US Naval Advance Bases were built globally by the United States Navy during World War II to support and project U.S. naval operations worldwide. A few were built on Allied soil, but most were captured enemy facilities or completely new. Advance bases provided the fleet with support to keep ships tactically available with repair and supply depots of facilities, rather than return them to the continental United States.Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2020 Before Japan declared war on the United States the U.S. Navy had a single fleet-sized advance base in the Territory of Hawaii at Naval Station Pearl Harbor. During the war the U.S. Navy Seabees built over 400 advance bases categorized by size. Naval bases were either Lions or Cubs while airfields were either Oaks or Acorns. Lions and Oaks were major facilities while Cubs and Acorns were minor. PT Boats typically would get a Cub and airfields with single runways were Acorns. The larger bases could provide refueling and overhaul; loading of troopship and cargo ships; and preparing amphibious assault ships. Some became major repair depots. The Seabees developed auxiliary floating drydocks which were able to repair battle damage and do regular maintenance in the field, saving ships trans-pacific trips for repair. A few bases also were developed to be R and R for all U.S. personnel. Most Advance Bases were built by the US Navy's Seabees in Naval Construction Battalions (CBs). At the start of the war civilian contractors were employed in construction. The Seabees in World War II built most of the airfields used by the United States Army Air Forces and United States Marine Corps, as they had the ships and cranes needed to transport the vast amount of equipment needed at the advance bases. The US Army and United States Coast Guard also operated out of many of these facilities. Seabees could build new or repair damaged runways, and with advancements in heavy bomber technology lengthen runways as needed. A few Naval Advance Bases were built for the Korean War and Vietnam War.US Navy Logistics of Advance BasesUS Navy, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, Volume I (Part I)
Advance bases Built at the bases were personnel housing, piers, roads, shops, power plants, water plants, along with large storage depots containing fuel, ammunition, food, and other consumable supplies. Fuel for ships, airplanes and vehicles was in much demand; 25,000,000 barrels of fuel was shipped to Pacific bases in just June 1945. During World War 2, in Guam alone one million gallons of aviation gasoline were needed each day. Over 325,000 Seabees troops built bases. The many bases were needed for the logistics needs of the troops around the world.seabeesmuseum.com, History On the home front many new ships and boats were built the West coast and East coast, Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program and War Shipping Administration contracts went out to shipyards and Ironwork works companies across the country. Ports were needed for many new cargo ships to dock, such as the 2,710 Liberty ships and 531 Victory ships built, plus the many new tankers and new warships. In the South Pacific, Seabees operated coral pit mines, as crushed coral was used for runways, roads, sidewalks, and more. Many runways were built using steel Marston Mats. At some bases Seabees built sawmills, to produce local timber. Floating pile drivers were used to build piers, docks, and wharves. If pile driving was not suitable, a floating wharf was built. To protect ships and the ports, they needed to build and repaired quickly and runways. Sometimes Seabees set up electric generator lighting and worked around the clock to complete runways. For housing, offices, mess halls, and depots a vast number of quonset huts of different sizes were built. The Pacific island hopping campaigns, gave new work to be done each day.
At the end of World War 2, almost all of the bases were closed, many were abandoned. A vast amount of vehicles, supplies and equipment at the bases was deemed not needed and too costly to ship to the U.S. Bringing the gear home also would have hurt home front industries, as there was already a vast amount of military surplus. Much of the equipment was destroyed. Some was given to the local governments as a thank you for the land use. Some of the abandoned bases were used for local military, some turned into towns and ports, like Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo. Some of the abandoned airfields turned into local and international airports, a post-war Seabees legacy.
The need for advance bases during World War II was so great, that in some cases some Pacific Ocean islands were too small for the demand. So in 1943, the US Navy created Service Squadrons. A Service Squadron was a small fleet of ships that acted as an advance base. A service squadron would have: tankers, Fleet oilers, Troopship-barracks ships, refrigerator ships, ammunition ships, supply ships, floating docks, different kinds of barges and repair ships. They provided diesel, ordnance, aviation fuel, food stuffs, and all other supplies.
