Tufi

Tufi

Oro Province | Papua New Guinea

9° 4' 60S 149° 19' 0E Tufi is located on Cape Nelson, NW of Milne Bay, and east of Oro Bay.

Tufi PT Boat Base

1943

Don Fetterly, 1997

History
Former ANGAU Station. The wharf was originally occupied by the Japanese. Later, it was the site of a USN Advanced PT boat base begining on 12-20-42. PT Boats Operating from Tufi operated along the coast from Buna to Mambare. PT Boat operations moved forward on 4-20-43 to Morobe. PT 122 sank Japanese submarine I-22 Off Kumusi River 12-24-42.

Today
Tufi Dive Resort and Regional Center is located at tthe former base. Off the wharf there is a large amount of wreckage and debris, including a PT Boat. As well as these items, there is a large concrete boat, empty 200 litre drums and anti-tank barriers. A very interesting dive of almost 50m just a short swim from the wharf. Two PT Boat Propellers we recovered from SS Masaya in 1997. The top prop has two bullet holes near the tip of one blade. These holes were made by Japanese bullets when the ship was under attack and being strafed and bombed. This holed prop was cleaned and donated to the Tufi Dive Resort at Tufi Harbor. which was the advanced PT Base that Masaya had sailed from carrying material for a new advanced PT Base at Cape Ward Hunt.

Then & Now

Tufi

PT-67

PT-119

Tufi Airfield

Construction
Located along the Tufi harbor, this is not a wartime strip. Built in the 1960s by the Australian Army.

Georgina Kramer-Geroro adds:
"I know that the airstrip was built in the eary to mid sixties. I'm not sure on the exact year or years because I was a young child at the time. We watched in awe as the army went about with building the airstrip, the herculus plane bringing in men and equipment and they blasted the rocks with dynamite. It was quiet busy during that time since Tufi saw little activity on that scale ever, apart from WWII. Nowadays Tufi airstrip is busy throughout the year with flights to and from Tufi six days a week."

Doug Robbins:
"When I was there as a Patrol Officer 1970-72 it was a 2000' grass strip and in September 1971 myself and ADO Fif Favetta marked out an extension. It hadn't been extended Easter 1973 when I returned (after cyclone "Hannah") and I recall it was intended to be earth surface. It now appears on Google Earth extended to about 3,000' and apparently grass."

Today
Used today at Tufi's main airport.