Lunga Point

Lunga Point (also Runga Point ) is a small promontory on the Solomon Islands -Insel Guadalcanal in the east of Honiara . Here the Lunga River flows into the Ironbottom Sound .

Under the code RXI, the Japanese army built a runway for their fighter planes in the hinterland of Lunga Point in early May 1942 during the Pacific War . The military construction crew actually intended for Midway landed completely in July and consisted of around 2,600 men. In addition, the so-called Hama construction unit under Inouree Hama reached Lunga Point with another 50 men and around 250 civilians in mid-July. The airfield was equipped with a radar . From here, the Japanese were able to patrol the southern Solomon Islands and ship planes to eastern Australia and eastern New Guinea .

On August 7th, the Americans landed to take the as yet unfinished airfield in protracted battles (→ Battle of Guadalcanal ). They renamed it "Henderson Field". Henderson Field is now the Solomon Islands international airport under the name Honiara International Airport .

An American escort aircraft carrier put into service in 1944 was named USS Lunga Point .

literature

John Miller, Jr: United States Army in World War II, The War in the Pacific, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive . Ed .: Center of Military History and Hyperwar Foundation. (English, ibiblio.org [accessed on August 2, 2020]).

Web links

Pacific Wrecks:

• Lunga Point. Accessed August 2, 2020 . 
• Lunga Point Airfield (Henderson Airfield). Accessed August 2, 2020 . 

Coordinates: 9 ° 24 ′ 20.1 ″  S , 160 ° 1 ′ 42.6 ″  E