Located at Alexishafen.
St.
Fidelis College (Alexishafen Mission)
During the Japanese occupation, the Catholic
mission, which is built on a peninsula of land was fortified
with at least a dozen an anti-aircraft batteries outfitted
with the Japanese 75mm guns built into revetments. The mission was
totally destroyed by air raids and retreating Japanese. They had stripped
the mission building and destroyed many of its relics. All that remained
when the Australians arrived to liberate the area on April 26, 1944 was the mission's foundation and its cross
Alexishafen US Navy Base
After the Allied occupation of the area, the US Navy's 7th Amphibious
Force requested in May 1944 to provide logistical support for operations
in the area. On June 13, 1944 a group of 200 men of the USN 91st
Battalion arrived to begin construction with materials from Finschafen
and Milne Bay, to establish the base on Bostrem Bay, on a peninsula
off Alexishafen (possibly also on Megas Island and Ulimal Island
also). A camp was established for 400 men of command services were
assigned to the base. A freshwater supply system for ships, capable
of providing a half million gallons per day of untreated water was
built. Boat repair facilities were built on floating dry docks. The
completed base was commissioned on August 17, 1944. By early November,
the base was too far behind the front lines and plans for dissasembling
the base went into effect by the end of December. The water supply
was turned over to the Royal Australian Navy. It
was decommissioned as a US Naval base on January 28, 1945.
Today
Many relics remain on the mission
properly undisturbed. Unlike other relics that have since
been scrapped or removed, the mission land is protected
and is why they are left intact. The mission's sign is made
from a large Japanese propeller, probably from a bomber
from Alexishafen. Also, the stations of the cross are painted
onto large ship screws, probably from wrecks or abandoned
equipment in the harbor area.
Alexishafen Mission Cemetery
Gaveyard
includes graves of missionaries who died during the war.