Leyte-Samar Naval Base was a large
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
base in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
on the Islands of
Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has be ...
and
Samar
Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
. The Base was built during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
to support the many
naval ship
A naval ship is a military ship (or sometimes boat, depending on classification) used by a navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amph ...
s fighting and patrolling in the
South West Pacific theatre of war as part of the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
. A number of naval facilities were built on the east coast of Leyte island starting October 20, 1944. The first base was built at between the city of
Tacloban
Tacloban ( ; ), officially the City of Tacloban ( war, Syudad han Tacloban; fil, Lungsod ng Tacloban), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. The city is autonomous from the province of Leyte, a ...
and Anibong Point, a mile north of the city. Headquarters for the
Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of ...
was built at
Tolosa, 10 miles south of Tacloban on Leyte. The bases were on the large
San Pedro Bay in the
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is Mindanao Isl ...
which provided safe anchorage for many ships. Due to the lack of dry ground in Tacloban a second base was built on the east side of Leyte Gulf, on the south tip of
Samar
Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
, on
Calicoan Island
Calicoan is a Philippine island east of Leyte Gulf, off the southeastern point of Samar. It is one of the islands that are part of the municipality of Guiuan, in the province of Eastern Samar. The island can be reached from Tacloban City by a t ...
and
Tubabao Island. At Samar, a large Naval Depot was built to support the Pacific War. Samar was about 50 miles across the Leyte Gulf from Tacloban. All construction was done by the Navy's
Seabees
United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...
.
Leyte-Samar Bases
Leyte-Samar Naval Base was not one single base, but a number of facilities on the west, north, east shores of San Pedro Bay, and in the bay.
![USS-Audubon ABSD-No5-floating-dry-dock Guiuan-Samar Aug-1945](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/USS-Audubon_ABSD-No5-floating-dry-dock_Guiuan-Samar_Aug-1945.png)
*Tacloban Naval station, on Casiguran Bay, was the Leyte-Samar headquarters, Fleet communication center, the fleet post office,
Quonset hut
A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semi cylindrical cross-section. The design was developed in the United States, based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War I ...
barracks, a base
dispensary
A dispensary is an office in a school, hospital, industrial plant, or other organization that dispenses medications, medical supplies, and in some cases even medical and dental treatment. In a traditional dispensary set-up, a pharmacist dispen ...
with beds. After the first landing, existing buildings and warehouses were used for the headquarters and barracks. Fleet Post office FPO# 3964 SF Tacloban. The Tacloban base and Port of Tacloban were at .
*Tolosa base at
Tolosa had a communication center for the Seventh Fleet and the
Philippine Sea Frontier The Philippine Sea Frontier (PHILSEAFRON) was a United States Navy Sea Frontier active in 1941, and reformed in 1944.
On 8 December 1941 it was part of the 16th Naval District, a component of the United States Asiatic Fleet.
(Naval Coastal Front ...
headquarters. Seabees built quonset hut barracks. The 6th, and 13th Air Force were also stationed at Tolosa. Fleet Post Office FPO# 3201 SF Leyte Island. The Tolosa base was at .
*San Jose Airstrip later renamed
Tacloban Airfield
Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport (Waray language, Waray: ''Luparan Daniel Z. Romualdez'', fil, Paliparang Daniel Z. Romualdez; ), also known as Tacloban City Airport, is an airport serving the general area of Tacloban, a highly urbanized city in Leyt ...
, was built by the Seabees at .
*
Jinamoc Seaplane Base
Jinamoc Seaplane Base is a former World War II seaplane base on Jinamoc Island, San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, Philippines. Jinamoc Seaplane Base was part of the Leyte-Samar Naval Base.
History
Construction on the base commenced in December 1944 w ...
was built on Jinamoc Island in 1944, five miles east of the Tacloban base. At first, a temporary seaplane ramp was built and later a steel and concrete ramp was built. Quonset hut barracks and dispensary were at the base. The Jinamoc Seaplane Base was near the city of
Basey
Basey, officially the Municipality of Basey ( war, Bungto han Basey; tl, Bayan ng Basey), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 56,685 people.
On 8 November 2013 ...
. The base closed in 1945. The Jinamoc Seaplane Base was at located .
