Salamaua
| Salamaua | ||
 |
||
| Geographical location | ||
|
||
| Coordinates | 7 ° 2 ′ 0 ″ S , 147 ° 4 ′ 0 ″ E | |
| Waters 1 | Huon Golf ( Solomon Lake ) | |
| length | 6 km | |
| width | 1.8 km | |
Salamaua ( English Salamaua Peninsula , called Helahalbinsel in German colonial times ) is a small peninsula on the northern coast of New Guinea in Papua New Guinea , south of Lae .
General
The peninsula is part of the Salamaua Rural LLG in the province of Morobe and separated from New Guinea by a narrow isthmus . The Salamaua settlement , which was completely destroyed in the Second World War , used to be located on the isthmus . The peninsula separates Salamaua Harbor (formerly Samoahafen ) and Bayern Bay (formerly Bayernbucht ) and is approx. 6 kilometers long including the isthmus and approx. 1.8 kilometers wide at its widest point. The northernmost point is the Bumung Point (also Parsee Point , formerly Cape Parsee ).
history
Colonial times
The peninsula was named in 1886 by Georg von Schleinitz , the first governor of the New Guinea Company . It was part of the German colony from 1899 and passed into Australian mandate ownership after the end of the First World War .
In the area around 1920 gold discoveries contributed to the prosperity of the population.
Second World War
On January 22, 1942, the Australian troops were evacuated from Salamaua. A little later, on March 8, 1942, Japanese troops landed on Salamaua in the course of the conquests in New Guinea and set up a base there.
In the course of the Battle of New Guinea , Salamaua was the target of an attack by Australian commandos on June 28, 1942. The area was finally recaptured during the Salamaua Lae campaign ( English Salamaua Lae campaign ) by Australian and US forces under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur . The last defenders surrendered on September 12, 1943. During the reconquest, the city of Salamaua was completely destroyed.
Even today you can still find the remains of old positions and vehicles on the Salamaua. A US aircraft carrier , the USS Salamaua (CVE-96), was named after the peninsula .
Salamaua today
Today, the villages of Kela and Lagui are in the Salamaua area, as well as holiday homes that are mainly owned by weekend vacationers who have their main residence in Lae. For the locals, tourism and fishing are the main sources of income.