The United States Navy held a number of bases in the Philippines Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Most were built by the US Navy Seabees, Naval Construction Battalions, during World War II. The US Naval Bases in Philippines were lost to the Empire of Japan in December 1941 during the Philippines campaign of 1941–1942. In February 1945 the United States Armed Forces retook the Philippines in the Battle of Manila in 1945. Before the captured US bases on Luzon were retaken the US Navy Seabees built a new large base, Leyte-Samar Naval Base, on the Philippine Island of Leyte, starting in October 1944.

History

Naval Base Manila was a major United States Navy base south of the City of Manila, on Luzon. Some of the bases dates back to 1898, the end of the Spanish–American War. Starting in 1938 civilian contractors were used to build new facilities in Manila to prepare for World War II. With the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM) the Allies tried to limit the advance of Japan. ABDACOM did not have enough troops or supplies to carry out the mission. Work stopped on December 23, 1941, when Manila was declared not defendable against the Empire of Japan southward advance, which took over the city on January 2, 1942, after the US declared it an Open city. Many US Navy ships and submarines escaped the Philippines and traveled south to ports in Borneo. As Japan advanced south into Borneo these vessels fled further south to form the new

US Naval Bases in Australia U.S. Naval Base Australia comprised several United States Navy bases in Australia during World War II. Australia entered World War II on 3 September 1939, being a self-governing nation within the British Empire. The United States formally en ...

. US Navy personnel, including doctors and some nurses, that did not get evacuated from the bases became POWs with the Troops in the Battle of Bataan. The nurses became known as the Angels of Bataan for their care of the Troop till liberated in February 1945.Monahan, Evelyn M. & Neidel-Greenlee, Rosemary (2003). ''All This Hell'', p. 31. US Navy construction and repair started in March 1945 with the taking of Manila in the

costly Costly may refer to: * Wikipedia:COSTLY People *Anthony Costly (born 1954), Honduran footballer *Carlo Costly (born 1982), Honduran footballer *Marcel Costly (born 1995), German footballer Entertainment *Costly (album) ''Costly'' is the sec ...

Battle of Manila ending on March 2, 1945. Naval Base Manila supported 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 ...

and remained a major US Naval Advance Base until its closure in 1971. To support the taking of Naval Base Manila, Leyte Gulf was taken first and base construction started on October 20, 1944. Leyte-Samar Naval Base was made of base on both the island of Leyte and the islands of Samar. The US Naval bases for supported troops, ships,

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s, PT boats, seaplanes, supply depots, training camps, fleet recreation facilities, and ship repair depots. To keep supplies following the bases were supplied by the vast II United States Merchant Navy. After the war ended on VJ Day, Leyte Gulf bases closed and the Naval Base Manila remained an US Naval Advance Base till in 1971. After the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf on January 9, 1945, the Seabees built up a Naval Base Lingayen at Lingayen city and the surrounding gulf. In 1944 and 1945 Japan started using kamikaze attacks on US Navy ships in the Philippines. With two large Naval Bases on Luzon: Naval Base Manila and Naval Base Subic Bay, Naval Base Lingayen was closed after the war. Naval Base Subic Bay, like Naval Base Manila was base of Spain lost to the United States in the Battle of Manila Bay 1898. Subic Bay was lost to Japan in 1941 and retaken in January 1945. In 1992 the United States turned Naval Base Subic Bay over to the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...

Major Philippines Bases

* Naval Base Manila FPO# 3142 ** Mariveles Naval Section Base ** Naval Base Corregidor **

Sternberg General Hospital Sternberg General Hospital or Department Hospital, Manila P was a United States Military Hospital in Manila in the Philippines during the early part of the 20th century. The hospital was renamed after George Miller Sternberg on June 26, 1920. No ...

