Naval Base Brisbane was a major

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 built in the early part of

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 ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. At first, operated as a base for

patrol aircraft A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over water in maritime patrol rol ...

and

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

escort aircraft to protect the last leg 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 ...

to the

Southwest Pacific The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...

. As the US Navy expanded in the

island hopping campaign Leapfrogging, also known as island hopping, was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan during World War II. The key idea is to bypass heavily fortified enemy islands instead of trying to captu ...

, Naval Base Brisbane expanded to include a

submarine base A submarine base is a military base that shelters submarines and their personnel. Examples of present-day submarine bases include HMNB Clyde, Île Longue (the base for France's Force océanique stratégique), Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Na ...

, repair depot,

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

base and other facilities. US Navy operations started on April 14, 1942, and ended after the war in 1945.US Navy, Bases of World War II
/ref>

History

Australia entered World War II on September 3, 1939, being a self-governing nation within the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The United States formally entered the war on December 7, 1941, following the Japanese bombing of

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

. On April 14, 1942, the USS ''Griffin'' (AS-13) and a fleet of eleven S-class US submarines arrived at Brisbane's New Farm Wharf. The wharf had a few storage sheds and some other support facilities, which the US Navy rented using the

reverse Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

program, but a much larger facility was needed as a

staging area A staging area (otherwise staging point, staging base, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to: * In construction, a designated area in which vehicles, ...

. The US Government hired Australian construction crews to build a new staging area using mostly Australian supplies but with

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 ...

s shipped in. The S-class submarines' first mission was supporting the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, du ...

. Later,

Gato-class submarine The ''Gato'' class of submarines was built for the United States Navy and launched in 1941–1943; they were the first mass-production U.S. submarine class of World War II. Together with their near-sisters the and es, their design formed the ma ...

s were added to the fleet. By the end of the war the Brisbane submarine fleet had sunk 117 enemy ships, totaling 515,000 tons, and rescued many downed airmen. In the spring of 1943, more space was needed and on March 24, 1943, the US Navy

Seabee 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 ...

's 55th Battalion arrived and built "Camp Seabee", 5 miles north-east of Brisbane, at

Eagle Farm Eagle Farm is an eastern industrial suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Eagle Farm had a population of 0 people. The neighbourhood of Whinstanes is located in Eagle Farm (). Geography Eagle Farm is situated nor ...

. Camp Seabee became a staging camp for Seabees and their equipment in island hopping operations. The first departure was half the Seabees, to build

Naval Base Milne Bay Naval Base Milne Bay, also called Naval Advance Base Milne Bay, was new major United States Navy sea and airbase base built on Milne Bay in Milne Bay Province in south-eastern Papua New Guinea. By spring 1943, the build up of the US Navy to ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

on May 23, 1943. Some Seabees departed to build an airfield at

Merauke Merauke is a large town and the capital of the South Papua province, Indonesia. It is also the administrative centre of Merauke Regency in South Papua. It is considered the easternmost city in Indonesia. The town was originally called Ermasoe. It ...

in New Guinea and others to

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...

, New Guinea. Most returned at the end of the construction for R&R. The Brisbane Seabees built a mine depot outside of Brisbane. The next departure was most of the Brisbane Seabees going to Palm Island and

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

. At Palm Island, Seabees built Palm Island Naval Air Station and Palm Island Seaplane Base. Seabees built the Cairns Harbor PT-Boat Base and Cairns Harbor Seaplane Base. At Cairns, Seabees built the Cairns Airfield used for patrols and a staging camp. On June 19, 1943, the Seabee 84th Battalion arrived at Camp Seabee, with half the Battalion departing to continue the expansion at Naval Base Milne Bay. The 55th and 84th Battalion continued to build up Naval Base Brisbane. Seabee built a mine depot, more barracks at Camp Seabee, a Merchant Marine

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

training camp, and Mobile Navy Hospital No. 9. In May 1943, Seabee 60th Battalion arrived at Camp Seabee. On January 20, 1944, Seabee Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 544th arrived to service the Naval Base Brisbane Bases. At

Hamilton, Queensland Hamilton is an affluent riverside mixed-use suburb in the north-east of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Hamilton is located along the north bank of the Brisbane River. In the , Hamilton had a population of 6,995 people. In 2013, th ...

