Hmas 'Tarangau'

Northern Bastion

At Manus Is

Somewhat Puzzling

By Gt

HHE run by the Bulolo from [■ Madang to Lombrum, which is |e official name of the Manus base jrt insofar as BP is concerned, is 10 miles and is estimated at 16

fcjrs’ sailing time.

We arrived there at 3.30 pm fter passing the Baluan volcano, hich was smoking well and giving I occasional whiffs of sulphur as I passed down wind.

Rounding Momote, where the big r base used to be and, we hope, being resurrected, we passed into le great Seeadler Hafen, as it Is known and named by the Irmans after their favourite [iblem, the Sea Eagle.

Here let me digress while I plain the derivation of the name frangau. It comes from the local Itive equivalent of Seeadler.

JNot caring to perpetuate the old pan name of Seeadler Hafen, e Navy preferred the native terpretation of the German vessel uch first surveyed these waters.

Borne time ago I referred to the pie and suggested it could be one those modern synthetic [mixtures of “Tar”, for sailor, and aigau,” the well-known New iiinea wartime unit. But now have the real low-down. I iow, because I checked it with a tnous Manus War II WOl liceman, who is right-hand man I Police Commissioner Normoyle

[Moresby.

pMBRUM is a picture of peace, I amidst luscious green sur- I roundings of coconut planta ps. blue water and tropic skies, le climate is warm, as is only kural a couple of degrees below I Equator, but sea breezes temoer I heat. \s the vessel berths at a sub ptial wharf, Australian and Dive naval ratings are lined up— [former in straw hats, blue jean j)rts and boots, with torsos brown [ a berry. They appeared a Itented lot, if a bit homesick [they saw a Sydney vessel in ft with inquisitive round-trippers bard.

I native rating was especially [rjoyed as his pen-friend—a biness tycoon from NSW. who d previously made the trip— pped ashore, with the usual feesse that pen-friends of natives fays bring or send, p orderly array about the wharf od giant igloo buildings for fing cargoes of stores, materials d general what-have-you in a

naval base. On the surrounding palm-covered hills stood sub stantially built messes, ward-rooms and houses of executives —the cost of which is nobody’s business— except the Australian taxpayer, of course.

IHAD an interesting talk with the Intelligence Officer, who acts in the capacity of Public Relations Officer. He was a typical Lieut.-Commander and was en thusiastic in his description of the amenities supplied to the ratings, who serve 12 months at the base (if single) or two years »if married).

He told me the number of men at the base, which I won’t repeat (for security reasons), even if it were true. He also said “good progress was being maintained in organising a naval base for use in emergencies.”

There was little malaria and camoquin was distributed to all every pay day. There was an excellent modern hospital, a cinema that showed four times a week with seating for 600, and all kinds of sports were organised.

Fresh food for the base was flown in from the Highlands of

New Guinea every week and native ratings had their own areas of land for the growing of vegetables.

Most of the natives, he said,

At Lombrum

Igloo hots in a trim setting at Lombrum, HMAS "Tarangau", the northern defence base in the Manus Group, is described as "a picture of peace" in surround ings of coconut plan tations, blue waters and tropical skies.

came from the Sepik district, noticed some Bukas there, but th may have been the boats-crew a private vessel, Daroa, which w> tied up to the wharf. 1 GATHERED that the commum in Australia’s Northern Basti was just one large, hap family and getting on well w the local Administration over Lorengau. (I rather suspect til now it should be spelled “Lorangaj Perhaps some native philologist c explain the difference betwe “Lor” and “Tar”).

Not far distant from the nu.

Lombrum wharf is the headquartc of the local PIR unit, and hu and there on the landscape staE oil storage tanks.

And such is Lombrum—t- Manus Naval Base —the ne:; centre of our northern defence.

I only hope there is much mo there than I saw, if only to g? me a greater feeling of secur:' I did not feel too happy when left and I still can’t understand : Evatt’s action in precluding i Yanks from carrying on at such Nature-made strategic vanU point.

Better still—let’s hope it v never be needed. But then tl; seems too good to be true, fr what is to be seen in other paE of F-NG.