* Naval Station Sangley Point FPO# 961 * Naval Base Cavite FPO# 954 * Naval Base Subic Bay FPO# 3002 * Leyte-Samar Naval Base FPO# 3201 **Tacloban Naval station, FPO# 3964 **Tolosa base **Jinamoc Seaplane Base **Calicoan Naval Base **Guiuan Naval Base **Tubabao Base **Salcedo PT Boat Base **Guiuan Naval hospital **Manicani Base * Manicani Island Base FPO# 3864 **Naval Base at Hinundayan, Leyte, FPO# 3958 * Naval Base Lingayen, Luzon, FPO# 3960 ***Naval Base at

San Fernando, La Union San Fernando City, officially the City of San Fernando ( ilo, Siudad ti San Fernando; fil, Lungsod ng San Fernando), is a 3rd class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, p ...

, FPO# 3863

Minor Philippines Bases

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, FPO# 3291 * Naval Base Calbayog, Samar, FPO# 3957 *Naval Base at

Casiguran Sound Casiguran may refer to the following municipalities in the Philippines: * Casiguran, Aurora * Casiguran, Sorsogon Casiguran, officially the Municipality of Casiguran, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. Accordi ...

, FPO# 1133 *Naval Base at

Cotabato Cotabato or North Cotabato ( hil, Aminhan Cotabato; ceb, Amihanang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pangutaran Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤڠوترن كوتاواتو; fil, Hilagang Cotabato), officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in ...

, Mindanao, FPO# 1159 *Naval Base at San Antonio, Luzon, FPO# 3001 *Naval Base at Masinloc, Luzon, FPO# 3003 *Naval Base at Batangas, Luzon, FPO# 3004 *Naval Base at Balayan, Luzon, FPO# 3006 *Naval Base at Baler Bay, FPO# 3028 *Naval Base at Davao, Mindanao, FPO# 3042 *Naval Base at Zambonanga, FPO# 3070 *Naval Base at

San Jose, Mindoro San Jose, officially the Municipality of San Jose ( tgl, Bayan ng San Jose), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it ...

, FPO# 3100 *Naval Base at Bacolod, Negros, FPO# 3101 *Naval Base at Ormoc, Leyte, FPO# 3102 *Naval Base at Laoag, Luzon, FPO# 3106 *Naval Base at Dingalan, Luzon, FPO# 3107 *Naval Base at Aparri, Luzon, FPO# 3132 *Naval Base at Cebu, FPO# 3133, PT Boat base *Naval Base at Legaspi, FPO# 3136 *Naval Base at Vigan, FPO# 3138 *Naval Base at Tawi-Tawi Island, FPO# 3144 *Naval Base at Palawan, FPO# 3146 *Naval Base at Batangas Bay, FPO# 3160 *Naval Base at Mactan Island, FPO# 3858, depot, repair, seaplane base *Naval Base at Cagayan, Mindanao, FPO# 3955 *Naval Base at Buenavista, Mindanao, FPO# 3956 *Naval Base at Iloilo, Panay, FPO# 3959, PT Boat, depot, repair depot *Naval Base at Masbate, Masbate, FPO# 3961 *Naval Base at Misamis, Mindanao, FPO#3962 *Naval Base at

Sarangani Sarangani, officially the Province of Sarangani ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sarangani; hil, Kapuoran sang Sarangani; Maguindanaon: ''Dairat nu Sarangani'', Jawi: دايرت نو سارڠني; fil, Lalawigan ng Sarangani), is a province in the Philipp ...

, Mindanao, FPO# 3963 *Naval Base at Basilan Island, Mindanao, PT Boats, Puerto Isbela *Naval Base at Mangarin Bay, Mindoro, PT Boats *Naval Base at

Polloc Harbor Parang, officially the Municipality of Parang (Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Inged nu Parang'', Jawi Alphabet, Jawi: ايڠايد نو ڤارڠ; Iranun language, Iranun: ''Inged a Parang'', ايڠايد ا ڤارڠ; tl, Bayan ng Parang), ...

*Naval Base at Santiago Cove depot, PT boat base *Naval Base at Bacuit, Palawan FPO# 3293 *Naval Base at

Coron Bay Coron Bay is a well-known recreational diving region in the Sulu Sea in the western Philippines, between the islands of Coron and Busuanga in the Calamian Islands. Most of Coron Bay is in the Coron Island Protected Area and is a traditional fish ...