*Calicoan Naval Base was Calicoan Island. Calicoan Island is flat and is about a mile wide and 7 miles long. Stationed were 3,600 Troops. Calicoan Naval Base was a large storage depot and general
quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...
station, an Advanced Base Construction Depot. For loading and unloading a 500-foot wood pier and a 500-foot pontoon pier were built. The port could handle seven cargo ships. For loading and unloading, landing ships
LCTp a jetty was built that could hand;e five ships. Fleet Post Office FPO# 3149 SF Samar Island. Located at .
![Map_leyte_US_1944](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Map_leyte_US_1944.jpg)
*Guiuan Naval Base on
Guiuan
Guiuan ( giˌwan; war, Bungto han Guiuan, fil, Bayan ng Guiuan), officially the Municipality of Guiuan, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. It constitutes the southeastern extremity of Samar Island and ...
, Samar was built by the 93rd and 61st Seabees stated on December 1, 1944. Guiuan became a major base with a vast warehouse depot. Guiuan was the Seabees headquarters with an 80-acre construction depot. Many residents of the City of Guiuan were hired to work on the large base.
*Guiuan Airport was a United States Navy air base built by Seabees of the 61st and 93rd Naval Construction Battalions. Seabees built the runway, the Guiuan strip, that opened December 18, 1944 at , now the
Guiuan Airport
Guiuan Airport (Filipino: ''Paliparan ng Guiuan'', Waray-Waray: ''Luparan han Guiuan'') is an airport located in the municipality of Guiuan, in the province of Eastern Samar in the Philippines. It is classified as a feeder airport by the Civil ...
. Later a second runway was built.
*Tubabao Base on Tubabao Island was used for unloading of supplies of ships. To get the supplies to Guiuan a wooden bridge was built. The bridge was 515 feet long and 22 feet wide. Tubabao Base was at
*Salcedo PT Boat Base, a large
PT boat
A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...
base, with repair depot and three pontoon drydock, was built at
Salcedo, Eastern Samar
Salcedo (IPA: sɐlˈsɛdo war, Bungto han Salcedo, tl, Bayan ng Salcedo), officially the Municipality of Salcedo, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population o ...
at . Salcedo Base housed 3,000 troops.
*Guiuan Naval hospital, the Seabees built a 3,000-bed hospital 5 miles north of the Guiuan Base to serve the base and ships. The 20,000-square-foot hospital had 311 buildings and 14 quonsets. Built at .
*Ammunition depot was built north of the Guiuan Naval hospital, placing it away from all bases. A 20 miles road was built to connect the Ammunition depot to Guiuan.
*Manicani Base was on
Manicani Island
Manicani is a small island in the Leyte Gulf, Philippines. The local governing body is the municipality of Guiuan of Eastern Samar province. Its 3,000 residents live in four barangays: San Jose, Banaag, Hamorawon and Buenavista. Housing and const ...
off Samar at the city of
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
. At Manicani base a ship repair base was built. Housing for 10,000 troops was built with headquarters, mess hall, 100-foot pier, 1,500-by-80-foot pier, a pontoon pier and support buildings. Off Manicani Island the
USS Artisan (AFDB-1)
USS ''Artisan'' (ABSD-1), later redesignated as (AFDB-1), was a ten-section, non-self-propelled, large auxiliary floating drydock of the United States Navy. The only U.S. warship with this name, ''Artisan'' was constructed in sections during 1942 ...
and
USS ABSD-5
USS ABSD-5, later redesignated as AFDB-5, was a nine-section, non-self-propelled, large auxiliary floating drydock of the US Navy. Advance Base Sectional Dock-5 (Auxiliary Floating Dock Big-5) was constructed in sections during 1943 and 1944 by ...
worked. Fleet Post Office FPO# 3864 SF Manacani Island. When it closed in 1945 all buildings were removed from the island. Located at
*Fleet Recreation Centers were built at San Antonio, near the ship repair base and Osmeña,
Marabut, Samar at .
*Balusao water treatment plant for ship replenishment was built at near the Balusao, Samar on the Sungduan-Bolusao River at
*Bulusao Tank farm was built near Balusao at the North end San Pedro Bay, near the water treatment plant. Bulusao Tank farm stored fuel for the ships and base.
