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Former Major United States Navy Base From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naval Base Manila, Naval Air Base Manila was a major United States Navy base south of the City of Manila, on Luzon Island in the Philippines. 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. 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. US Navy construction and repair started in March 1945 with the taking of Manila in the costly Battle of Manila ending on March 2, 1945. Naval Base Manila supported the Pacific War and remained a major US Naval Advance Base until its closure in 1971.[1]
| Naval Base Manila | |
|---|---|
| Fort San Felipe, San Roque, Cavite City Near Cavite City in the Philippines | |
Cavite Peninsula in 1941 | |
.svg)  Naval Base Cavite Location in the Philippines | |
| Coordinates | 14°28′54″N 120°54′58″E |
| Type | US Naval base |
| Site information | |
| Owner |  United States Navy 1898–1970 |
| Condition | Closed (now Philippine Naval Base) |
| Site history | |
| Built | late 16th century |
| Built by | started by Spanish East Indies |
| In use | Spanish shipyard: late 16th century – early 19th century Spanish naval station: early 19th century – 1898 U.S. Naval facility: 1898–1971 Philippine Naval facility: 1971–present |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Manila Bay (1898) Philippines campaign (1941–1942) Battle of Manila (1945) |
| Events | Cavite Mutiny of 1872 |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | United States Asiatic Fleet (1902–1907, 1910–1942) United States Seventh Fleet (1945–1970) Major bases: Naval Station Sangley Point Naval Base Cavite Mariveles Naval Section Base |
The first US Navy bases were Spain's bases taken after the 1898 Battle of Manila. At the end of the Spanish–American War, Spain ceded Manila to the United States.[2][3][4] Merchants ship from Spain and China started trading on the Sangley Peninsula in 1571. Sangley was the name given to Chinese traders, a merchant guest, in the Philippines. The two main Naval bases taken: Naval Base Cavite at Cavite City and Naval Station Sangley Point both on the Cavite Peninsula in Manila Bay, eight miles southwest of the city of Manila. The Cavite Peninsula is south of the city center of Manila. On May 1, 1898, the US Navy took over the two Naval Bases after the Battle of Manila Bay. Naval Station Sangley Point was used as a coal station for refueling ships. At the Naval Base Cavite, a repair shipyard, that Spain had called Astillero de Rivera (Rivera Shipyard), the US Navy did updates, improvements and later added a submarine base. The old Spanish hospital, run by Sisters of Charity, was taken over by the US Navy. The old hospital was replaced by a new Naval hospital, Cañacao Naval Hospital Reservation in the 1920s, this Hospital served the Navy and local population. Cañacao Naval Hospital was destroyed during the war. Starting in 1938 US and Philippines civilian contractors were used to build up the US bases at Manila. The new 1941 projects were building at Sangley Point a Seaplane base and an ammunition depot at Mariveles on the tip of Bataan Peninsula.[1][5]
On December 23, 1941, it was declared that Manila was not defendable. Most civilian contractors depart Manila. US Troop were withdrawn to the Bataan Peninsula.[6] Some Troops withdrawn to Corregidor Island in the bay, that surrendered May 6, 1942.[7] Japanese forces took over and started using the two Manila bases in January 1942. US civilians that did not depart were detained by Japan at University of Santo Tomas-(Santo Tomas Internment Camp) and Bilibid Prisons. The University of Santo Tomas prisoner of war (POW) camp held 3,000. The two Bilibid Prisons were used as processing centers, over 13,000 POWs, mostly Americans, were held there before being put on hell ships and transferred to other POW camps.[1][5] Some staff at the Naval Hospital did not evacuate, including some nurses, who became POWs with the Troops in the Battle of Bataan.[8][9] The nurses became known as the Angels of Bataan for their care of the Troop till liberated in February 1945.[10][11][12]
With the taking of Manila in 1945, in March 1945 the US Navy's Seabee, Naval Construction Battalions, began repairing the battle damage at the two bases. Soon improvement began, with new Troop arriving at Pacific War, a base for new Troops arriving was built at the Cavite naval base. With the fighting ships at war for years, a Cavite repair base and depot was built for the repair and maintenance of ships. United States Seventh Fleet headquarters moved into the 40-acre (16 ha) Manila Polo Club. At Sangley Point Seabees built a new 5,000-foot runway for Naval Air Transport Service airfield. The new airfield had 12,000-barrel tank farm, hangars, and a depot. Sangley Point seaplane base was repaired and improved, including adding a pontoon dock. The Cavite base was repaired, and a new replacement Naval hospital was built. The Manila bases and the large Fleet anchorage in Manila Bay began to build up for the expected costly invasion of Japan, planned for November 1, 1945, called Operation Downfall. With the Surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, the invasion was not needed. The new Naval Hospital was completed and expanded. Naval Base Manila continued as US Base till 1971, when it was turned over to the Philippines Navy.[1][13][5]
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Naval Base Manila was a major repair base, bases at the repair facilities:[1][5]
Manila auxiliary airfields included:[34]
Seabee units working at Naval Base Manila: [1]
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