In 1945, my dad was sent out to the Admiralty Islands as part of the back-up team with the British Pacific Fleet. As a member of MONAB IV (see previous post http://tinned-variety.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/monab-1-10.html ) he was stationed on the island of Ponam, near Manus, in what is now part of Papua New Guinea. When I was researching for my annotations to I Think I Prefer the TinnedVariety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm duringWorld War II I found out that Ponam Island had been prepared for service in the Pacific War by the American Construction Battalions – CBs – who came to be known as The SeaBees. Ponam Island from the air From the air Ponam Island looked rather like an aircraft carrier and the American SeaBees had built an airfield on it using crushed coral for the runway. The island was handed over to the Royal Navy fully equipped. As well as the airstrip there were aircraft repair shops and storage for aircraft parts; petrol and oil storage