Location
Located at the north-eastern corner of Goodenough Island.
Prewar
A smaller, prewar mission airstrip (reportedly) exisited at this location. There was another airstrip site at Wataluma Mission. Neither was used by the Japanese during their brief occupation of the island.
Allied Occupation
When the Australian 2/12th Battalion reached Vivigani on October 27, 1942 an accompanying American airfield engineer made a report saying that the airstrip one mile NW of the mission could be prepared for emergency use by clearing rocks and vegetation, and advising 'Permanent strip 6000 feet long can be constructed.' Days later, on October 31st an RAAF Anson low on fuel, made an emergency landing at Vivigani. Fuel was shipped in and it took off on November 9th, just missing the mangrove swamp at the end of the runway.
Construction
A RAAF mobile works squadrons prepared the airfields, first building an emergency landing strip in April 1943. A road was also built from the docks to the airfield. It was first used on May 17, 1943 by 6 Beuforts of 100 Squadron, staging out of Gurney for a strike on Gasmata. RAAF No 7 Mobile Works Squadron did a lot of work on the strip between June and September 1943 It was used by both the 5th Air Force and RAAF. The field eventually had two runways, each 6,600' x 150'.
RAAF Units
Based at Vivigani
108 Communication Unit (PBYs)
22 Squadron (Bostons)
79 Squadron (Spitfire) Laverton June 2 - August 18, 43 Kiriwina
American Units
Based at Vivigani
1st Marine Div (12 L-4s) Air Liaison mid - Dec 43 Cape
Glouchester
Marine Liaison Aviation
In mid-1943, 1st Marine Division General Rupertus assigned
1st Lt. R. F. Murry to organize liaison planes to support
the Marines. The army provided a dozen Piper Cubs, 3 were
used for parts. The remaining nine trained on the island
in artillery spotting, radio communication and snagging messages
from between two poles, and dropping supplies. They deployed
on LSTs to the landing at Cape
Glouchester.
Today
Still in use today as an airfield. Many
Australian and American aircraft wrecks existed
here until the middle 1970's when most airframes were recovered
by MARC (formally
Yesterday's Air Force), and contemporary efforts of HARS to
remove a container worth of parts from the island. The
runway is still in use to this day for weekly flights only.
Photo by Charles Page, 2004
Charles
Page adds:
"The 6,000 feet
bitumen runway is still in use, and only slightly weed strewn.
The many aircraft revetments are clearly visible, especially
from the air. Various aircraft components can still be found
scattered around. Towards the mountains, a fast running creek
gushes over a waterfall and into a rock pool, which was used
by the WWII crews for recreation and washing.
The locals drove
me out to Vivigani airfield to await the Airlines PNG Twin
Otter. This weekly flight is invariably delayed due to
weather or serviceability, and this day the plane was
four hours late. The airfield has virtually no facilities,
and the time was spent further exploring the area. Then
with no warning, the Twin Otter swept in low from the
north and we were soon on our way to Alotau."
References
Thanks to Phil Bradley, Jim Long, Daniel Leahy, John Douglas for additional information.
Spitfire
Mark Vc Serial
Number A58-146
Recovered
to Australia in 1974, restored to static display
Beaufort Serial
Number A9-226
Cockpit and center
section recovered from Vivigani in 1974
DB-7B "J is for Jessica" Serial
Number A28-8
Recovered
by the RAAF, displayed at RAAF Point Cook
Museum
P-40K Serial
Number A29-183
Recovered
in the 1990s to Australia
CA-19 Boomerang
Beaufighter
Mark VI
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