• Surveyed by
Luis Vaez de Torres in July 1606. • Surveyed by Captain
Owen Stanley, R.N. F.R.S. in 1850.
World War II During
World War II, the area was the site of the
Battle of Milne Bay in 1942 and by late 1943 it became the major support base,
Naval Base Milne Bay, for the
New Guinea campaign through the development of
Finschhafen as an advanced base after that area was secured in the
Huon Peninsula campaign. By January 1944 about 140 vessels were in harbor due to congestion at the facilities. Congestion was relieved by opening of a port at Finschhafen and extensive improvements at Milne Bay. Malaria was a major problem in New Guinea and Milne Bay was particularly hard hit with incidents of the disease hitting at a rate of 4,000 cases per 1,000 troops per year and estimated 12,000 man-days a month lost time. There were three planes ditched off the island in 1943, a
P-38H Lightning, a P-38F Lightning, and a
B-24D Liberator "The Leila Belle" (MIA).
21st century sank a poacher in 2016.
HMPNGS Seeadler fired upon a Vietnamese fishing vessel on 23 December 2016. Her captain died, and the poacher sank. ==See also==