Ninigo Islands

The first sighting by Europeans of Ninigo islands was by the Spanish navigator Iñigo Órtiz de Retes on 27 July 1545 when on board of the carrack San Juan tried to return from Tidore to New Spain.

The Ninigo Islands were used by the Japanese military primarily for their strategic position and as a base for supply and communications.

[citation needed] The Ninigo Islands became part of the broader Allied campaign to retake control of the Pacific from Japanese forces in 1944.

U.S. and Australian forces launched numerous air and naval strikes to weaken Japanese positions.

[citation needed] The magnitude of the Ninigo Islands is more often mentioned in terms of their location as a stepping stone in the Allies' island-hopping strategy, designed to isolate and neutralize Japanese strongholds in the Pacific.