Examples of adaptive re-use of World War II artefacts in Micronesia

Transcription

MICRONESIAN
JOURNAL OF THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Vol. 5, nº 1/2
Combined Issue
November 2006
EXAMPLES OF ADAPTIVE RE-USE OF WORLD WAR II
ARTEFACTS IN MICRONESIA
Dirk HR Spennemann
Institute of Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University
Many Pacific Islands are littered with the remains of World War II. These remains range from the wrecks of ships, tanks
and aircraft, to costal defense installations and general base infrastructure. The abundance of material left behind after
the cessation of hostilities meant that local communities had abundant opportunity to salvage elements and put them to
their own use. This paper provides an overview of the nature of adaptive reuse to which World War II artefacts have
been put in Micronesia, highlighting the impact on heritage sites but also the innovation and transmodification that occurred, establishing new historic contexts for the artefacts.
The Pacific War (1941–45) had a profound impact on the Micronesian communities. Base
developments by Japanese and US forces alike
saw the make up of their islands change with
the formerly productive central parts of several
islands built over changing the economy of the
islands.1 This resulted on occasion in wholesale
realignments of settlement patterns on other
atolls.2 The effects of the war brought about
personal hardship and trauma,3 and left behind
reminders of the war. A less welcome
rem(a)inder of the war is the ubiquitous unexploded ammunition,4 while the non-lethal remains form an asset for tourism,5 exploited by
the local airlines,6 and the dive industry.7
It is not surprising that the abundance of
artefacts left over from the Japanese and the
US base developments provided the local
communities with a vast array of resources for
scrap metal collection8 and personal use. It appears that the reuse of the materials started as
soon as it was deemed safe to do so without
risking reprisals (see the case of a Val dive
bomber described below), or soon after war’s
end. The Japanese bases, once given up,
quickly became sources of household utensils
and tools, and later a source of all sorts of material for manufacturing other items. Soon after
the Japanese surrender and repatriation of the
garrison forces the Marshallese went back to
the base islands to look for equipment and
household goods that could be of use.9
While examples of secondary use are on occasion illustrated in survey reports and conservation studies,10 no systematic study has been
carried out. The aim of this paper is two-fold.
On the one hand it is to demonstrate the range
of adaptive uses to which artefacts from Word
War II were put, and the concomitant level of
damage to the integrity of these war places. On
the other, as Micronesian communities are becoming increasingly affluent, these aspects of
community life are gradually disappearing. In
that regard, then, this paper also provides a
photographic record of the use of such items
in the first half of the 1990s.
This is a peer reviewed contribution. Received: 25 May 2006; Revised: 17 Jun 2006 Accepted: 18 Jun 2006
© Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences ISSN 1449-7336
HeritageFutures™ International, PO Box 3440, Albury NSW 2640, Australia
Persistent identifier: http://www.nla.gov.au/nla.arc-65664
268
Examples of Adaptive re-Use of World War II Artefacts in Micronesia
The majority of the examples shown in this
paper come from the Republic of the Marshall
Islands and unless cited otherwise, are based
on personal observations.
SITES
In several instances bunkers and the like are
now utilised as sheds, storage facilities and pig
sties, and larger structures, such as air command centres or ammunitions depots are used
for generator buildings or construction storage
sheds or outright human habitation.
A bomb and ammunition storage building
on Wotje, which is in perfect structural condition, was planned to be used as a power house
for the Wotje Northern Marshalls High School
and in the interim was used as a storage building for construction materials.11
The air operations buildings in Wotje,
Wotje Atoll, and Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll
(both Republic of the Marshall Islands) are being used as private dwelling, while the same
type of building on Aslito Field in Saipan
serves as the Northern Marianas Visitors Bureau.12 The first floor of the bomb-damaged
radio-direction finding and command building
of the Japanese base on Taroa, Maloelap Atoll
served as a church (Fig. 2).
The wooden buildings of most Japanese
bases had been destroyed during the U.S.
bombing raids. On Majuro, however, the base
had been left intact and taken over by the occupying U.S. forces. The U.S. utilised most of
the buildings, and tore down others. After the
U.S. forces left the buildings were surrendered
to the Marshallese who moved in, until the
structures were too unstable to be utilised. Today, only one building of the former base survives (site MI-Mj-209).