*Balangiga sawmill was built at the city of
Balangiga at .
*
Hinundayan
Hinundayan, officially the Municipality of Hinundayan (Kabalian language, Kabalian: ''Lungsod san Hinundayan''; ceb, Lungsod sa Hinundayan; tl, Bayan ng Hinundayan), is a 5th class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine ...
a city that was freed on October 22, 1944. Hinundayan Gulf, south of Leyte, was used for US Navy anchor and a small base was built, Naval Base Hinundayan. Fleet Post Office FPO# 3958 SF Hinundayan, Leyte.
*Port city of
Ormoc
Ormoc (IPA: oɾˈmok, officially the City of Ormoc ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Ormoc; war, Syudad han Ormoc; fil, Lungsod ng Ormoc), is a 1st class independent component city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 ce ...
, west of Leyte, was freed on December 11, 1944 in the
Battle of Ormoc Bay
The Battle of Ormoc Bay was a series of air-sea battles between Imperial Japan and the United States in the Camotes Sea in the Philippines from 9 November-21 December 1944, at Ormoc, part of the Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World ...
. The port had unlimited anchorage. A small Naval Base was built at the port, Naval Base Ormoc. Fleet Post Office FPO# was 3102 SF Ormoc, Leyte.
*Port city of
Calbayog, north of Leyte, was freed in 1945 by Philippine Commonwealth troops and the guerrillas. The port had unlimited anchorage. A small Naval Base was built at the port, Naval Base Calbayog. Fleet Post Office FPO# 3957 SF Calbayog, Samar.
History
![USS Artisan ABSD-1 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/USS_Artisan_ABSD-1_01.jpg)
Before Leyte-Samar Naval Base was built the United States had to clear out the
Imperial Japanese Armed Forces
The Imperial Japanese Armed Forces (IJAF) were the combined military forces of the Japanese Empire. Formed during the Meiji Restoration in 1868,"One can date the 'restoration' of imperial rule from the edict of 3 January 1868." p. 334. they ...
from the Philippines. The first main Naval event was the
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invas ...
from June 19, 1944 to June 20, 1944. The next was the
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
from October 23, 1944 to October 26, 1944. Battle of Leyte Gulf and Battle of the Philippine Sea were two of the
largest naval battle in history
The "largest naval battle in history" is a disputed title between adherents of varying criteria which include the numbers of personnel and/or vessels involved in the naval battle, the total displacement of the vessels involved and sometimes the s ...
. The
Battle off Samar
The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on October 25, 1944. It was the only major ...
was part of the Battle of Leyte Gulf on October 25, 1944. The
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
landed at Leyte on October 20, 1944, the start, of the
Battle of Leyte
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
. Major fighting ended on December 26, 1944. On December 25, 1944,
United States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...
officially opened its headquarters in Leyte, with Task Group 72.7. Leyte-Samar Naval Base provided major logistic support for the
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf ( fil, Paglusob sa Golpo ng Lingayen), 6–9 January 1945, was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 6 January 1945, a large Allied force commanded by Admira ...
on January 3, 1945. The base continued to grow and
barracks ship
A barracks ship or barracks barge or berthing barge, or in civilian use accommodation vessel or accommodation ship, is a ship or a non-self-propelled barge containing a superstructure of a type suitable for use as a temporary barracks for sai ...
s
APL-17 and APL-19 arrived in February 1945 to help with the housing shortage. On May 7, 1945, a large convoy departed the base at
Ulithi
Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap.
Overview
Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest i ...
, to move much of that base to Leyte-Samar Naval Base, taking operations closer the action. The convoy arrived on May 13. The second convoy departed May 19, this convoy included the floating drydock a 3,300-ton
ARD-19. Also in May, the
USS Ocelot (IX-110)
USS ''Ocelot'' (IX–110) was an unclassified miscellaneous vessel of the United States Navy, which served as the flagship of ServRon, Service Squadron 10 in the Pacific War from late 1944, until she was wrecked in a typhoon in late 1945.
