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[Page 13]
A. I. C. (H. Q.)
Pacific
2171
O. C., A.I.C., N.S.Wales.
O. C. Corps.
Old
Re your Staff Officer's "Secret" Memo. of 14th July 1911.
SIMSONSHAFEN (Now Rabaul.)
Rabual lies at the head of Blanche Bay, surrounded on three sides by volcanic hills. (See accompanying chart.)
About three years ago a township was laid out and gazetted as the port entry, instead of Herbertshohe, the previous capital, which lies to the south of Blanche Bay, in a much more exposed situation.(See the south-east corner of chart).
The Nord Deutscher Lloyd were ostensibly responsible for the establishment of the township and the building of the jetty, but actually the whole of the transactions were under the direction of the Governor, Dr. Hahl.
The site of the jetty (shown in the accompanying photograph) [see page 12] would appear not to be precisely at Rabaul township, but about a mile and a half northerly, in the Simpson Harbour, where there is deeper water in shore. The alleged site is marked in pencil on the chart. This jetty was ostensibly built to coal the Nord Deutscher Lloyd monthly steamers running between Sydney and Hong Kong, but the accommodation is in excess of such requirements, and there is stated to be room for a large ocean liner or battleship to lie along each side near the end of it.