The concrete foundations often served as
foundations for shower units and other buildings. On Mile the water tanks of the main generator station serve as the foundations of the
Mile guesthouse operating in the early 1990s;
while the foundations of the Japanese RDF
building on Majuro as well as the foundations
of the warehouses and the tennis court were all
used as foundations for modern housing
269
One of the houses of the Japanese seaplane base on Djarrit, Majuro Atoll, was still in
existence in 1992 and then used as a dwelling.13
Several houses in Djarrit contain large, thick
beams, which very likely result from Japanese
buildings of the World War II period. After the
collapse or demolition of such buildings,
wooden beams were salvaged and re-used.
Water-tanks
Given that the atolls of the Marshall Islands
depend on rainwater as the sole source of
drinking water, it is not surprising that water
storage facilities are of prime concern. Only the
urban atolls of Majuro and Kwajalein have centralised water supplies. Inhabitants on other
atolls rely on rainwater collections off their private catchments, such as roofs, shed and the
like.
Where possible, the concrete water tanks
built by the Japanese have been repaired or refurbished and are commonly used at present
for the same purpose. This was observed on
Taroa, Wotje and Majuro.
Runways
The most commonly utilised site dating to
World War II are airfield runways. The Japanese erected airbases on Mile, Jaluit, Wotje,
Taroa (Maloelap), Roi-Namur and Kwajalein.
These airfields had multiple runways, with the
main runway oriented towards the predominant direction of the wind. All the latter runways are still or again used, either with or
without improvements by the U.S. administration and the Republic of the Marshall Islands
government (Fig. 1). The U.S. runway on Delap is now out of service, but had been used for
a prolonged time.
Marston Matting
One of the most ubiquitous pieces of USorigin World War II equipment are the pierced
steel planks, colloquially also known as ‘Marston matting.’ These interlocking planks had
originally served as mats to consolidate soft
ground, such as the coral soils so that vehicles
and aircraft could use the area without getting
bogged. After the war these items saw wide
270
spread use as fence panels (Fig. 31,Fig. 32), as
house walls for breezeways (Fig. 29) and as pig
pens (Fig. 30). While these items are prevalent
on islands and atolls that once supported US
bases, post World War II transport meant that
equipment was moved around.
The use of Marston matting as fence material is very widespread in the Marshall Islands
(Uliga I., Delap I., and Laura I., Majuro Atoll;
Mile I., I. Atoll; Mejatto I., Kwajalein Atoll)
and beyond such as Pohnpei and Chuuk.14
Quonset huts
The use of the reinforcement structure of
Quonset huts as fence posts has been reported
from Chuuk.15
REUSE OF AIRCRAFT PARTS
The aluminium-skinned aircraft were a major
source of raw materials, ranging from small
pieces to entire panels of the fuselage, from
equipment to propeller blades.
Fuselage
Even while war was still raging in the islands,
plane wrecks were quickly stripped of part or
all of their aluminium sheeting, mainly for use
as coconut-grinder blades, husking-stick points
and other artefacts.16
This has been reported, for example for the
B-24 bomber that crashed in 1944 on Arno
Atoll.17 Similar is the apparent fate of the “Val”
dive-bomber (Aichi D3A; site MI-Mj-29) that
crash-landed in January or February 1944 on
the shore of Laura, at the time the main population centre of Majuro Atoll. The plane had
apparently run out of fuel and attempted to
crash-land on the sand beach at Laura in January or February 1944, when it struck a coconut
tree and lost its tail in the process. The aircraft
was complete, save for its tail which had been
torn off, in February 1944,18 but stripped of
most of its aluminium skin barely a month later
(Fig. 11).19 However, such use is not confined
to the post World War II period: aluminium
from aircraft was used as recently as 1989 as
casting aids for concrete water tanks on Taroa,
Maloelap Atoll (own observations).
US air raids on the Japanese air bases destroyed a large number of Japanese planes. The
fuselages of several planes were cannibalised
for large aluminium sheeting for construction
projects, serving as forms for pouring concrete
(Taroa, Maloelap Atoll) or as, in flattened form,
as side walls/panels for a house (Arbar Island,
Mile Atoll; Fig. 12).
