What did europeans most typically use the small pacific islands for?

Naval Bases and Refueling stations. Hope that helped :)

Naval bases , Refueling stations.

Explanation:

The Europeans have developed the pacific island of the Fiji, Nauru, Palau, Tonga and the Samoa, Vanuatu for the naval base and the refueling activities, similar to those of the Chinese there traces have been found in the 420 and the 200 B.C. The Melanesians, and Micronesians, Polynesians are some of the island groups that are explored by the Europeans and they are by the Portuguese explorers.