Sangley Point Naval Base
U.S. Naval Station Sangley Point
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|---|---|
| Cavite, Philippines | |
| Type | Military Base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Navy |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1898 |
| In use | 1898 - 1971 (U.S. Naval Facility) |
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 8 ft / 2.44 m | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Naval Station Sangley Point was a communication and hospital facility of the United States Navy which occupied the northern portion of the Cavite City peninsula and is surrounded by Manila Bay, approximately eight miles southwest of Manila, the Philippines. The station was a part of the Cavite Navy Yard across the peninsula. The naval station had a runway that was built after World War II, which was used by U.S. Navy P-2 Neptune, P-3 Orion, P4M-1Q Mercator bomber patrol planes. An adjacent seaplane runway, ramp area and seaplane tender berths also supported Martin P5M Marlin patrol planes until that type's retirement from active naval service in the late 1960s. NAS Sangley Point/NAVSTA Sangley Point was also used extensively during the Vietnam War, primarily for U.S. Navy patrol squadrons forward deployed from the United States on six month rotations. The naval station was turned over to the Philippine government in 1971. It is now operated by the Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy.
The Spanish colonial government in the Philippines, which had ruled the Philippines since 1571, found a useful purpose for the tiny peninsula across the bay. Ever distrustful of the Chinese merchants who called on every port from Japan to the Arabian peninsula, the Spanish passed laws restricting their entry into the capital city of Manila. These Chinese merchants, then known as sangleys, could, however, sell their wares across the bay from the city on the narrow strip of land that would eventually bear their name. In addition to their role as international traders, Chinese artisans and craftsmen were employed as inexpensive labor by the Spanish shipbuilders who built ships at Sangley that were used in the galleon trade route between Manila and Acapulco.
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