Propellers
While the most common use of propellers and
propeller blades is that of an ornament (Fig. 9;
Fig. 10), blades have also been used as reflectors to guide the way at night through the lagoonal pass Laura, navigational markers for
Majuro Atoll.20
Drop Tanks
One of the relatively common finds at the
shores and on the islands of the atolls of Micronesia are oblong or torpedo-shaped aluminum cylinders, which at first glance can easily
be mistaken for floats of flying boats or seaplanes. These objects are either found at the
shore, or, more commonly, in use as water
tanks at home sites. These, however, are external wing tanks, which could be discarded
('dropped') in flight. They belonged to a North
American F-86 “Sabre” jet aircraft, which saw
extensive service in the Pacific Area until the
late 1950s. These drop tanks come in a variety
of shapes and fuel capacities
• 120 gal. combat tanks with straight fins
• 120 gal. combat tanks with straight fins
and side panels
• 200 gal. (finless) drop tank
• 200 gal. Misawa tank
• 206.5 gal. ferry tank
It would appear that all of the fuel tanks so
far found in Micronesia are 120 gallon combat
tanks, that had been dropped off as part of
training exercises. These drop tanks were made
by a variety of manufacturers on behalf of the
USAF, among them Japanese companies such
as Shin Meiwa. These drop tanks, like all others
of their type seen on various atolls in the Marshall Islands and elsewhere, were used as water
catchment: Bouj I., Ailinglaplap Atoll;21 Ebon
I., Ebon Atoll (Fig. 39);22 Lukej I., Arno Atoll
(Fig. 38); Laura I., Majuro Atoll (Fig. 36); Mile
I., Mile Atoll (Fig. 37); Taroa I., Maloelap Atoll.
A survey on Mejatto Island, Kwajalein Atoll, encountered a drop tank used as a water
catchment. The tank had been found washed
ashore on Rongelap Island, Rongelap Atoll,
and brought along when that atoll’s population
was evacuated Mejatto Island in Kwajalein Atoll. This example documents the importance
Marshallese attach to additional water storage
options and to the value of drop tanks in the
1990s.23
Oxygen bottles
The most common and the most enduring use
found for parts of B-24 aircraft are the oxygen
cylinders, originally installed as an oxygen supply for high altitude missions. A standard Liberator would carry at least 10 of these cylinders.
Today, these aluminium cylinders are found cut
in half, either length wise or–more commonly–
across to serve as cooking pots. Due to their
large size and round bottoms these pots are
most suitable for use in open fireplaces. Such
‘pots’ have been seen by the author on the following location: Bouj I., Ailinglaplap Atoll;24
Airok I., Ailinglaplap Atoll;25 Jelte, Majuro Atoll (Fig. 54);26 Mile I., Mile Atol; Wotje I.,
Wotje Atoll; Taroa I., Maloelap Atoll; Ine I.,
Arno Atoll;27 and Mejatto I., Kwajalein Atoll
(Fig. 55).28
All of these islands have seen long-range
bombing by 7th AAF squadrons, and B-24
crashes are confirmed for all these atolls with
the exception of Ailinglaplap. However, the
nature of the cylinders meant that they would
float and thus could well originate from planes
which crashed on the open sea or exploded in
mid-air. Ailinglaplap, then, is downwind and
down-current of Majuro and Maloelap and
close to the flight route from Kiribati (then the
Gilbert Islands) to Kwajalein Atoll.29
GUN EMPLACEMENTS AND AMMUNITION
The costal defense and anti-aircraft gun batteries erected on the Japanese bases also provided
a range of materials that could be adapted for
other uses.
271
Recoil springs of coastal defense guns
The guns themselves have found little reuse,
given their size and weight. The recoil of the
heavy guns was buffered through recoil springs
set in oil-filled tubes. Some of the guns which
had been damaged during air raids had their
recoil springs expose. Such springs have found
reuse as fence posts on Chuuk.30 and as supports for guiding rails for copra dryers on Mile
I., Mile Atoll (Fig. 27).
Ammunition Ready Magazines
Ammunition for the 127 mm dual purpose
guns came as complete rounds, with the projectile fixed on a shell casing containing the
propellant. At the gun emplacements these
complete rounds were stored in ammunition
ready boxes (Fig. 51) which had been set in
concrete recesses in the emplacements. A large
number of these boxes seem to have survived
the US air attacks on the gun batteries. These
boxes, stripped of the separators for the
rounds, have found reuse as storage lockers
(Jinbinmen I., Mile Atoll; Fig. 21, Fig. 22), as
water tanks (Mile I., Mile Atoll) and as copra
drying ovens (Mile I., Mile Atoll; Fig. 52, Fig.
53).
Containers for powder bags were also used
as water catchments (Fig. 13, Fig. 14).
Shell Casings
The seemingly abundant number of 127mm
DP rounds left behind (see below) allowed
people to both salvage the propellant for use in
bomb fishing (see below) and to extract the
shell casings as scrap metal (Fig. 7; Fig. 8). Because of the value of cuproalloys in the scrap
metal trade shell casings only found limited reuse. Examples that were encountered was the
use of a casing as a pig bell on Mile I., Mile
Atoll (Fig. 46), as well as the use of two casings
as a seat (Wotje I., Wotje Atoll; Fig. 50). The
latter use must be seen as temporary give the
large pile of collected casings ready for sale to
scrap metal dealers.