Seabee built a ship-repair depot was built. Outside of the base, a

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

depot was built. The 55th Battalion built and operated a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

. By March 1994 the base had 90,000 square feet of depot warehouse space and 53 acres of open deposit storage. The other large

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 ...

in Australia were at

Naval Base Sydney Naval Base Sydney was a United States Navy base built during World War II at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The base was built with Australian civilian contractors. As the US Navy expanded in the Island hopping campaign, Naval Base Sydney ex ...

and

Naval Base Darwin file:Darwin Harbour (AWM 027334).jpg, Darwin Harbour with the sunken ship MV Neptuna and burnt-out wharf of Darwin Harbour following the attack on February 19, 1942 file:USS Holland (AS-3) with seven submarines alongside at San Diego, Californi ...

. Unlink Darwin, Brisbane was out of the reach of Japanese bombers. Parts of Naval Base Brisbane began moving to more forward bases in January 1944. Palm Island base was moved on September 1, 1944, and Townsville moved in July 1944.

Bases and facilities

*Brisbane, Queensland Bases: *

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 ...

Naval Base Brisbane

*Naval Base Brisbane on the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...

**Navy Headquarters, from

Naval Base Melbourne Victoria Barracks, Melbourne HQ for the US and Australian armed forces Naval Base Melbourne was a United States Navy base at Melbourne during World War II. Naval Base Melbourne became the South West Pacific Area Command Headquarters after ...

in July 1942. **New Farm Wharf depot, now

New Farm Park ferry wharf New Farm Park ferry wharf is located on the northern side of the Brisbane River serving the Brisbane suburb of New Farm in Queensland, Australia. It is served by RiverCity Ferries and was also served by a Cross River service to Norman Park ...

AHS Centaur Australian Hospital Ship (AHS) ''Centaur'' was a hospital ship which was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine off the coast of Queensland, Australia, on 14 May 1943. Of the 332 medical personnel and civilian crew aboard, 268 died, includi ...

USS Samaritan (AH-10) USS ''Samaritan'' (AH-10) was a hospital ship that served with the US Navy in World War II. Prior to that, she served as a US Navy transport ship under the name USS ''Chaumont'' (AP-5). USS ''Chaumont'', one of twelve 13,400-ton (displacement) Ho ...

and

USS Comfort (AH-6) The second USS ''Comfort'' (AH-6) was launched 18 March 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, Los Angeles, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by First Lieutenant E. Hatchitt, USAMC; transferred to the Navy the same da ...

Hospital ships **Brisbane Submarine base ***Some Submarines Base at Brisbane:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ''Caiman'', ''Pompon'', ''Cod'', ''Raton'', ''Guavina'', ''Bowfin'', ''Grouper'', ''Grouper'', ''Blackfish'', ''Rasher'', ''Balao'', ''Corvina'' **Submarine maintenance depot **Submarine training center **Brisbane Degaussing Station **

Crash boat Crash Rescue Boat is a name used in the United States to describe military high-speed offshore rescue boats, similar in size and performance to motor torpedo boats, used to rescue pilots and aircrews of crashed aircraft. During World War II th ...

base **Fleet Post Office FPO# 134 SF Brisbane **Barracks **Supply depot *Ammunition depot, Brisbane Navy 134 at

Mount Coot-tha Mount Coot-tha is a mountain and a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , there were no residents in the suburb. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mou ...

**Mine depot outside of the city **Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit. No.1 * Archerfield shared with Army, just south of Brisbane. *Camp Perry Park, Navy housing unit at Camp Perry Park *Toowoomba Recreation Center, at

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

west of Brisbane *Coolangatta Recreation Center at

Coolangatta Coolangatta is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is the Gold Coast's southernmost suburb and it borders New South Wales. In the , Coolangatta had a population of 5,948 people. Geography Coolangatta and its ...

, south of Brisbane *Transmitting Station at Colmslie

Naval Air Station Brisbane

Naval Air Station Brisbane was based in Colmslie on the Brisbane River. *Naval Base Colmslie *NATS Seaplane Base Colmslie (now Colmslie Recreational Park) *Colmslie Seaplane workshop, repair of Navy

Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...

planes *Navy and

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

radio station, Pan Am used the base for mail and other services. *

Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passenger ...

