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Wrecks or Blog Site or History
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Service Force
ships continue
to use Subic Bay as the long time primary port for loading and
upkeep's.
Subic Bay is located on the west coast of the island of Luzon.
Subic Bay dates from the year of 1869, when spanish authorities established a repair base at what is now Rivera Point. The spaniards filled marshes and and erected shops and buildings. The old "Spanish Gate" is a historic relic still standing on the base. The base was used by the spanish until their defeat by Admiral Dewey at Manila; after which President Roosevelt ordered the establishment of the U.S. Naval Reservation. 1904, the naval station at Subic Bay was established to support the U.S. Asiatic Fleet. Every thing was eventually moved to the mouth of Manila Bay. In 1940, the shops and repair equipment were transferred to the repair yard at Cavite, leaving at Subic the USS Dewey, a great floating drydock. This drydock was towed to Marivales in 1942 and sunk; raised by the Japanese, it was again sunk at Cavite by U.S. aircraft. The Japanese used the Subic area to construct small wooden auxiliary vessels. All were destroyed by the U.S. forces in 1944 before they were completed. In 1946, the U.S. Naval Station, Subic Bay was established and soon thereafter construction of buildings and roads began. In 1952, work was begun, converting a forest and a mountain into an airstrip at Cubi Point at the eastern side of Subic Bay. On 1 October 1954,
the U.S.
Naval Base was established; and on 25 July 1956, the U.S. Naval Air
Station,
Cubi Point was commissioned. On 7 December 1959, the community of
Olongapo
was transferred to the Philippine government. Subic Bay is a natural,
deep
water bay, some eight miles wide and three miles long. There are
sufficient
anchorage's available to accommodate the entire U.S. Seventh Fleet.
(from 1967 Cruise Book) |
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