Ordnance
Unlikely as it might appear, ordnance has seen
some secondary use. Spent shells have been
272
noted as borders for house platforms on
Towoka I., Mile Atoll (Fig. 34).
World War II artefacts are also sometimes
thrown in copra bags to increase their weight
and hence the financial return. Occasionally
World War II shells find their way into the
copra grinder, with potentially disastrous effects.31
Unexploded World War II ordnance, which
is abundant on many places even after repeated
clean ups (cf.. Spennemann et. al. 1990), is collected for use as explosives in (illegal) bombfishing. In Chuuk, islanders go to the length of
recovering large shells from the holds of
sunken ships.32
Bomb Craters
Base installations had been the targets of sustained air attacks. The islands were left pockmarked with bomb craters. Several of the deep
bomb craters were subsequently used as taro
planting pits. This was seen on Mile I., Mile
Atoll (Fig. 16) and Taroa I., Maloelap Atoll.
Narrow-Gauge Railroad Tracks
The larger gun batteries required narrow gauge
railroad tracks to allow for the efficient movement of ammunition from the storage buildings to the gun emplacements. It is not
surprising that the length of railroad tracks
found a range of secondary uses.
On Mile I. two lengths of railroad tracks
were used as guide rails for the fire box of a
copra dryer (Fig. 27). On the same island a pig
pen erected out of interlaced and piled railroad
axles was noted (Fig. 28). General fencing was
also constructed of shortened lengths of tracks
on Chuuk.33 For Chuuk the use of railroad
tracks as beams in houses and for the reinforcement of concrete has been mentioned. In
addition short lengths of this material are reputedly used as (sitting) planks in out houses.34
Narrow-Gauge Railroad Carts and Axles
The buckets of narrow gauge railway cars have
been described as being used for water cisterns
on Chuuk.35 The use of axles is more ubiquitous. Axles set upright into the ground have
been used as foundations for raised houses on
Ebon Island, Ebon Atoll (Fig. 25) and
Chuuk.36
A railroad axle can be used as a part of a
work-out and fitness equipment, usually among
other pieces of weight lifting equipment. In
such use, railroad axles have been seen on
Ebon I, Ebon Atoll (Fig. 23),37 and on Mile I.,
Mile Atoll. They are also known to serve as
toys in general on Chuuk.38
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Exercise equipment
Storage Lockers
Copra dryers
Cooking Pots
House walls
✓
Fence
✓
Stepping stones
✓
Seats
✓
Bells
House Platform borders
Water Tanks
✓
Water Catchment
Railway rails
Railway car Axles
Oxygen bottles
B-24 Oxygen bottles
Tank truck tanks
F86 droptanks
Water & fuel tanks
Cartridges of shells
Bombs & Mines (safe)
Rice cookers
127mm ready boxes
Door stoppers
Pig pens
Table 1.Observed domestic secondary use of archaeological WW II artefacts
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Marston matting
Aircraft Fuselage
✓
✓
✓
✓
273
274
Fig. 1. The main east-west runway of the Japanese air
base of Mile Island, Mile Atoll, RMI, today serves as
the runway for the domestic airline connections (1991).
Fig. 2. Japanese command building serving now as a
church. (Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 3. Japanese radio-communications building serving
now as Xavier High School
(Moen, Chuuk, FSM)(1992).
Fig. 4. Japanese radio-communications building serving
now as Xavier High School
(Moen, Chuuk, FSM)(1992)
Fig. 5. Japanese 20 mm cannon emplacement serving as
a pig sty. (Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 6. Japanese 20 mm cannon emplacement serving as
a pig sty. (Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
275
Fig. 7. Scrap metal collection of Japanese 127 mm shell
casings. The items have been stockpiled for sale at a future date. (Wotje I., Wotje Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 8. Scrap metal collection of Japanese 127 mm shell
casings. The items have been stockpiled for sale at a future date. (Wotje I., Wotje Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 9. Propellers of Japanese aircraft and ships as well
as a machine gun moved to a hotel as a garden ornament
(Truk Intercontinental, Moen, Chuuk, FSM)(1991).
Fig. 10. Propellers of Japanese aircraft moved to a house
as garden ornaments (Moen, Chuuk, FSM)(1991).
