U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay: Difference between revisions

{{About|for-multi|the body of water|Subic Bay, Philippines|the municipality|Subic, Zambales}}

| name = U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay

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| location = [[Subic Bay]], Philippines

| image = [[File:NAS Cubi Point and NS Subic Bay.jpg|300px|border]]

| caption = An aerial view of Naval Station Subic Bay (right) and [[Naval Air Station Cubi Point]] (left; present-day [[Subic Bay International Airport]]).

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| type = Naval base

| coordinates = {{coord|14|48|30|N|120|17|30|E|type:landmark_region:PH-ZMB|display=title,inline}}

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| built = {{Start date|1885}}

| builder = {{flagcountry|Restoration (Spain)}}

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| used = {{unbulleted list|{{flagcountry|Restoration (Spain)}}<br>1885–1898<br />(1885–1898)|{{flag|United States|1912}}<br>1899–1942, 1945–1992<br />(1899–1942)|{{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}<br> (1942–1945)|{{flag|United <brStates}} />(1945–1992) (2023-present) |{{flagcountry|Philippines}}<br>2022~present <br />(2022–present)}}

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'''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 {{convert|262 square miles|mi2|sp=us}}, about the size of Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |author=Floyd Whaley |title=Shadows of an Old Military Base |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/world/asia/27iht-subic27.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=26 April 2013 |access-date=24 December 2014 }}</ref> The Navy Exchange had the largest volume of sales of any exchange in the world, and the Naval Supply Depot handled the largest volume of fuel oil of any navy facility in the world.<ref>Anderson, pp. 142–143.</ref> The naval base was the largest overseas military installation of the [[United States Armed Forces]], after [[Clark Air Base]] in [[Angeles City]] was closed in 1991.<ref name=largest>Barber, Ben. "Two decades on, Philippines struggles with U.S. base cleanup". ''[[The American Legion Magazine]]'', September 2012: 64.</ref> Following its closure in 1992, it was transformed into the [[Subic Bay Freeport Zone]] by the Philippine government.

[[Subic Bay]]'s famous strategic location, sheltered anchorages, and deep water had first been made known when the Spanish explorer [[Juan de Salcedo]] reported the bay's existence to the Spanish authorities upon his return to [[Manila]] after Salcedo arrived in Zambales to establish the Spanish crownrule. It would be a number of years before the SpanishSpain would consider establishing a base there.

[[Cavite]], which had been home to most of the Spanish fleet in the Philippines, suffered from unhealthy living conditions and was vulnerable in time of war and bad weather because of its shallow waterwaters and lack of shelter. This also served as a Central Weather Command up to Taiwan during World War II' now [[Philippine_Area_of_Responsibility|PAR]] [[PAG-ASA]] (Philippine Area of Responsibility). Therefore, a military expedition was sent to Subic Bay in 1868 with orders to survey the bay to find outarea if it would be a suitable site for a naval yard. The Spanish explored the entire bay and concluded that it had much promise and thus reported their findings to Cavite. This report was not well received in Manila, as the Spanish command was reluctant to move to the provincial isolation of Subic. Finally, in 1884, a Royal Decree declared Subic Bay as a naval port.

On 8 March 1885, the [[Spanish Navy]] authorized construction of the ''Arsenal de Olongapo'' and by the following September, work started at [[Olongapo]]. Both the harbor and its inner basin were dredged and a drainage [[canal]] was built, as the Spanish military authorities were planning to make Olongapo and their navy yard an "island." This canal also served as a line of defense and over which the bridge at the base's Main Gate passes. When the Arsenal was finished, the [[gunboat]]s ''Caviteño'', ''Santa Ana'', and ''San Quintín'' were assigned for its defense. To complement these gunboats, [[coastal artillery|coastal artilleries]] were planned for the east and west ends of the station, as well as on [[Grande Island]].

[[Seawall]]s, [[causeway]]s and a short railway were built across the [[swamp]]y [[Mudflat|tidal flats]]. To finish these projects, thousands of tons of earth and rock from Kalalake in Olongapo had to be brought in as fill. The magnitude of this quarrying was so huge that a hill eventually disappeared and became a lagoon in the area now known as Bicentennial Park.

The main entrance to the Arsenal was the extant West Gate, which still stands. This gate was equipped with gunports and also served as a [[Prison|jail]]. This gate was connected to the South Gate, which was near the water frontwaterfront, by a high wall of locally quarried stone.

Inside the Arsenal, the Spanish constructed a [[foundry]], as well as other shops, which were necessary for the construction and repair of ships. The buildings were laid out in two rows on Rivera Point, a sandy patch of land jutting into the bay, and named after the incumbent Captain-General of the Philippines, [[Fernando Primo de Rivera, 1st Marquis of Estella|Fernando Primo de Rivera]]. The Arsenal's showpiece was the station [[commandant]]'s headquarters, which was a one-storey building of [[Vitex parviflora|molave]] and [[Pterocarpus|narra]] woodswood, and stood near today's Alava Pier and had colored glass windows.

The Spanish navy yard was constructed in the area that was last occupied by the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility. During the [[Philippine Revolution]] against Spain, the Cuban-Filiipino admiral of the [[Philippine Navy]], [[Vicente Catalan]], seized Subic Naval base from the Spanish and delivered it to the [[First Philippine Republic]].

In Hong Kong, Dewey purposely delayed his sailing until he received news from the U.S. Consul at Manila, Oscar F. Williams, aboutwith information about the strength and positions of the Spanish fleet. Williams told Dewey that Montojo and his fleet had sailed to Subic Bay.

