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Naval History and Heritage Command #NH 101489
Auckland (174.77E
36.85S) is the best port
anywhere near the Solomon
Islands.
Its chief disadvantages were its distance from the combat zone, its dismal weather,
and a powerful
longshoreman union that refused to work in the rain even in
wartime. The
shipyard included the Calliope
Dry Dock, which at 504’ was not
quite long enough
for a cruiser, and
His Majesty's New
Zealand Dockyard at Bevenport could overhaul four destroyer-sized ships at a time. The area boasted an airfield
and a complete brigade of coastal artillery
and was garrisoned by a
battalion of militia. However, emphasis gradually shifted from Auckland to Noumea as the principal Allied fleet base in the South Pacific.
Climate Information:
Elevation: 85'
Temperatures: Jan 73/60, Apr 67/56, Jul 56/46, Oct 63/52, record 90/33
Rainfall: Jan 10/3.1, Apr 14/3.8, Jul 21/5.7, Oct 16/4.0 == 49.1" per annum
References
Carter (1952; accessed 2011-11-12)
http://www.freeport-tech.com/WWII (accessed 2002; now defunct)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2011 by Kent G. Budge. Index