Fig. 11. A Aichi D3A ‘Val’ on the beach at Laura
(Majuro Atoll, RMI) in 1945. Note that the plane has
been stripped of aluminium.39
Fig. 12. Part of the fuselage of a Mitsubishi G4M
“Betty” aircraft flattened out and serving as aluminium
siding on a residence (Arbar I., Mile Atoll,
RMI)(1991).
276
Fig. 13. Japanese copper-alloy containers for powder bags
for 150 mm coastal defense guns, serving as water container (Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 14. Japanese copper-alloy container for powder bags
for 150 mm coastal defense guns, serving as water container (Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 15. Bomb craters in copra plantation.
(Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 16. Bomb crater used as a taro patch.
(Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI) (1991).
Fig. 17. Japanese rice cooker serving as a water catchment (Wotje I., Wotje Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 18. Japanese rice cooker serving as a water catchment (Wotje I., Wotje Atoll, RMI)(1991).
277
Fig. 19. Japanese rice cooker serving as a water catchment (Mile Island, Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 20. Japanese rice cooker in situ
(Wotje Island, Wotje Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 21. Japanese 127 mm ammunition ready boxes serving as storage boxes
(Jinbinmen I., Mile Atoll, RMI (1991).
Fig. 22. Japanese 127 mm ammunition ready boxes
serving as storage boxes
(Jinbinmen I., Mile Atoll, RMI (1991).
Fig. 23. Axles of a narrow-gauge tramway serving as a
weightlifting set. (Ebon I., Ebon Atoll, RMI)(1992).
Fig. 24. Axle of the narrow-gauge tramway.
(Ebon I., Ebon Atoll, RMI)(1992).
278
Fig. 25. Axles of the narrow-gauge tramway serving as
posts for a house. (Ebon I., Ebon Atoll, RMI)(1992).
Fig. 26. Remains of a Japanese tanker truck with the
tank removed (Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 27. Tramway rails used as guiding rails for a firebox of a copra drying oven. Note the use of a recoil
spring of a 150 mm coastal defense gun as a support for
the guide rails (Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991)
Fig. 28. Tramway rails used as a pig pen
(Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI) (1991).
Fig. 29. Marston matting used as part of a house wall
(Wotje I., Wotje Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 30. Marston matting used as a pig pen
(Mejatto I., Kwajalein Atoll, RMI)(1993)/
279
Fig. 31. Marston matting used as a fence.
(Laura, Majuro Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 32. Marston matting used as a fence.
(Kolonia, Pohnpei, FSM)(1991).
Fig. 33. The aluminium framework of a radio transmitter set used as a food preparation table. Note the use of
plastic netfloats cut in half, serving as washing bowls
(Mile Island, Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 34. Disarmed naval projectile and cylinder of an
aerial bomb used as a border of a living platform.
(Tokowa I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 35. Aluminium drop tank washed ashore and unclaimed (Sapuk, Moen, Chuuk, FSM)(1992).
Fig. 36. Drop tank on
Laura, Majuro Atoll, RMI(1991).
280
Fig. 37. A F-86 droptank serving as the main water
catchment at a house site
Fig. 38. A F-86 droptank as the main water catchment at the principal's residence site
(Lukwej I., Arno Atoll, RMI)(1992).
Fig. 39. A F-86 droptank at an abandoned house site
previously serving as a rainwater catchment
Fig. 40. Detail of Drop tank on
Fig. 41. Droptank parts used as entrance pylons at a
Sakau Bar (Kolonia, Pohnpei, FSM)(1992).
Fig. 42. Oxygen bottles used as a pig pen
Fig. 43. Japanese sea mine, serving as water container
281
Fig. 44. U.S. fuel tanker trailer serving as a water
catchment. (Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 45. A droptank nose cone used
as entrance pylons at a Sakau Bar
(Kolonia, Pohnpei, FSM)(1992).
Fig. 46. Casing of a Japanese
127mm round serving as a pig bell
Fig. 47. Part of a radio mast used
as belltower (Protestant Church,
Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 48. Japanese rice cooker serving
as a water catchment
Fig. 49. Tank unit from a Japanese Fig. 50. Two Japanese 127 mm shell
tanker truck serving as water tank
casings, serving as seat
(Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991). (Wotje I., Wotje Atoll, RMI)(1991).
282
Fig. 51. A Japanese 127 mm ready Fig. 52. A Japanese 127 mm ready
magazine in situ.
magazine reused as a copra dryer
(Wotje I., Wotje Atoll, RMI)(1991) (Mile I., Mile Atoll, RMI)(1991).
Fig. 54. Half an oxygen cylinder
from B-24 aircraft used as a pot
(Jelte I, Majuro Atoll,
RMI)(1989).