BOAC British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passi ...

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

and

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

also use the base. **Post war became Barrier Reef Airways base

Hamilton repair depot

*Repair depot *Hamilton repair depot in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

on the Brisbane River. *

Cairncross Dockyard The Cairncross Dockyard was a shipyard beside the Brisbane River at Morningside, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It included one of Australia's largest graving docks with an 8.5 metre deep water access, capable of taking Panamax ves ...

*Supply depot *Machine shops *Engineering camp *Chemical Engineering Camp *Some repair ship at Brisbane: * USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) * USS Remus (ARL-40) * USS Clytie *

USS Fulton (AS-11) USS ''Fulton'' (AS-11) was the leader of Fulton-class submarine tender, her class of seven submarine tenders, launched on 27 December 1940 by Mare Island Navy Yard and sponsored by Mrs. A. T. Sutcliffe, great-granddaughter of Robert Fulton. ''F ...

USS Sperry (AS-12) USS ''Sperry'' (AS-12) was a in the United States Navy. She was named for Elmer Sperry. ''Sperry'' was laid down on 1 February 1941 at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California; launched on 17 December 1941, just 10 days after the Japane ...

* USS Wachapreague (AGP-8) * USS Satinleaf (AN-43) * USS Sonoma (AT-12) * USS Geronimo (ATA-207) *

USS Wright (AV-1) USS ''Wright'' (AZ-1/AV-1) was a one-of-a-kind auxiliary ship in the United States Navy, named for aviation pioneer Orville Wright. Originally built as a kite balloon tender, she was converted into a seaplane tender after kite balloons were n ...

USS Coucal (ASR-8) The USS ''Coucal'' (ASR-8) was a ''Chanticleer''-class submarine rescue ship in the United States Navy. Construction and commissioning ''Coucal'' was launched on 29 May 1942 by Moore Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Oakland, California, ...

* USS Mataco (AT-86) *

USS Portunus (AGP-4) USS ''Portunus'' (AGP-4) was an acquired by the U.S. Navy for use during World War II as a motor torpedo boat (MTB) tender. She was named after a Roman god of the sea, who had jurisdiction over ports and the shores. ''Portunus'' was laid down ...

USS Oyster Bay (AGP-6) USS ''Oyster Bay'' (AGP-6), originally and later AVP-28, was a United States Navy motor torpedo boat tender in commission from 1943 to 1946. She saw service in World War II. From 1957 to 1993, the former ''Oyster Bay'' served in the Italian Nav ...

SS Stratheden SS ''Stratheden'' was a UK-built steam turbine ocean liner. She spent most of her career with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, including the Second World War when she served for six years as a troop ship. In 1964 John S Lat ...

* USS Tangier (AV-8) *

USS Dobbin (AD-3) USS ''Dobbin'' (AD-3) is the name of a United States Navy destroyer tender of World War II, named after James Cochrane Dobbin, the Secretary of the Navy from 1853 to 1857. ''Dobbin'' was launched on 5 May 1921 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard. ...

Camp Seabee

*Camp Seabee at

on the Brisbane River in Brisbane **Camp Seabee **Camp Seabee staging camp and depot **Merchant Marine Anti-aircraft training camp, Wellington Point Gunnery School at

Wellington Point Wellington Point is a residential locality in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wellington Point had a population of 12,350 people. The suburb is a popular seaside destination within the Brisbane metropolitan area and is notab ...

**Advanced Base Construction Depot (ABCD) **Mobile Navy Hospital No. 9, with 3,000 beds **Theater **Recreation building **Laundry depot **

Power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

Decomposed granite Decomposed granite is a kind of granite rock that is weathered to the point that the parent material readily fractures into smaller pieces of weaker rock. Further weathering yields material that easily crumbles into mixtures of gravel-sized partic ...