Servi ...
arrived and was used a
barracks ship
A barracks ship or barracks barge or berthing barge, or in civilian use accommodation vessel or accommodation ship, is a ship or a non-self-propelled barge containing a superstructure of a type suitable for use as a temporary barracks for sai ...
for the quickly growing base. Many
Merchant Navy ships started to arrive with supplies. fuel and .__The_ammunition_ship">ammunition.__The_ammunition_ships_SS_Bluefield_Victory.html" ;"title="ammunition_ship.html" ;"title="ammunition. The
ammunition.__The_ammunition_ships_SS_Bluefield_Victory">SS_''Bluefield_Victory''_and_
ammunition.__The_ammunition_ships_SS_Bluefield_Victory">SS_''Bluefield_Victory''_and_USS_Amador">USS_''Amador''_arrived_with_needed_shore_and_ship_ammunition._Also_in_May_the_USS_Ajax_(AR-6).html" ;"title="USS_Amador.html" ;"title="ammunition ship">ammunition. The ammunition ships SS Bluefield Victory">SS ''Bluefield Victory'' and USS Amador">USS ''Amador'' arrived with needed shore and ship ammunition. Also in May the USS Ajax (AR-6)">USS ''Ajax'' (AR-6) a repair ship arrived and started repair work on ships, late repairing typhoon damaged ships. With many ships in the Pacific War for such a long time, Leyte-Samar Base became a major ship repair depot. More Auxiliary_floating_drydock#Auxiliary_Repair_Docks_(ARD), floating dry docks were added to the base including: ARD-15,
ARD-18, ADR-23, ADR-25, AFDL-32, and AFD-17. In June 1945 the base had its peak population of 72,000 Troops. On July 27, 1945 the massive
USS ''Artisan'' floating drydock was assembled in Leyte Gulf. ''Artisan'' was able to dry dock and repair the Navy's largest ships, like
battleships
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
. Much of the base was abandoned after the war in 1945. Leyte-Samar Base was part of a treaty in 1947" ''Agreement Concerning Military Bases, Manila, 14 March 1947''. That noted that Leyte-Samar Naval Base could be used by the United States if determined to be required by a military necessity. In 1947 the base was abandoned.
See also
*
US Naval Base Philippines
*
U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay
Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the Spanish Navy and subsequently the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines. The base was 262 square miles, about the size of Singapore. Th ...
*
Espiritu Santo Naval Base
Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo or Naval Base Espiritu Santo, most often just called ''Espiritu Santo'', was a major advance Naval base that the U.S. Navy Seabees built during World War II to support the Allied effort in the Pacific. The base ...
*
US Naval Advance Bases
US Naval Advance Bases were built globally by the United States Navy during World War 2, World War II to support and project U.S. naval operations world-wide. A few were built on Allies of World War II, allied soil, but most were captured enemy f ...
*
Naval Advance Base Saipan
Naval Base Saipan or Naval Advance Base Saipan or Naval Air Base Saipan was a United States Navy Naval base built during World War II to support Pacific Ocean theater of war and the many warships and troops fighting the war. The base was on th ...
*
Service Squadron
A Service Squadron (ServRon) was a United States Navy squadron that supported fleet combat ships and US Navy Auxiliary ships. Service Squadrons were used by the US Navy from their inception in 1943 to as late as the early 1980s. At the time of th ...
*
John R. Perry
John Richard Perry (24 May 1899 – 25 September 1955) was a Rear admiral (United States), rear admiral of the United States Navy during and after World War II.
Biography
Perry was born in Waco, Texas. He enlisted into the Navy for service in ...
External Links
youtube.com, A Brief History of Tacloban During World War 2 youtube.com, MMovie Shot By U.S. Serviceman Tolosa, Leyte Island, Philippinesyoutube "They Came To An Island" U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps Wwii Seabees Construction Battalions 29564
References
{{reflist
Airfields of the United States Navy
Military installations closed in the 1940s
Seaplane bases
Military installations of the United States in the Philippines
Buildings and structures in Samar (province)
History of Samar (province)
Closed installations of the United States Navy
Leyte-Samar Naval Base
Leyte-Samar Naval Base was a large United States Navy base in the Philippines on the Islands of Leyte and Samar. The Base was built during World War II to support the many naval ships fighting and patrolling in the South West Pacific theatre of ...