicator Loops and emergency lighting was to be powered by two separate
generators in separate buildings. The foundations cannot be found but would
have been about 100 m to the east and west of the Loop Control Station. Each building was connected to the 240V
mains supply but the prime mover was a diesel engine coupled through a "V"
belt drive to a double-ended generator producing 110V DC and 110V AC
at 1½ kW (for the loops) and 220V DC at 6kW for the HDA (although this
was never installed). The 110V DC provided power for a bank of lead-acid
batteries, which in turn supplied the rotary convertor (¼ kW) for the
Indicator Loop equipment.
STAFFING
To staff the IL station, 4 A/S officers, 1 petty officer, 3 leading
seamen, 12 AB seamen, 4 AB seamen for radio transmitter and 1
Electrical Artificer were sent. This was in addition to mining officers.
Other staff were also sent as shown by the photos below. The names of the
Ratings are unknown at present but it is certain they all would have had
antisubmarine training at Rushcutter and thus be classified as "SD"
(Submarine Detectors). At least two would have been classified "HSD" or
Higher Submarine Detectors and would have undergone extra training to be
competent with the Harbour Defence Asdics. Ony two of the officers had
antisubmarine training at Rushcutter: Lt R. J. Eddington and Lt A. B.
Smith. Lt Wyllie had training in "production" at Rushcutter but his
harbour defence training was in Controlled Mining.
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| The Commanding Officer and Officers of HMAS Basilisk and The Naval Officer-in-Charge, Port Moresby Staff. Paymaster Lt F.C. Birch (1); Lt R.J. Eddington (2); Warrant Officer Money (3); Sub Lt N.H. Reynolds (4); Warrant Mechanician J. Sibun (5); Warrant Officer Douglas (6); Paymaster Lt D.J. Wyles (7); Lt H.C. Wyllie (8); Lt G.F. Amsberg (9); Lt A.G. Stephen (10); Paymaster Sub Lt K.P. Ryan (11); Lt J. Dow (12); Lt W. Drysdale (13); Warrant Supply Officer A. Salway (14); Lt J.B. Marshall (15); Warrant Officer Mckenzie (16); Lt M.W. Mathers (17); Engineer Lt Cmr J. Munro (18); Lt Commander Lawrence E. Hinchcliffe (19); Paymaster Lt Cmr R.T. Bennetts (20); Lt G.R. Orr (21). AWM 074857. 28 July 1943. Note: only Eddington and Wyllie had A/S training. |
Staff of the RAN Base Store, HMAS Basilisk. Petty Officer Honeysett (1); Pay Sub Lieutenant J. Balmer (2); Pay Lieutenant T.W. Slade (3); Pay Sub Lieutenant K.P. Ryan (4); Petty Officer Hood (5); Stores Assistant Murname (6); Stores Assistant Crane (7); Warrant Supply Officer Salway (8); Warrant Stores Officer L.S.A. Tirzaker (9); Stores Assistant Watson (10); Leading Stores Assistant Aberle (11). AWM 074850. 28 July 1943. |
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| Officers of the Main Naval Store of the RAN Base Store, HMAS Basilisk. L to R: Pay Lieutenant L.W. Slade, Mr Alway, Warrant Supply Officer, Pay Sub Lieutenant K.P. Ryan and Pay Sub Lieutenant J. Balmer. AWM 074845 | Ratings of the Miscellaneous Division of the RAN Shore Station, The HMAS Basilisk. AWM 074863 |
OTHER ANTISUBMARINE OFFICERS
Eddington, Raymond Jack, b 23 Jun 1904 Hobart, enlisted RAAF 10 Dec
1942 (Sgt) and transferred to RANVR at Fremantle and promoted to Sub Lt on 1
July 1943. Attended Indicator Loop Course at HMAS Rushcutter on 9 Aug
1943 and on completion posted to HMAS Basilisk. Promoted to Lt on 29 Apr
1944 and then transferred to HMAS Magnetic (RAN 21 Port War Signal
Station at Townsville, Queensland) on 29 July 1944. On 10 Aug 1944 was sent to
HMAS Leewin (Fremantle, Western Australia) and became EXDO at Swanborne
Indicator Loop Station (RAN 142) near Fremantle until end of war.
