U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay

U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay
Subic Bay, Philippines
An aerial view of Naval Station Subic Bay (right) and Naval Air Station Cubi Point (left).
Coordinates	14°48′30″N 120°17′30″E / 14.80833°N 120.29167°E / 14.80833; 120.29167Coordinates: 14°48′30″N 120°17′30″E / 14.80833°N 120.29167°E / 14.80833; 120.29167
Type	Naval base
Site information
Owner	Philippine government
Controlled by	Philippines
Condition	some of the areas were covered by ash, but most areas have been fully renovated
Site history
Built	1885 (1885)
Built by	Spain
In use	1885–1898 (Spain) 1899–1942, 1945–1992 (United States) 1942–1945 (Japan)
Fate	Decommissioned in 1992
Garrison information
Occupants	Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority

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 Olongapo, Zambales, Philippines. The base was 262 square miles, about the size of Singapore. 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. 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. 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 was first made known when the Spanish explorer Juan de Salcedo reported its existence to the Spanish authorities upon his return to Manila after Salcedo arrived in Zambales to establish the Spanish crown, but it would be a number of years before the Spanish 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 water and lack of shelter. Therefore, a military expedition was sent to Subic Bay in 1868 with orders to survey the bay to find out 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-accepted 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 March 8, 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 gunboats Caviteño, Santa Ana, and San Quintín were assigned for its defense. To complement these gunboats, coastal artilleries were planned for the east and west ends of the station, as well as on Grande Island.