Fig. 53. A Japanese 127 mm ready
magazine reused as a copra dryer
Fig. 55. Half an oxygen cylinder
from B-24 aircraft used as a pot
(Mejatto I, Kwajalein Atoll,
RMI)(1993).
BASE INFRASTRUCTURE ITEMS
In addition to the military equipment left behind, the Japanese bases were of course replete
with infrastructure components that allowed
the base to function as human settlement.
Rice Cookers
The bases required that large numbers of soldiers needed to be fed. To achieve this the kitchens were furnished with large semi-globular
cast iron rice cookers, which make for good
water catchment. This was observed on Mile
(Fig. 19) and Wotje (Fig. 17, Fig. 18).
Radio equipment
Radio communications facilities on the bases
required masts, the remains of which were used
as a bell tower for school on Mile (Fig. 47) and
as support posts for a school in Chuuk.40 In
addition aluminum framework pieces of radio
transmitter set were used as an outdoor table
on Mile (Fig. 33).
CONCLUSIONS
As this brief study has shown, the range of adaptive uses to which salvaged World War II
material can be put is only limited by human
imagination. Yet environmental conditions,
with the overall shortage of water, prefers applications that allow the storage of water. As
environmental decay in the aggressive tropical
marine climate continues unabated, and as the
communities are gradually becoming more affluent, the number of adaptive reuses will decrease. Some of the items, such as the 127mm
projectile ready lockers noted on Jinbinmen are
in good condition and could be collected by
local museums as part of an exhibit. On the
whole, however, the material culture is too
fragmented and too decayed to warrant such
collection
ENDNOTES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5
6.
7.
8
.
Look & Spennemann 1993.
Eg Majuro: Spennemann 1996
Cf. Turner & Falgout 2002; Poyer et al. 2001.
Spennemann 2005; 2006
Bartsch 1986.
Cf. Spennemann 1991b-c.
Cf. Bailey 1968.
The remains of the war, namely the metal parts,
such as the remains of tanks, trucks, guns, ships
and the like soon attracted the interest of scrap
metal dealers. Scrap metal dealers were particularly interested in the higher valued non-ferrous
metals and alloys, as were used in brass fittings
and copper wiring of generators, motors and
other equipment, breech blocks and firing
mechanisms of guns, copper alloys used in gun
mountings, as well as in the alloy casings of artillery shells. As a result, the historic sites were
torn apart and the useable and marketable materials were extracted, while the less marketable,
or more cumbersome iron was left behind. Surprisingly, counter balance weights are still commonly present, but this may be attributable to
their large weight. Hence, a great number of
sites has been partially destroyed—or vandalised—in the process. These scrap metal drives
continued the destruction of historical resources
at an unprecedented rate. While a bombed and
burned-out generator station was still easily recognisable as such, these generators were cannibalised in search for the copper wiring of the
anchors, the fly-wheels were taken if feasible
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18
19
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
283
and the like. A sorry sight is often all that remains.
For some islands scrap metal was a major
source of revenue. In the Marshall Islands for
example scrap metal, apparently mainly scrap
iron at that time, was the second largest export
commodity in 1967 grossing over U.S.$16,000
compared with U.S.$ 15,000 for handicrafts and
U.S.$ 827,904 for copra. (U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers 1969:4). Scrap metal was exported
from the Republic of the Marshall Islands as late
as 1987, when $8,000 worth of metal was
shipped (OPS 1989a, p. 145).
Even today, although scrap metal collection is
no longer of any importance in the Marshall Islands, one can encounter households with small
or larger piles of non-ferrous metal parts from
guns, shell casings and the like in their yards
(Fig. 7, Fig. 8).
Poyer 1990, p. 53.
cf. Look & Spennemann 1993.
own observations; future use information: pers.
comm. Tony Phillips, Mayor, Wotje Atoll Local
Government
Denfeld 1981, p. 93.
The building has since been pulled down.
Denfeld 1979b, p. 126.
Denfeld 1979b, p. 126
Mason 1947; 1952:6; Spennemann 1990a: I227229; 1992a.
Mason 1950:6; for the aircraft Spennemann
1994.
Photograph, US National Archives, Washington, Record Group 80G-218567; Photo taken
by planes from U.S.S.Nassau (CVE-16).
Photograph, US National Archives, Washington, Record Group 80G-231079; Photo taken
by crew from U.S.S.Bellau Wood (CVL-24).
Spennemann 1990a:I244; 1992d.
Spennemann 1992a.
Spennemann 1992b.
Spennemann 1993b.
Spennemann 1992a.
Spennemann 1992a.