Wyllie, Hugh Campion, b 25Apr 1905. Entered militia in 18 Jan 1939
but went straight to HMAS Rushcutter Indicator Loop course on 9 Aug 1943
after mobilization on 10 June 1943. Undertook a Controlled Mining course at
Rushcutter from 31 Sep 1943 until his posting to HMAS Basilisk on 4
Jan 1944. He remained at Basilisk until 15 Sep 1944 when he was
transferred to HMAS Melville (Darwin) as OIC Charts.
OTHER OFFICERS
Lt Commander Lawrence
Edwin Charles Hinchcliffe, b 28 May 1908 in Sydney, appointed as Midshipman
in 1926 and promoted to Lt Cmr RANR in 1938. He was mobilized on 12 Sep 1939 but
in an unfortunate accident (off duty) in Greece on 28 Jan 1941 between a taxi in
which he was travelling and a train, Hinchliffe suffered a fractured skull, was
hospitalised, and was sent back to Australia to be stationed at HMAS
Rushcutter (from 24 June 1941). He was certified as medically unfit for
overseas service and suitable for home duties for the duration of the war.
Hinchliffe was appointed to HMAS Basilisk (S. O. (O)) from 4 Jan 1944 and
then became NOIC Port Moresby from 3 July 1944 until his departure in April
1945. He had no antisubmarine training.
Engineer Lt Commander John Munro, b 4 June 1899 Scotland, Rushcutter 18
July 1941 Degaussing duties, HMAS Magnetic BEO, Basilisk BEO 11 Nov 1943.
Lt George Frederick Amsberg, b 1905. Rushcutter
for Sea Transport training (not Indicator Loops). Basilisk 1 July 43 to
21 Sep 1944.
Lt Algernon Gordon Stephen, b 21 June 1892, Wallaroo, South Australia.
Mobilized for Controlled Mining at Cerberus 24 Apr 1942, thence HMAS
Magnetic (CM), HMAS Rushcutter (CM) at Botany Bay CM Station,
Basilisk 19 March 1944 as EDO and OIC Seaward Defences at Basilisk;
and from 1 May 1944 to 1 Sep 1945 was an A/S Instructor at Rushcutter.
Lt John Archibald Dow, b 6 July 1919 Melbourne.
Appointed HMAS Melville (Cyphers) 3 Jan 1942, then HMAS Moreton
(Brisbane) from 16 July 1942 for Cyphers until 9 Sep 1943. From 10 Sep 1943 he
was at Basilisk (Cyphers) and Air Liaison Officer (from 27 Nov 1944).
Lt
Geoffrey Robert Orr, b 5 May 1909, Basilisk (Operations) from 24 Sep
1943.
Lt William Drysdale, b 18 May 1914 Scotland. Basilisk cyphers from
15 Sep 1943 to 13 Sep 1944. (later Lt Cmr)
Lt John Brodie Marshall, b 5 Nov 1899 Scotland, Basilisk, Boom
Defence Officer (BDO) in command of Beryl II from 29 Dec 1943 to 1 Feb 1945.
Lt Montague William Mathers, 7 Dec 1942 HMAS Melville
(Sea Transport Duties), 29 Mar 1943 Basilisk (Sea Transport)
Engineer Lt Commander John Munro (b 4 June 1899)
Lt Cmr Albert Edward Reginald Fox, b 28 Sep 1918, England. Basilisk
16 Jun 1943 to 30 Sep 1943 then Milne Bay. Base Signals Officer (BSO) on staff
of NOIC Port Moresby.
Sub Lt Noad Harvey Jackson
Reynolds, b 24 Sep 1922 Victoria, 1 April 1944 Basilisk as Secretarial and
Confidential Books (CBs) until 1 June 1945.
Warrant Mechanician John Clifford Lewis Sibun (later Eng Lt Cmr),
b 7 July 1899; stoker and then mechanic in interwar period, assistant to BEO
Port Moresby 31 Jan 1943 to 8 Aug 1945.
Warrant Officer Robert Leslie Douglas, b 1904, Boom Defence at
Basilisk from 17 Apr 1943 to 17 Aug 1944.
Warrant Officer Donal Bruce Mckenzie, b 10 Jun 1924, England
Warrant Supply Officer Allan Salway, Basilisk 1 Feb 1944 to 20 Oct
1944
Warrant Officer Ernle Kyrle Money (b USA), Basilisk (BDS) 24 Feb 1944
to 1 Mar 1945.