, Palawan FPO# 3292 *Naval Base at Panaon Island, PT boat base (Liloan) *Naval Base Bobon Point,

Bobon Bobon, officially the Municipality of Bobon ( war, Bungto han Bobon; tl, Bayan ng Bobon), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,964 people. Geography ...

, Samar, PT boat base (Liloan) *Naval Base Malalag Bay PT boat and small naval base in Davao Gulf **Davao field small base

Gallery

Pacific_Theater_Areas;map1.JPG, Pacific War Theater Areas map 1942 Naval-station-sangley-point1947.jpeg, US Naval Station Sangley Point in 1947, with Quonset hut, barracks, shops, supply depot, mess hall and more. USCG Air Detachment Sangley Point aerial photo.jpg, Seaplane Base at Sangley Point. Cavite Navy Yard Philippines docks 1899.jpg, Cavite Navy Yard docks in 1899, year after it became a US Navy

Shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

Vought O2U Corsair over Cavite in 1930.jpg, A O2U floatplane flies over the Cavite Navy Yard, in 1930, below seaplane tender USS Jason and Sangley Point Bataan-Peninsula24Jan1945.jpg, Bataan Peninsula on 24 January 1945, with Mariveles Seaplane base, port and Airfield. Japan is bombing the runway. Mariveles surrendered on April 10, 1942 the start of Bataan Death March. Mariveles was retaken in February 1945 Cavite Navy Yard bombed aerial photo 10 Dec 1941.jpg, Cavite Navy Yard bombed by Japan on December 10, 1941. Smoke rises from Cavite Navy Yard. SharkA-7(SS-8)atcavite.jpg, Submarine USS Shark (SS-8) at the Cavite Navy Yard 1911 Naval Base Mariveles.jpg, Entrance to Naval Base Mariveles after the fall of Bataan. Army Navy Club Manila (15350842535).jpg,

Manila Army and Navy Club The Manila Army and Navy Club founded in 1898 was the first American social club to be established in the Philippines for the exclusive use of the U.S. military personnel and civilians, and later Filipinos. Since the time it was established, it ...

Army Navy Club.jpg, Manila Army and Navy Club Philippine Island - Manila - NARA - 68156432.jpg, Manila Army and Navy Club in 1932 Cavite Boulevard sketch by Burnham.jpg, Manila Bay and Cavite in the bay Naval Station Sangley Point aerial1 c1964.jpg, Naval Station Sangley Point in 1964 Map of Corregidor 1941.jpg, Map of Corregidor Island in 1941 USSCanopus(AS-9)atCavite.jpg,

USS Canopus (AS-9) USS ''Canopus'' (AS-9) was a submarine tender in the United States Navy, named for the star Canopus. ''Canopus'' was launched in 1919 by New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, New Jersey, as the passenger liner SS ''Santa Leonora'' for W. R. G ...

submarine tender in 1932 with S-37; S-40; S-36; S-38; S-41; S-39 at Cavite Photograph of American Prisoners Using Improvised Litters to Carry Comrades, 05-1942 - NARA - 535564.jpg, Bataan Death March that started at US Navy port at Mariveles on

Bataan Peninsula Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entir ...

on April 10, 1942, with US Army, Navy, Marines, Naval Hospital staff and Filipino Troops. Bataan Death March route vector.svg, Map Bataan Death March route 1942 Japanese War Crimes Trials. Manila - NARA - 292609.tif, Japanese War Crimes Trials in Manila Bataan Death March Memorial Las Cruces NM.jpg, Bataan Death March Memorial Las Cruces, New Mexico Marivelesbataanjf4224.JPG, Zero Kilometer Death March Marker in Mariveles Onoda-young.jpg, Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda Japanese holdout on Lubang Island, Philippines South Pacific islands 1945.jpg, South Pacific islands in 1945

External links

youtube Cavite Naval Baseyoutube Manila Bay, Cavite Naval Base Hit by US Navy

youtube Sangley Pt Philippines 1960syoutube Seabees of World War II

References