On 15 June 1991, the second largest [[volcanic eruption]] of the 20th century occurred when [[Mount Pinatubo]], just 20 miles (32&nbsp;km) from Subic Bay, exploded with a force eight times greater than the [[Mount St. Helens]] eruption. The sun was nearly completely hidden as volcanic ash blotted it out. Volcanic earthquakes and heavy rain, lightning and thunder from [[1991Typhoon PacificYunya typhoon season(1991)|Typhoon ''Yunya'']] passing over northern Luzon resulted in a 36-hour period of complete chaos.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sanger|first=David|title=Philippines Orders U.S. to Leave Strategic Navy Base at Subic Bay|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/28/world/philippines-orders-us-to-leave-strategic-navy-base-at-subic-bay.html|access-date=17 February 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=28 December 1991}}</ref>

In 1992, tons of material including drydocks and equipment,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/afdm.htm |title=AFDM Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock, Medium |date=27 April 2005 |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=18 June 2011}}<br/>{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/28/7301.htm |title=Resourceful (AFDM-5) |date=27 March 2009 |publisher=NavSource Naval History |access-date=18 June 2011}}<br/>{{cite web |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA249409.pdf |title=Subic Bay Naval Complex – Are There Alternatives? |last1=Divis |first1=CDR Conrad B. |date=2 March 1992 |website=dtic.mil |publisher=US Army War College |access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref> were shipped to various Naval Stations. Ship repair, maintenance yards and supply depots were relocated to other Asian countries including Japan and Singapore. On 24 November 1992, the [[American Flag]] was lowered in Subic for the last time and the last 1,416 Sailors and Marines at Subic Bay Naval Base left by plane from [[Naval Air Station Cubi Point]] and by {{USS|Belleau Wood|LHA-3|6}}. This withdrawal marked the first time since the 16th century that no foreign military forces were present in the Philippines.<ref>{{cite news|last=Whaley|first=Floyd|title=Shadows of an Old Military Base|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/world/asia/27iht-subic27.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=17 February 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=26 April 2013}}</ref> The departure of the United States Navy left a huge clean-up to be completed. Soil and water was contaminated with lead, [[asbestos]], [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCB]]s, pesticides, and possibly nuclear waste from submarinespesticides. As of 2012, clean-up estimates for Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base were $40&nbsp;million each.<ref name=largest/>

Beginning in June 2012, the Philippine government said that the United States military could use the old base with prior approval by the Philippine government. This follows expanded military ties between the two nations and an American pivot towards Asia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Philippine government gives OK for US to use old bases, newspaper reports |author=Travis J. Tritten |url=http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/philippines/philippine-government-gives-ok-for-us-to-use-old-bases-newspaper-reports-1.179790 |newspaper=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]] |date=7 June 2012 |access-date=8 October 2012 |archive-date=12 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012045356/http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/philippines/philippine-government-gives-ok-for-us-to-use-old-bases-newspaper-reports-1.179790 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This follows a [[Visiting Forces Agreement]] made in 1999, that saw annual visits of United States forces to conduct large scale exercises (known as [[Balikatan]]) between the two allies.<ref>{{cite news |title=Philippines sees Subic port as vital to US interests |author=Jason Gutierrez |agency=Agence France-Presse |url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/10/08/12/philippines-sees-subic-port-vital-us-interests |newspaper=ABS-CBN News |date=8 October 2012 |access-date=8 October 2012}}</ref> ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' reported on 20 November 2012 that Subic Bay will host US ships, Marines and aircraft on a semi-permanent basis which according to analysts will give the US a strategically important force posture for its shift in emphasis to the Pacific.<ref>{{cite news|last=Murdoch|first=Lindsay|title=Philippines divided over US return to Subic Bay|url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/philippines-divided-over-us-return-to-subic-bay-20121119-29m4m.html|access-date=26 December 2012|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=20 November 2012}}</ref>

The US Navy began using the base in Subic Bay in 2015 to deliver materiel and personnel for annual joint military exercises.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jennings |first=Ralph |date=5 November 2015 |title=Filipinos Excited as US Military Returns to Subic Bay |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/filipinos-excited-as-us-military-returns-to-subic-bay/3037818.html |work=Voice of America |access-date=2 June 2018 }}</ref> Some 6,000 US personnel came to Subic in April, and returned for exercises in 2016 in agreement with Philippine authorities.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jennigns |first=Ralph |date=15 November 2015 |title=Chinese presence softens Philippines' view of U.S. Navy |url=http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-philippines-obama-20151115-story.html |work= Los Angeles Times |access-date=2 June 2018 }}</ref> US ships have used Subic Bay as a resupply port during routine calls.<ref>{{cite news |last=Macatuno |first=Allan |date=22 June 2017 |title=US warship, navy vessels dock at Subic |url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/158253/us-warship-navy-vessels-dock-subic |worknewspaper= Philippine Daily Inquirer |access-date=2 June 2018 }}<br/>{{cite news |last=Englund |first=Will |date=18 May 2015 |title=Here's why some in the Philippines want the U.S. Navy back |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/05/18/how-south-china-sea-tensions-have-leaders-in-one-philippine-province-hoping-the-u-s-navy-returns-to-its-old-base-in-subic-bay/?noredirect=on |worknewspaper= [[Washington Post]] |access-date=2 June 2018 }}</ref>

This is the Officialofficial list of Base Commanders who served the Subic Naval Base from 1945 to 1992.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Vizcocho|first=Vic Jr.|title=U.S. Subic Naval Base reunion 2014|journal=U.S. Subic Naval Base Yearbook}}</ref> Base commanders prior to 1945 are not included.

|[[Rear admiral (United States)|RAdm.]] RuebenReuben T. Whitaker