Naval Base Milne Bay, also called Naval Advance Base Milne Bay, was new major United States Navy sea and airbase base built on Milne Bay in Milne Bay Province in south-eastern Papua New Guinea. By spring 1943, the build up of the US Navy to support the Pacific War had caused overcrowding at the ports on the east coast of Australia. To help, Seabees departed Naval Base Brisbane on June 19, 1943 to set up a new base in Milne Bay. Naval Base Milne Bay headquarters was at Ladava Navy Base. The Royal Australian Navy already had a small base in Milne Bay: HMAS Ladava. Australians were able to defend and keep Milne Bay in the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942. Naval Base Milne Bay was built during World War II to support the many ships and aircraft fighting and patrolling in the South West Pacific theatre of war. Ladava Navy Base provided a large protective US Navy fleet anchorage at Gahora Bay next to Ladava. At Naval Base Milne Bay, Seabees built a large Naval facility.
History
Naval Base Milne Bay started as a small Royal Australian Navy in 1942 as part of the New Guinea campaign. On May 23, 1943 Seabees of 55th Battalion started construction of a PT boat Advance Base Six on the south side of Milne bay at Kana Kopa, including an engine-overhaul shop. On June 29 and 30, 1943 Naval Base Milne Bay PT boats took part in the attacks on Salamaua Bay and Nassau Bay. The Seabees of the 84th Battalion built Naval Base Milne Bay into a major installation. Seabees built depots for transshipment and staging. Seabees built an overhaul facility for PT boats. Naval Base Milne Bay became a major destroyer base. Milne Bay is 20 miles long, providing a large protected harbor. For land operations, Seabees had to cut into the wet tropical jungle that is the shore of the bay. Seabees built the supply depots near the village of Gamadodo. Malaria was major problem at Naval Base Milne Bay installations, also tropical skin diseases. On July 31, 1943 Seabees started construction on a US Navy seaplane base, 10 miles south of the entrance to Milne Bay at Jenkins Bay. On October 21, 1943 Seabees 91st Battalion arrived at Ladava a replaced 84th Battalion. Seabees 91st Battalion began construction on a destroyer repair base at Gohora Bay, Ladava. An amphibious training center at and large depot was built at Swinger Bay in Alotau. Base Milne Bay was one of a number of staging places for the Battle of Arawe on New Britain. By July 1945 the bases at Naval Base Milne Bay were too far away from the action, and most of the base was packed up by the Seabees and moved to more forward bases in the Philippines and Okinawa.
Ladava Navy Base
Naval Base Milne Bay headquarters was built at Ladava at the west end of Milne Bay, called Ladava Navy Base. For Ladava headquarters, Seabees built: piers, jetties, roads, an electric power station, a communication center, a supply depot, a hospital unit, and barracks for 1,000 troops at . Next to Ladava in Gohora Bay was the Fleet anchorage and the destroyer repair depot at . Some of the destroyers serviced at the base were: USS Hogan, USS Flusser (DD-368), USS Shaw (DD-373), USS Drayton (DD-366), USS Smith (DD-378), USS Helm (DD-388), USS Mugford (DD-389), USS Warrington (DD-383), USS Taylor (DD-468), USS Daly, and the USS Perkins (DD-377). USS ARD-9 a Auxiliary floating drydock for ship repair arrived at Milne Bay on February 6, 1944. A major PT Boat repair base was built at Ladava. Seabees built a 5-mile road from Ladava Navy Base along the north shore of Milne Bay, linking the north shore bases and ship ports. United States Seventh Fleet used the anchorage at and used the bases for staging upcoming sland-hopping campaigns. Submarine chasers, like SC-731 and SC-703, operated out of Naval Base Milne Bay. USS Trinity (AO-13) a fleet oiler was one of the ships that helped the ships at Milne Bay stay on the move. The USS Achilles (ARL-41), a Landing Craft Repair Ship, was at the bay from June 1943 to September 1943. At its peak over 20,000 troops were stationed at Naval Base Milne Bay.