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...

for roads. ** Eagle Farm Airfield, shared with Army ** Allison Engine Testing Area
Camp Seabee was home to the: *19th Construction Battalion Special *20th Construction Battalion *55th Construction Battalion *60th Construction Battalion *77th Construction Battalion *84th Construction Battalion *91st Construction Battalion *

Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 Amphibious Construction Battalion ONE (ACB1 or ACB-1 or PHIBCB 1 or PHIBCB One) is an amphibious construction battalion in the United States Navy based in Coronado, California. Amphibious Construction Battalion TWO is its sister unit based in Na ...

- 104th Naval Construction Battalion *115th Construction Battalion *138th Naval Construction Battalion *

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 (NMCB 11) is a United States Navy Construction Battalion, otherwise known as a Seabee Battalion, presently home-ported at the Naval Construction Battalion Center (Gulfport, Mississippi). The unit was fo ...

From the staging at Camp Seabee, Construction Battalions departed to help build: *Naval Base Cairns *Naval Air Station Palm Island *Townsville Naval Section Base *Thursday Island PT Boat Base *

Naval Base Merauke Naval Base Merauke was a United States Navy base built during World War II at city of Merauke in the South Papua province of Indonesia, then Papua New Guinea. The base was 2 miles from the mouth of the Merauke River. The US Navy built a PT boa ...

* KanaKopa PT Boat Base *

Oro Bay Airfield Oro Bay Airfield (also known as Cape Sudest Airfield) is a former World War II airfield in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. The airfield was abandoned after the war and today is almost totally returned to its natural state. History Oro Bay Airfiel ...

* Naval Base Lae -

Landing at Lae The Landing at Lae was an amphibious landing to the east of Lae and then the subsequent advance on the town during the Salamaua–Lae campaign of World War II. Part of Operation Postern, which was undertaken to capture the Japanese base at L ...

Naval Base Mios Woendi Mios Woendi island is an island in the Schouten Islands of Papua province, eastern Indonesia. It lies in Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) off the northwestern coast of the island nation of Papua New Guinea. Description The island is in a ...

Mios Woendi Mios Woendi island is an island in the Schouten Islands of Papua province, eastern Indonesia. It lies in Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) off the northwestern coast of the island nation of Papua New Guinea. Description The island is in a ...

PT Boat Base and

Owi Airfield Owi Airfield is a former World War II airfield located on Owi Island in the Schouten Islands, Indonesia. The airfield was ordered built by General MacArthur on 6 June 1944. It was constructed by the 864th Engineer Aviation Battalion with B Compan ...

Naval Base Woodlark Island Naval Base Woodlark Island was a United States Navy base built during World War II on Woodlark Island on Papua New Guinea. The US Navy built a PT boat base, boat repair depot, and harbor facilities at the city of Guasopa to support the Pacific ...

Naval Base Finschhafen Naval Base Finschhafen was a United States Navy base built during World War II at Finschhafen on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. The US Navy built a PT boat base, Dreger Harbor PT Boat Base, boat repair depot, and ha ...

Naval Base Hollandia Naval Base Hollandia was a United States Navy base built during World War II at Humboldt Bay, near the city of Hollandia (now Jayapura) in New Guinea. The base was built by the US Navy Seabees during the Battle of Hollandia, starting on May ...

* Kiriwina Airfield * Naval Base Cape Gloucester -

Battle of Cape Gloucester The Battle of Cape Gloucester was fought in the Pacific theater of World War II between Japanese and Allied forces on the island of New Britain, Territory of New Guinea, between 26 December 1943 and 16 January 1944. Codenamed Operation Backhande ...

Naval Base Alexishafen Naval Base Alexishafen (Naval Base Alexishafen-Madang) was a United States Navy base built during World War II at Alexishafen, north of the city of Madang in New Guinea. The base was built by the US Navy Seabees starting June 13, 1944 as part ...

, at

Madang Madang (old German name: ''Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen'') is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 (in 2005) on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century. Histor ...

Naval Base Morotai The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on 15 September 1944, and continued until the end of the war in August 1945. The fighting started when United States and Australian forces landed on the southwest corner of Morotai, a small isl ...

Battle of Morotai The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on 15 September 1944, and continued until the end of the war in August 1945. The fighting started when United States and Australian forces landed on the southwest corner of Morotai, a small isl ...