Spennemann 1990.
pers. comm. Tamar Jordan, Majuro
Spennemann 1993b
Spennemann 1995.
Denfeld 1979b, p.126.
Johnson 1989: Reeder 1989; Steege 1989; Spennemann 1990b
Hezel and Graham 1989:51
Denfeld 1979b, p.126.
Denfeld 1979b, pp. 126.-127.
284
35.
37. Spennemann 1992b
38. Denfeld 1979b, p. 126..
36.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adams, W.H., R.E.Ross & E.L.Krause, 1990, Archaeological Survey of Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll,
Republic of the Marshall Islands. Report submitted
to Micronesian Endowment for Historical Preservation, March 10, 1990. Report on file R.M.I.
Historic Preservation Office, Majuro.
Bailey, Dan E. (1982) WWII wrecks of the Kwajalein
and Truk Lagoon. Redding, CA: North Valley Diver Publications.
Bartsch, W.H. (1986) After the battle. Wreck Discovery: Unknown Maleolap. After the Battle 54
28-41.
Denfeld, D.Colt (1979a) Field Survey of Ponape:
World War II Features. Micronesian Archaeological
Survey Report No. 2. Saipan: Historic Preservation Office, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Denfeld, D.Colt (1979b) Field Survey of Truk:
World War II Features. Micronesian Archaeological
Survey Report No. 6. Saipan: Historic Preservation Office, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Denfeld, D.Colt (1981) Japanese fortifications and
other military structures in the Central Pacific.
Micronesian Archaeological Survey Report No. 9. Saipan: Historic Preservation Office, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Hezel, Francis X. & C.Graham (1989) Truk's Underwater Museum. A Report on the Sunken Japanese
Ships. A project sponsored by the Micronesian
Endowment of Historic Preservation. Report
prepared for the Micronesian Resource Study,
Micronesian Endowment of Historic Preservation.
Johnson, G. (1989) “Bomb” takes toll at Tobolar.
Marshall Islands Journal 20(27) June 9.
Look, David W. and Dirk H.R. Spennemann,
(1993) For Future Use: A Management Conservation
Plan for the World War II sites in the Republic of the
Marshall Islands. Albury, NSW, Australia, and
San Francisco, U.S.A.: The Johnstone Centre of
Park, Recreation and Heritage and the U.S. National Park Service Western Regional Office.
Mason, L., 1952, Anthropology-Geography Study
of Arno Atoll, Marshall Islands. Atoll Research
Bulletin 10. Washington: Pacific Science Board,
National Research Council.
39.
Photo taken by crew from USS Beallau Wood. US
National Archives photo Record Group 80G231079.
40. Denfeld 1979b, p. 126.
Poyer , Lin, Falgout, Suzanne and Carucci, Laurence Marshall (2001) The Typhoon of War: Micronesian Experiences in WWII. Honolulu: University
of Hawai'i Press.
Poyer, Lyn (1990) Final Report Micronesian Resources
Study, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Ethnography
component. Report prepared for the Micronesian
Endowment for Historic Preservation. February, 1990. Report on file R.M.I. Historic Preservation Office, Majuro.
Reeder, Dennis (1989) Tobolar regrets offending
Maloelap. Marshall Islands Journal 20(28) July 14,
1989. Page. 16.
Ryenkevich, Michael A. (1981) Traders, Teachers
and Soldiers: An anthropological study of Colonial Era sites on Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands.
Micronesian Archaeological Survey Report 8. Saipan:
Historic Preservation Office, Trust Territory of
the Pacific Islands.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1990a) Cultural Resource
Managment Plan for Majuro Atoll, Republic of the
Marshall Islands. 2 Vols. Report prepared in fulfillment of U.S.Department of Interior, Office
of Territorial and International Affairs Technical
Assistance Grant MAR-42. Report submitted to
the Historic Preservation Office, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands. August 1990.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1990b) Identification of a
World War II shell found in the Copra-grinder of Tobolar. HPO. Report Nº4 1990. Ms. on file. Division of Archaeology, History and Traditional
Material Culture, Alele Inc. P.O.Box 629, Majuro 96960, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1991a) Historical Sites on
Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll. Ennaanin Etto—
News from the Past 1(1), 5-6.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1991b) Taroa, Maloelap Atoll. Air Marshall Islands Sunday Escape. Folded
tour brochure, 2pp.Majuro: AIRMarshall Islands.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1991c) Mile, Mile Atoll. Air
Marshall Islands Sunday Escape. Folded tour brochure,
2pp. Majuro: AIRMarshall Islands.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1992) Apocalypse now?–
the fate of World War II sites on the Central
Pacific Islands. Cultural Resources Management
[U.S.National Park Service, Washington] 15(2),
pp. 15-16, 22.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1992b) Aspects of Historic
Preservation of Ebon Atoll. Archaeological, historical
and environmental observations gathered during a brief
field trip to Ebon Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 17-22 June 1992. HPO-Report 1992/11.
Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands:
Historic Preservation Office.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1992b) World War II Remains on Central Pacific Islands: Perceptions of
Heritage versus Priorities of Preservation. The
Pacific Review 5 (3), pp. 278-290.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1992c) The Japanese Nany’o
Boeki Kaisha Trading Station on Bouj and other observations pertaining to Historic Preservation Issues on
Bouj and Airok Islands, Ailinglaplap Atoll. HPOReport 1992/12. Majuro Atoll, Republic of the
Marshall Islands: Historic Preservation Office.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1993) Cultural Resources
on Mejatto Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of
the Marshall Islands. Observations during a series of exhumations in January 1993. Case report
prepared for the Republic of the Marshall Islands Historic Preservation Office. Pacific Cultural Resources Management Case Reports.
Albury, NSW, Australia: Pacific Cultural Resources Management.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1993b) Cultural Resources
on Mejatto Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of
the Marshall Islands. Observations during a series of exhumations in January 1993. Case report
prepared for the Republic of the Marshall Islands Historic Preservation Office. Pacific Cultural Resources Management Case Reports.
Albury, NSW, Australia: Pacific Cultural Resources Management.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1994) Assessing fallen
Liberators in the Marshall Islands. Briefing —The
Journal of the International B-24 Liberator Club. 51,
7-13.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1994) The last flight of the
“St. Quentin Quail”. Investigations of the
wreckage and history of Consolidated B-24
“Liberator” aircraft #42-41205 off Jab’u Island,
Arno Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The Johnstone Centre for Parks, Recreation and
Heritage Report Nº 17— The Johnstone Centre
for Parks, Recreation and Heritage, Charles
Sturt University, Albury, NSW., 1994
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1995) Secondary use of
airplane parts: F-86 droptanks A photographic
case study from Micronesia. Johnstone Centre of
Parks, Recreation and Heritage Report Nº 37e. Johnstone Centre of Parks, Recreation and Heritage,
285
Heritage, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW
Australia.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1996) Adaptive re-use of
B-24 parts in the Marshall Islands. Briefing-The
Journal of the Intenational Liberator Club 59, 3.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (1996) Dreading the next
wave: non-traditional settlement patterns and
typhoon threats on contemporary Majuro, Marshall Islands. Environmental Management 20(3), pp.
337-348.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (2005). Is unexploded
World War II ammunition abandoned property?
A case of ethics and the law in Micronesia. Journal of South Pacific Law vol.9 (2), December 2005
http://law.vanuatu.usp.ac.fj/jspl/current/art3
Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (2006) Managing unexploded ammunition at and near cultural heritage
sites. Issues for Micronesian Historic Preservation. Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social
Sciences vol. 5 nº 1, pp. 234-267.
Spennemann, Dirk H.R., Holly, Matt and Lajuan,
Newton (1990) Report on the occurrence of live ammunition on Mile Island, Mile Atoll. Report prepared for the Historic Preservation Office,
Majuro, the Mile Atoll Local Government, Mile,
Mile Atoll, and the Hon.Senator for Mile, Mr.
Alee Alik. Republic of the Marshall Islands. Report OTIA-TAG-MAR-42-5/90. Majuro Atoll:
Alele Museum.
Turner, James West and Falgout, Suzanne (2002)
Time Traces: Cultural Memory and World War
II in Pohnpei. The Contemporary Pacific 14(1), pp.
101-131.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY AND CONTACT
Dirk HR Spennemann is Associate Professor in
Cultural Heritage Management at Charles Sturt
University, Albury, Australia. His main research interests are German colonial heritage in Oceania, in
particular Micronesia, and historic preservation issues in Micronesia in general. His second focus are
issues of heritage futures, including the threats to
heritage posed by natural and human hazards and
threats posed by managers in their efforts to
counter these hazards. Ethical Heritage Planning
and Policy are the cornerstones that need to be understood and addressed if our past is to have a
meaningful future.
CONTACT: A/Professor Dirk H.R. Spennemann, Charles
Sturt University, P.O.Box 789, Albury NSW 2640, Australia e-mail [email protected]

Examples of adaptive re-use of World War II artefacts in Micronesia

Transcription

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