Paymaster Lt Cmr Raymond Thomas Bennetts
Paymaster Lt Duncan John
McDonald Wyles
Paymaster Lt Frederick Charles Birch, Secretary to NOIC Port Moresby 29 Oct
1943 to 2 Apr 1945
Paymaster Sub Lt Kevin
Patrick Ryan, Basilisk 10 Dec 1943 to 20 Sep 1944 (Supply Assistant)
ANTISUBMARINE BOOM
An antisubmarine boom net was installed across the shipping channel between
Paga Point and Gemo Island (as shown on the map above). The net was supported by
floats. Small motor launches were used to drag the boom to one side to allow
shipping to pass through. This was a vulnerable time for the port as Japanese
Midget submarines were known to follow submerged closely behind an entering
vessel and avoid the boom. This happened in Sydney Harbour in May 1943. The
photos below show the boom being operated.
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The Anti-Submarine Boom viewed from Director Pedestal at Paga Battery, 27 May 1944. Gemo Island is in the background. The boom gate is in the open position to allow the ship on the right to depart. AWM071484 |
The Anti-Submarine Boom viewed from the No. 2 Gun Emplacement At Paga Battery. The No. 1 Gun Emplacement can be seen in the clearing below. Taken 27 May 1944. AWM071499 |
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Another photo of the Paga Point boom. The two humps of Lolo Rua Island can be clearly seen to the left of Gemo. |
Boom net being constructed in Sydney, Australia. |
PAGA HILL AND HARBOUR IMAGES TODAY (JANUARY 2009)
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1. From Paga Hill looking south towards Daugo (Fishermens) Island and Basilisk Passage (to the left) in the far distance. The two humps of Lolorua Island and the southern end of Gemo Island can be seen to the right. This is the main shipping channel into Port Moresby and the one defended by Indicator Loops and 2 x 6" gun battery on Paga Hill. |
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2. Ela Beach taken from the top of Paga Hill. The pier near where the loop tails ran ashore is clearly visible. Koki Bay is in the distance. |
3. The flat area at the base of Paga Point (known as Bogirohodobi) where the loop hut was built. This area is now 'down-town' and has been much built on in the past 65 years. |
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4. A continuation of the coastal terrace (Bramell Street) towards Paga Point. The blue building in the distance is the sewage pumphouse. |
5. Paga Hill (looking east towards Paga Point) taken from the [post war] pier in Walter Bay. This is where the tail cables came ashore and where the loop hut was built. |
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| The remains of the concrete floor of the Indicator Loop Control hut at Bogirohodobi at the base of Paga Hill. There is no other evidence of buildings like this although the whereabouts of foundations for the generator huts is not certain. |
POST-WAR IMAGES OF THE HARBOUR
In 1956, my father Robert Walding was appointed as an electrician to the
Steamships Trading Company (STC) workshop at Port Moresby. Some of the photos he took
of the harbour in September 1956 are shown below. His Kodachrome transparencies
have retained all of their brilliant colour over the past 50 years.
Kodachrome always did emphasis the blues. They are
copyright. Email Richard Walding for details (waldingr49@yahoo.com.au).
In 1956 STC was the junior brother in the triumvirate of Burns Philip, W.R.
Carpenter and Steamships. There are more of his photos from 1956 on the linked
page Port Moresby 1956.
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| 1. At Paga Point - looking across harbour | 2. Paga Hill |
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| 3. Army wrecks | 4. Fairfax Harbour |
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5. Moresby Wharf - before the monsoon |
6. Hanuabada village - downtown Port Moresby |
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7. Steamships Trading Company - Native Quarters |
8. Moresby Main Wharf |
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| 9. American Destroyer in Fairfax Harbour | 10. Port Moresby - main slipway |
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| 11. Tatana Village - Port Moresby | 12. Steamships Trading Company wharf |
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| 13. Royal Yacht Brittania at Port Moresby | 14. Lolo Rua (or Lolla Rua) islands (left) and the southern tip of Gemo Island (to the right). |
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| 15. Badili | 16. Native Lakatois in the harbour |
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| 17. Jackson's Airport 1956. The airport is 11km from the centre of Port Moresby. At the start of the Japanese bombing campaign, it was one of their principal targets. | 18. Ela Beach 1956. Taken from Paga Point, facing west towards Koki. |
If you have any further details of Port Moresby harbour defences or antisubmarine harbour defences in general (Indicator Loops and Harbour Defence Asdic) that may help with this research project please email me at the address at the top of the page.
Richard Walding, Brisbane, Australia.