Naval Base Banika Island Naval Base Banika Island was a United States Navy base built during World War II on Mbanika Island in the Russell Islands, part of the Solomon Islands. A larger supply depot was built to support the ships fighting in the Pacific War. Also bu ...

Banika Mbanika or Banika is an island in Solomon Islands; it is located in the Central Province and is the second largest of the Russell Islands Group. The principal settlement is Yandina. As portrayed in the HBO miniseries, '' The Pacific'', episod ...

: **

Renard Field Yandina Airport is an airport on Mbanika in the Solomon Islands. History The 33rd Naval Construction Battalion arrived on Banika Island in late February 1943 and commenced construction of a fighter airfield. By 13 April a basic airfield known a ...

and

Banika Field Banika Field was a World War II airfield on Mbanika in the Russell Islands in the Solomon Islands. Banika Field was built and supported by Naval Base Banika Island. History A US Navy Seebee Naval Construction Battalion began construction for t ...

Renard Sound Seaplane Base Naval Base Banika Island was a United States Navy base built during World War II on Mbanika Island in the Russell Islands, part of the Solomon Islands. A larger supply depot was built to support the ships fighting in the Pacific War. Also b ...

Naval 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 World War II, Pacific Ocean theater of war and the many warships and troop ...

Naval Base Okinawa Naval Base Okinawa, now Naval Facility Okinawa, was and is a number of bases built after the Battle of Okinawa by United States Navy on the Okinawa Island of Japan. The naval bases were built to support the landings on Okinawa on April 1, 1945, an ...

* Naval Base Amsterdam Island on

Amsterdam Island, West Papua Amsterdam Island is an island in the Tambrauw in Southwest Papua province of eastern Indonesia. Part of the Su Islands (Mios Su) or the Soe Island Group. See also Middleburg Island Middleburg Island or Pulau Middleburg, Tambrauw is an island ...

, PT Boat Base *

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 ...

60th CB *

Naval Base Guadalcanal US Naval Base Solomons was a number of United States Navy bases in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Most were built by the US Navy Seabees, Naval Construction Battalions, during World War II as part of the Pacific War. In August 1942 ...

Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

61th CB ** Tenaru Camp -

Battle of the Tenaru The Battle of the Tenaru, sometimes called the Battle of the Ilu River or the Battle of Alligator Creek, was a land battle between the Imperial Japanese Army and Allied ground forces that took place on 21 August 1942, on the island of Guadal ...

** Koli Point Camp -

Koli Point action The Koli Point action, during 3–12 November 1942, was an engagement between U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army forces and Imperial Japanese Army forces around Koli Point on Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal campaign. The U.S. forces were under th ...

** Naval Base Lunga at

Lunga Point Lunga Point is a promontory on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, the site of a naval battle during World War II. It was also the name of a nearby airfield, later named Henderson Field. is also the name of a United States Navy escort carrier ...

** Henderson Field 6th CB * Naval Base Manicani Repair base *Radar Station at

Auki Auki is the provincial capital of Malaita Province, Solomon Islands. It is situated on the northern end of Langa Langa Lagoon on the north-west coast of Malaita Island. It is one of the largest provincial towns in Solomon Islands. It was establish ...

for RNZA 60th CB * Naval Base Emirau 60th CB on

Emirau Island Emirau Island, also called Emira, is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago located at . It is currently part of the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea. The local language is a dialect of the Mussau-Emira language. Emira is part of what o ...

84th CB *

Naval Base Puerto Princesa Naval Base Puerto Princesa, Naval Base Palawan, was a United States Navy base built during World War II at Puerto Princesa on Palawan Island, Philippines, after the Invasion of Palawan on February 28, 1945. Puerto Princesa Bay offered an excel ...

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...

84th CB * Naval Base Manus * Naval Base Treasury Islands **

Torokina Airfield Torokina Airfield, also known as Cape Torokina Airfield, is a former World War II airfield located at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. History World War II The 3rd Marine Division landed on Bougainville on 1 November 1943 at the start of the Bou ...

Piva Airfield Piva Airfield is a former World War II airfield on Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands archipelago. History World War II The 3rd Marine Division landed on Bougainville on 1 November 1943 at the start of the Bougainville Campaign, establi ...

