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Subic Bay

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Coordinates:14°47′24″N120°13′57″E / 14.79000°N 120.23250°E /14.79000; 120.23250

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon, Philippines

This article is about the body of water. For the free port, seeSubic Bay Freeport Zone. For other uses, seeSubic Bay (disambiguation).

Subic Bay

Subic Bay Location in Luzon Show map of Luzon Subic Bay Location in the Philippines Show map of Philippines
1902 nautical chart of Subic Bay
Location	Luzon Island,Philippines
Coordinates	14°47′24″N120°13′57″E / 14.79000°N 120.23250°E /14.79000; 120.23250
Type	bay
Part of	South China Sea

Islands	Grande Island
Settlements	Morong Olongapo Subic

Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island ofLuzon in thePhilippines, about 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest ofManila Bay. An extension of theSouth China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a majorUnited States Navy facility,U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, now an industrial and commercial area known as theSubic Bay Freeport Zone under theSubic Bay Metropolitan Authority.^[1]

Today, water as well as the towns and establishments surrounding the bay are collectively known as Subic Bay. This includes the former naval base,Hanjin shipyard,Olongapo city, the municipal town ofSubic, and the erstwhile US defense housing areas of Binictican and Kalayan housing, up toMorong, Bataan.^[2]

The bay was long recognized for its deep and protected waters, but development was slow due to lack of level terrain around the bay.^[1]

History

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In 1542, Spanish conquistadorJuan de Salcedo sailed into Subic Bay but no port developed there because the main Spanish naval base would be established in the nearbyManila Bay. When the Britishcaptured this base in 1762, the Spanish were forced to find an alternate location and Subic Bay was found to be a strategic and superb port location. In 1884, KingAlfonso XII of Spain decreed that Subic was to become "a naval port and the property appertaining thereto set aside for naval purposes."^[3]

In the Philippine Revolution the Spanish naval base in Subic was captured by revolutionary Philippine forces, helped by the Cuban-Filipino admiral,Vicente Catalan.

Aerial view of US Naval Base Subic Bay to the right and Naval Air Station Cubi Point to the left in 1990.

The Americans captured the Spanish base in 1899 during thePhilippine–American War, and controlled the bay until 1991. During this period, thenaval facilities were greatly built up and expanded, including a newnaval air station that was built in the early 1950s by slicing the top half from a mountain and moving the soil toreclaim a part of Subic Bay. In 1979, the area under American control was reduced from 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) to 6,300 hectares (16,000 acres) when the Philippines claimed sovereign rule over the base.^[1]^[3]

After the 1991Mount Pinatubo eruption, the Americans closed the base, and the area was transformed into theSubic Bay Freeport Zone.

In 2012, controversy arose when a contracted shipping firm was accused of dumping toxic waste into Subic Bay. MTGlenn Guardian, one of the vessels owned by a Malaysian firm, had collected 189,500 litres (41,700 imp gal; 50,100 US gal) of domestic waste and about 760 litres (170 imp gal; 200 US gal) ofbilge water fromUSS Emory S. Land, a US Navy ship. Since the Malaysian firm was contracted by the US Navy, albeit with Philippine approval, the incident ignited anti-American sentiments in the Philippines from a militant group.^[4]

Pamulaklakin Nature Park

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The Pamulaklakin Nature Park is a reserve area of Binictican.^[5] Part of the 11,000 hectares of forest is at Subic Bay. The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority created the park to supplement the income of the indigenous people. The term "Pamulaklakin" derives from a word for an herbal vine in the nativeAmbala language.

Shipwrecks of Subic Bay

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The majority of the wrecks in Subic Bay are a result of either theSpanish–American War in 1898 or ofWorld War II, when American aircraft sank a number ofJapanese vessels.^[6]

El Capitan (former USSMajaba) was a freighter of nearly 3,000 tons just under 130 meters (427 ft) long. In 1946, she sank in Subic Bay where she rests on a sloping bottom.
Hell shipOryoku Maru: On 15 December 1944, she had 1,619 American, British and Czechprisoners of war on board when she was sunk under heavy bombardment by American fighters while on her way from Subic Bay to Japan. She was less than half a kilometer off the Alava Pier when attacked. About 300 prisoners died during the short voyage from Manila and during the attack.
Seian Maru: During an air raid on Subic Bay, the 3,712-ton freighterSeian Maru was bombed and sunk. This was only four days after the sinking ofOryoku Maru on 19 December 1944.
Landing Ship, TankLST-559:^[7] She was scuttled in the middle of Subic Bay between the runway's southern tip andGrande Island.
The oldUSS New York, which had been renamed USSRochester in 1917. At the onset of theJapanese invasion of the Philippines, this ship was acting as a floating workshop and storehouse. The decommissionedcruiser's armored hull was considered too valuable to allow Japanese forces to capture it, so American forces scuttled the ship in December 1941.
San Quentin: During the Spanish–American War in 1898, the Spanish scuttled theirSan Quintín (now often calledSan Quentin) in hopes of blocking the passage between Grande Island and Chiquita Islands near the mouth of Subic Bay.
USS Lanikai, aschooner-rigged diesel powered yacht that served in theU.S. Navy during bothWorld War I andWorld War II before being transferred to theRoyal Australian Navy.^[8]
Japanese auxiliary minesweeperBanshu Maru No. 52^[9]
Japanese subchaserKyo Maru No. 11^[9]^[10]
Unidentified Japanese patrol boat: although some sources identify this wreck as the Japanese converted gunboatAso Maru,^[9] Japanese and American naval sources indicate that theAso Maru was torpedoed and sunk on 9 May 1943 by the US submarineUSSGar offNegros Island's south-west coast.^[11]
TheUSS Frank E. Evans was decommissioned at Subic Bay and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 July 1969 after a collision withHMAS Melbourne. The stern section was sunk as a target in Subic Bay on 10 October 1969.