Active bases Naval Base Guam, (Battle of Guam), opened 1944 Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Detachment AUTEC, Bahamas, opened 1958 Naval Support Activity Bahrain, opened 1941 Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, opened 1971 Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, opened 1898 Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, opened 2002 Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Souda Bay, Crete, opened 1951 Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, 1957 Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, 1951 Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Naples, Italy, Italy, opened 1963 Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, opened 1950 Naval Forces Japan, Okinawa, Japan, 1945 (Naval Facility Okinawa) United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, opened 1870 United States Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan, opened 1883 Misawa Air Base, Japan, opened 1945 Camp Patriot at the Kuwait Naval Base (Gulf War), opened 2003 Port of Duqm, Masirah, and Port of Salalah Oman, opened 1980 Naval Medical Research Unit Six, Peru, opened 1983 Commander Fleet Activities Chinhae, South Korea, opened 1946 Naval Station Rota Spain, opened 1953 Fujairah Naval Base, Port of Fujairah, Base at Fujairah International Airport, United Arab Emirates (Operation Earnest Will), opened 1987 Jebel Ali Port Facility in United Arab Emirates Port, port use, no base, opened 1979. US Navy operates out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan opened 1950
Closed bases Major advance bases
Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo at Espiritu Santo was the first large advance base built in the Pacific. Closed 1946Seabees report on Naval Advance Base Espiritu SantoUS Navy, Naval Construction Battalion Detachment 1007 - Naval History Majuro Submarine Base at Majuro Atoll - Harbor, Sub base, Fleet recreational center, two airfields (1940–1945) Manus Naval Base in the Admiralty Islands - Lombrum Naval Base - Seeadler Harbor (1943–1947) Naval Advance Base Saipan, included East Field (Saipan), Aslito Field and Marpi Point Field, seaplane base, hospital, depot (Battle of Saipan) Naval Base Perth Naval Base Trinidad, operated off and on shore, part became Carlsen Air Force Base Naval Base Brisbane, Australia Tinian Naval Base, on Tinian including North Field, West Field, closed in 1947 (Battle of Tinian) Naval Air Station Bermuda closed 1995 U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay (Olongapo Naval Station) closed 1992, now Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone Leyte-Samar Naval Base (1944–1947) Naval Base Fiji (1942–1945) Naval Base Noumea at Nouméa, New Caledonia, major staging base (1942–1956) Naval Base Eniwetok at Enewetak Atoll base, including Eniwetok Airfield, seaplane base Parry Island, recreational center Naval Base Ulithi, Western Carolines, Major anchoring, 3,500-foot runway, seaplane base, recreational center, Hospital on Sorlen Island. Closed in 1945 Naval Base Peleliu, at Peleliu Naval Base Iwo Jima at Iwo Jima Naval Base Okinawa, PT Boat base, seaplane base, hospital, depot, repair depot airfields Naval Station Sangley Point in the Philippine closed 1971 Naval Base Milne Bay at Milne Bay - seaplane base, PT Boats, depot - ship repair - hospital - amphibious training center Naval Air Facility Midway Island (Battle of Midway) Wake Island Airfield (Battle of Wake Island) Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland Naval Station Argentia in Newfoundland, closed 1994 Naval Air Station Bermuda Annex Mulberry harbour, Normandy Operation Overlord, Navy built harbour
Rear Pacific area
Naval Base Panama Canal Zone United States Naval Station Tutuila, Samoa - depot, repair (1921–1951) Naval Base Upolu at Upolu Island, Samoa - Advance Base (1942–1944) Palmyra Island Palmyra Island Naval Air Station - Advance Base (1939–1947) Naval Base Funafuti , Funafuti, Ellice Islands - Advance base - Air Base, anchorage and small hospital Nanumea - Nanumea Airfield closed 1945 Nukufetau - Nukufetau Airfield closed 1945 Canton Island port and Airfield closed 1945 Naval Base Johnston Atoll on Johnston Atoll, refueling station support of airbase Sand Island seaplane base on Johnston Atoll Naval Base Baker Island on Baker Island to support Baker Island Airfield Howland Island seaplane base Naval base Kingman Reef Christmas Island, Kiribati, refuelling and weather station, Cassidy Airfield Naval Base Hawaii Naval Air Station Barbers Point and Submarine base Barbers Point Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay US Navy base 1939 to 1949 Amphibious Training Base Kamaole, Maui
Philippines
Leyte-Samar Naval Base Calicoan, Samar, port, depot, motor pool, recreational center Manicani Island, Samar Large Advance Base, PT boats, depot, sawmill, ship repair, large floating docks ABSD, hospital. Naval Base Cavite, Luzon - Main Base, hospital, submarine base, Closed 1971 Naval Station Sangley Point, Sangley Point, seaplane base, 5,000-foot runway Naval Base Manila in Manila, hospital, seaplane base, Depot, HQ 7th Fleet, sub base Liloan, Panaon Island - Advance Base Ormoc, Leyte - Advance Base Naval Base Lingayen - Advance Base 6 PT Boat, anchorage Bobon Point, Samar - 5,000-foot and 7,000-foot runway, Port HQ, PT Boat baseUS Navy Bobon Point NAS Guiuan at Guiuan, Samar, 7,000-foot runway, bombers, (now Guiuan Airport) Botic Island, PT boat base Salcedo, PT boat base Naval Base Puerto Princesa, Palawan - Advance Base - fleet air wing, carrier aircraft service units, bomber squadrons, seaplane base Zamboanga City, Basilan Island, Mindanao - Advance Base, Airfield, PT Boats, repair Zamboanga Peninsula Mangarin Bay, Mindoro - Advance Base, Airfield, PT Boats Basilan Island, Mindanao, PT Boats Iloilo City, Panay - Advance Base, PT Boat, depot, repair Malamaui Island - Advance Base Polloc Harbor - Advance Base Sarangani Bay - Advance Base Malalag Bay - Advance Base Santiago Cove - Fueling Stop Cebu, PT Boat base (Battle for Cebu City) Mactan, depot, repair, seaplane base, airfield Kabayana Naval Base Naval Air Station Cubi Point in the Philippines, used to support the Korean War, (1951–1992)
Solomon Islands
Tulagi - Bases, PT boat (Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo) (1943–1946) Rendova Island - Base, PT boat Lever Harbor, New Georgia - Advance Base, PT boat (1935–1944) Vella Lavella - Advance Base, PT boat at Lambu Lambu Cove (Battle of Vella Lavella (naval)) Support Barakoma Airfield Naval Base Treasury Islands, Treasury Islands - Base, PT boat Cape Torokina, Bougainville Island - Base, runway built, PT boat (1943–1945) Green Islands - Base, PT boat Naval Base Emirau Homestead Lagoon, Emirau Island, Hamburg Bay - Base, PT Boats, minor repair base, depots, 3 hospitals, sawmill, two 7,000 foot runways: Inshore and North Cape (1944–1945) Henderson Field (Guadalcanal), - Base (Guadalcanal campaign) Savo Island - Base (Battle of Savo Island)