Naval Base Lingayen file:LST-917 Lingayen Gulf January 1945.jpg, LST-917 and other Landing Ship, Tank, LST ships unloading at Lingayen Gulf January 1945 Naval Base Lingayen was a United States Navy base built during World War II at Lingayen Gulf on the northwest ...

- Sual Bay PT Boat Base 104th CB *

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. T ...

Olongapo Naval Station 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 ...

Olongapo Camp, 115th CB *

NAS Attu Casco Cove Coast Guard Station was a military facility and private use airfield on Attu Island, one of the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state of Alaska. Owned by the United States Coast Guard, Casco Cove CGS is located west of Anchorage, Alas ...

138th CB on

Attu Island Attu ( ale, Atan, russian: Атту, link=no) is an island in the Near Islands (part of the Aleutian Islands chain). It is the westernmost point of the U.S. state of Alaska. The island became uninhabited in 2010, making it the largest uninhabite ...

* Naval Base Auckland at

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

*Bases in the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...

138th CB

Other camps

*Camp La Fayette Prison Stockade at Eagle Farm *Camp Whinstanes, Prison

Remote Advanced Bases

CampSeabeeNavalBaseBrisbane_buildingtrips

Naval Base Brisbane built and supported remote advanced bases in Queensland:

Naval Base Cairns

Naval Base Cairns at

, north of Brisbane, closed January 7, 1945 (now HMAS Cairns Part of the base was on Green Island, 20 miles of the shore. **Cairns Harbor PT-Boat Base, later moved to Milne Bay **Cairns Harbor Seaplane Base **

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 ...

repair base **Escort Base One destroyer repair depot **Naval mine maintenance depot **Patrol-craft repair depot **Supply depot **Mess hall **Navy hospital **Feet post office FPO# 144 SF Cairns, Australia **Floating drydocks: AFD-10, ARD-7 **600-foot timber wharf **5,000-gallon water tank farm **Ammunition depot outside of camp **Cairns Airfield used for patrols **Cairns staging camp **Trinity Bay, amphibious training, US Army, Navy with US Navy support. **Sheridan Street Camp, Cairns Army Camp located along Sheridan, Dutton and Spence Street. *Naval Air Station Palm Island **Naval Air Station Palm Island, at Palm Island north of Brisbane, started July 6, 1943, closed June 1, 1944. **

VPB-29 VPB-29 was a Patrol Bombing Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Pacific Air Detachment on 17 January 1923, redesignated Patrol Squadron 14 (VP-14) on 29 May 1924, redesignated Patrol Squadron 1-Naval District 14 (VP-1D14) on ...

Patrol Bomber unit **

VP-11 Patrol Squadron 11 (VP-11), nicknamed ''Proud Pegasus'', was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established at NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island on 15 May 1952 and was disestablished on 2 August 1997. It was the fourth squadron to ...

Patrol Squadron with

**Hangars **Seaplane Base Palm Island **Fleet Post Office FPO# 420 SF Palm Island, Australia **Naval Air Station Wallaby Point **60,000 barrels tank farm **Palm Island patrol bombers repair depot **Docks **Radio stations **PT boat bases **Hospitals **Naval mine depot **Power station **Supply base

Townsville Naval Section Base

*Townsville Naval Section Base **North of Brisbane a section base was built a

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

closed and moved July 1944. **Rose Bay Townsville Navy hospital, 120-bed **Ammunition depot outside of camp **Fleet Post Office FPO# 143 SF Townsville, Australia **Townsville Navy hospital, 100-bed **Black River Navy hospital **US Navy at Cleveland Bay ** Army camp, staging **Army airfields and Army 12th Station Hospital ** HMAS Magnetic Royal Australian Navy base near US base

Horn Island Seaplane Base

**Horn Island Seaplane Base at small Horn Island, far north of Brisbane **

Horn Island Airport Horn Island Airport is an airport on Horn Island in the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. World War II The Civil Constructional Corps and the Department of Main Roads began construction of an advanced operational airbase on the island ...

RAAF

Thursday Island PT Boat Base

*Thursday Island PT Boat Base was built on

Thursday Island Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately north of Cape ...

