Subic Bay from Magellan to Pinatubo
The History of the U.S. Naval Station, Subic Bay
Author: Gerald R. Anderson
by Al Morel, GDHS ‘72
This book is is entertainingly written and certainly worth the read, if you can overlook the sloppy editing (sentences will suddenly end, words run together, and paragraphs will be randomly repeated in several places) and grainy photos. It is readily available on eBay for $15 to $25.
I’m going to approach this by summarizing each chapter and picking out some highlights from each. There are also several appendixes that run the gamut from really interesting to not so much.
1. The Spanish Colonization
Spanish contact and 300 years of colonization started in the PI on Ferdenand Magellan’s trip around the world. It took 3 years and of the 237 men that sailed from Spain, only 18 made it back in 1522.
Ironically, Magellan himself was killed while in the Philippines. He, like many of his ilk, we caught up in the fever of Christian conversion and when one of the local chiefs refused, Magellan set out to teach him a lesson. That did not go all that well, as the heavily armored Spanish waded into high water to get ashore, and were cut down.
After this ill-fated attempt, there were a few Spanish trips back but they took a backseat to the gold that they were finding in Central America. Over the years, the Spanish fortified their position in the Manila area and although Subic Bay was identified as a superior harbor, they didn’t have sufficient manpower to defend Manila and exploit the deep and sheltered waters of Subic.
After many years of turmoil in Spain and with the administrators in the PI, in 1885 they authorized the construction of “The Arsenal de Olongapo.” Although, the installation limped along with a small Spanish contingent, the base of power was centered in Manila due to the city life and Subic being hard to reach by land.
2. The Sun sets on the Spanish Dream
Then, in 1898, the Spanish-American broke out and Commodore George Dewey arrived in Manila harbor and pummelled the Spanish fleet. Although it took a little while to secure the island, the Philippines were now in U.S. hands.
3. The Bolo War
Of course, the Filipino people had their own ideas on independence and engaged in a guerrilla war against their new American overlords. During this time, Subic was not in use and generally ignored. That is until the Filipino freedom fighters used some leftover guns to shell some American ships.
The American’s responded with a shelling of their own and a landing for sailors and marines in 1899, destroyed the guns. Soon after the American forces secured the area and the U.S. use of the area begins.
4. The Decade of Disappointment
A study of the area established the superiority of Subic and President Theodore Roosevelt established the Subic Bay Naval Reservation in 1900 by executive order,
Funding for the new installation was not forthcoming so the base had a small contingent that lived in old Spanish buildings in disrepair.
During this time the Dewey Drydock was towed to Subic from Virginia, a record setting 6000 miles. It was able to handle the navy’s largest vessels. It was in continuous use until it was scuttled during WW II to keep it from falling into Japanese hands.
5. World War I
Activities in Subic greatly increased during WW I as many ships were repaired or refitted in the naval shipyard.
Following the end of the conflict, the base was greatly de-emphasized by the peace agreement and funding and personnel were reduced. But on the horizon, the base was under the watchful eye of Japan.
6. World War II
The Japanese started strafing and bombing the base only a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. By the end of December the base was abandoned and all the buildings burned. The American troops withdrew to Corregidor to make a last stand. By the end of January, the Japanese had marched in and occupied the base.
The Japanese used the base for building wooden ships with lumber from the local jungle and slave labor. They occupied the base for three years until they retreated.
But before they did, there was a horrific battle on the Zig Zag road going out of town. The Japanese dug into the area and build many well defended tunnels that were nearly impossible to dislodge them from. It took 15 days to open up the pass with only 25 of 2400 taken alive. American forces lost over 1400.
7. After the War
After the war the base started to repair the ship repair resources that were decimated by the conflict. Although forces we reduced in the interveening years, the base continued to operate as a ship repair and supply center.
Philippine independence was initiated in 1946 and an agreement to use Subic and several other bases was signed shortly after.
Soon, with the Korean War, there was a need for air support and neccesitated the construction of Cubi. A mountain was moved (the same amount moved as the Panama Canal) and Cubi was commissioned in 1956,
After the Tonkin Gulf incident in 1964, Vietnam stated to heat up and thus the activities at Subic Bay. Maintenance and supply activities swelled base personnel and ships of the Seventh Fleet visiting for R&R brought lots of activity to the area. More than 4 million sailors and marines visited the base in 1967 and the exchange became the largest in the world.
The Naval Supply Depot became the largest Navy facility in the world and over 4 million gallons of fuel came in each month, not to mention the 200,000 items stocked for the fleet.
Cubi also became the principal repair facility for the fleet’s planes and cranked out 2 jet engines a day.
During the Vietnam era, many of the housing and construction infrastructure that many of us enjoyed were completed including the renovations of Grande Island.
8. The Earth Shook, Day Turned to Night
Mount Pinatubo is only 20 miles from Subic and although Clark was hit harder, Subic Bay was encased by ash on June 15, 1991. Dependents were evacuated shortly thereafter.
Clark was deemed as not salvageable, and work started immediately on Subic and by early September all personnel and dependants were back.
9. Farewell to Subic Bay
The Military Bases Agreement, forged in 1947 expired in 1991. Although an agreement had been hammered out, the Philippine Senate did not ratify the treaty so the U.S. packed their bags.
Shorly after, The Subic Bay Freeport was formed an 94 years of the American presence ended.
Appendixes
There are 14 appendixes all totaled and some interesting content. Here’s a listing:
- Subic Bay Naval Station Time Line
- Aircraft Crashes at Cubi Point
- Treaty of Peace
- The Olongapo Story
- Japanese Orders for Prisoners at Sea
- The Oryoku Maru Story
- The Hellship Memorial
- The Inscription
- White House Announcement of U.S. Assistance for the Philippines. April 23, 1989
- Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on U.S. Assistance to the Philippines. December 2, 1989
- 100 Years of PI Liberty
- The General’s Jeep
- The Discovery of the USS Lanikai
- President Roosevelt and the Secret Mission of the USS Lanikai