, far north of Brisbane, by the Seabees. The base opened in February 1943 and closed in September 1945. Thursday Island PT Boat Base had a PT Boat repair depot. The base was shared, HMAS Carpentaria base. The US also stationed some submarine bases at the base.

Toorbul Combined Training Centre

Toorbul Combined Training Centre (CTC) was a joint Army and Navy amphibious training center opened on the summer of 1942 at

Toorbul Toorbul is a coastal town and a locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toorbul had a population of 930 people. Geography Toorbul is north of Brisbane. Toorbul is bounded on the east by Pumicestone Channel which s ...

Toorbul Point Sandstone Point is a coastal locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Sandstone Point had a population of 3,959 people. Geography Sandstone Point is approximately north of Brisbane, located on Caboolture–Bribie I ...

, now called Sandstone Point. The center had classrooms, camp, mess hall,

jetties A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...

, slipway, a mock ship, and workshops.

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

also had Radar Station at the base. Fleet PO Box was 146.

Other bases

*Fleet Radio Unit Radio Station Cooktown at

Cooktown, Queensland Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs ...

. FPO# 813 SF Cooktown *For

Prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

16 camps were built in

by Australians and US. *

Mareeba Airfield Mareeba Airfield is an airfield located south of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. Built in 1942 as a US Army Air Force base during World War II, the airfield had two runways, with a complement of taxiways, hardstands and a containment area. A ...

(Hoevet Field) US Army *Torrens Creek Airfield in

Torrens Creek Torrens Creek is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Flinders, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Torrens Creek had a population of 70 people. Geography The town is on the Flinders Highway, north-west of the state capital, ...

, US Army, now Torrens Creek Airport * Mackay Airfield and Mackay recreation facilities at

Mackay, Queensland } Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensland ...

Post war

*After

Victory over Japan Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...

the base closed and the US Navy started taking Troops home in

Operation Magic Carpet Operation Magic Carpet was the post-World War II operation by the War Shipping Administration to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific, and Asian theaters. Hundreds of Liberty ships, Victory ships ...

. A number of Memorials were built in memory of the World War II activities in Australia: *Catalina Memorial Cairns Esplanade, at Cairns Esplanade near Cairns Harbor. Three white pillars with a model of a

Consolidated Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...

atop and a memorial plaque to the crew of Catalina A24-25, at *Cairns War Cemetery, administered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) at * Cairns Museum *Beck Museum in

Mareeba Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the waters'' ...

, closed *Milne Bay Military Museum in

*Townsville War Cemetery at *Centaur Park, Memorial plaque and park dedicated to AHS Centaur sunk offshore at in

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is accessible from Landsborough ra ...

. *Bundaberg War Cemetery in

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

at . *Memorial at Bakers Creek in Bakers Creek.

Gallery

CampSeabeeNavalBaseBrisbane-fromair.jpg, Camp Seabee at Naval Base Brisbane from the air File:Damaged USS Growler (SS-215) at the submarine base at New Farm, Australia, in February 1943.jpg, Damaged USS Growler at the submarine base at New Farm in February 1943 StateLibQld 1 149299 Dunedin (ship).jpg, ''Dunedin'' at Gardens Reach on the Brisbane River. South Brisbane wharves in background BRISBANE, QLD. C.1942. THE DOCK GATE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN THE UNFINISHED CAIRNCROSS GRAVING DOCK. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION).jpg,

in 1942 BRISBANE, QLD. C.1942. THE DRYDOCK UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT CAIRNCROSS GRAVING DOCK, LOOKING TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION).jpg, Building Cairncross Dockyard in 1942 StateLibQld 1 79147 Royal Australian Naval ship ML 1322 at Colmslie Naval Base, Brisbane, ca. 1944.jpg, Colmslie Naval Base Brisbane in 1944 SoPacStratSit.gif, Strategic supply chain situation in South Pacific in July 1942

External links

youtube, Abandoned Navy Base on The Brisbane Riveryoutube, World War 2 - Defence of Australia

References

{{USWWII Naval Stations of the United States Navy World War II airfields in the Pacific Ocean Theater Airfields of the United States Navy Military installations closed in the 1940s Closed installations of the United States Navy World War II sites in Australia