Subic Bay History
CHAPTER
FOUR
DECADE OF DISAPPOINTMENT
During 1900, the General Board of the Navy made a thorough study of the naval base building program, including the newly acquired overseas possessions. For the Philippines, they believed that the U.S. fleet could be easily bottled up in either manila Bay or Subic Bay. They reached a unanimous decision recommending Guimaras Island south of Manila as the most suitable site for the main American naval base in the Philippines.
Many top naval officers, including Admiral of the Navy Dewey and Admiral George C. Remey, Commander of the Asiatic Station, disagreed. They thought Subic Bay held the greatest potential.
The Navy called for another study and Remey was appointed as the senior member. Not surprisingly, this board, "'after examining [Guimaras Island] and Olongapo, fixed upon the latter as the most suitable and practicable place."
A board of officers under Rear Admiral Henry C. Taylor was
appointed to develop a plan for the naval station. Extensive plans for
fortifications, dockyards, drydocks, workshops, hospital, a railroad
linking Olongapo with Manila and storage facilities fox 20,000 tons of
coal were drawn up and submitted to Congress.
A $1 million appropriation was requested to begin building the naval station. President Theodore Roosevelt, a strong supporter of a naval station at Subic Bay, issued an Executive order establishing the Subic Bay Naval Reservation.
Despite Roosevelt's support of the naval base at Subic Bay and strenuous warnings from Remey that Japan was turning its eyes southward, Congress declined to take any affirmative action, even while millions of dollars were being poured into unneeded shipyards in the United States.
In the fall of 1901 the call came to send help to the Army on the island of Samar. On the morning of September 28, 1901, insurgents at Balangiga had struck suddenly, massacring 42'men of Company C, Ninth U.S. Infantry, while the soldiers were having breakfast. A Marine expeditionary force was formed from Marines stationed at Cavite. Although no Marines from Subic Bay joined the expeditionary force, some troops were sent to Cavite to replace those being sent to Samar.
Commanded by Major Littleton W.T. Waller, the battalion embarked on the USS New York to avenge their comrades-in-arms and try to recover 50 Krag-Jorgensen rifles and over 25,000 rounds of ammunition that was lost to the insurgents. The Samar expedition became one of the most heroic and grueling chapters in Marine Corps history.
Because of the establishment of the Subic Bay Naval Reservation the previous November, more consideration was given Olongapo than before in the assignment of troops. When the Samar force returned at the beginning of March, 1902, 'its personnel were divided between Olongapo and Cavite. Cavite, however, still continued to have the largest concentration of Marines in the Philippines and remained as headquarters of the U.S. Navy for much the same reason that it had under the Spanish - proximity to Manila.
In December 1902, Rear Admiral Robley D. "Fighting Bob" Evans, Commander of the Asiatic Station, directed the first U.S. fleet exercise in Asian waters. An expeditionary force of. 200 Marines occupied and erected guns oh Grande Island. The channels on each side of the island were mined,, while vessels of the fleet operated in the bay itself. The exercise was highly successful and confirmed the Admiral's opinion of the strategic advantage of Subic Bay.
Because of the deteriorating condition of the station, Evans considered the need for emergency repairs at Subic Bay so urgent that he cabled his request to Washington. The Department of the Navy suggested in its reply that the buildings in question, having been in existence for some-years already, would continue to stand while a request was processed through normal channels. The station would receive no money for maintenance or improvements for the first 5 years under the U.S. flag.
Even though Admiral Evans could do nothing to convince the Navy Department or Congress to fund the development of the naval station, he was able to increase the role of the Marines at Subic Bay. On February 3, 1903, he established a reserve battalion of 500 Marines there in addition to the regular garrison of 100 men. He considered this a sufficient force to handle any emergency that might arise on the Asiatic Station. Guns, mounts, mines, torpedoes and other advanced base materials were stored at Subic Bay.
The Navy Department approved Evans plan but set the strength of the brigade at 1,500 with an expeditionary force of 1,000 men at Subic Bay and garrison forces of 350 at Cavite, 100 at Subic. Bay and 25 each at the small, bases at Pollock and Isaneiia de Basilian.
As part of this strengthening of the First Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Charles A. Doyen's battalion of 600 Marines arrived in Manila in April 1904 on the transport Buford. They transferred to tugs, arriving in Subic Bay shortly after nightfall. In the pitch black night the Marines felt their way around by the dim light from tin lanterns. They were marched to the Quartermaster building where they were issued "Helen Gould" folding canvas cots, pillows and mosquito nets and taken to their quarters. The old Spanish barracks that had housed the Marines since their arrival 3 years before, were supplemented with thatched huts built in the native Filipino style from the leaves of the nipa palm. These were welcomed by the Marines since most of the Spanish buildings leaked and needed new floors and paint.
After the Marines had put their layouts in order as well as the gloom allowed, they marched to the mess hall for their introductory meal in Subic Bay - "railroad hash," prunes, dry bread and coffee. Railroad hash,, according to one young private, "consisted of culinary tidbits not suited to any other purpose, covered with a layer of stiff pastry - on the principle, we suppose, that the eater was entitled to an element of surprise." This was the first of many similar meals to come.
The value of Subic Bay as a training area was recognized by Admiral Train, Evans successor as commander of the Asiatic Station. The Marines "practice marches... into a wild and most difficult country," he wrote in 1905, "their building of bridges, making of roads and practice in everything that is a part of a sloldier's duty in the field, all go to make Subic Bay the most valuable school that any soldier ever had.... 11 Hikes were usually 5 days long, the Marines cutting their way through dense undergrowth, wading streams and swamps, crossing mountains,, carrying 40 to 60 pound packs and 100 rounds of ammunition. Each squad of 12 men was self-sufficient and had to look after itself.
If the squad leader didn't know how to spread the rations over the period of the hike, held have to swap his spare shirt to a Filipino farmer for a chicken or rice and bananas. NCOs developed leadership under these conditions and their prestige rose or fell as they proved themselves on hikes.
Many amusing events occurred on these hikes. one involved a young captain and a stubborn mule. A company set out on a hike with all its chow loaded on a white pack mule.
After a few miles, the mule, true to his heritage, balked and refused to move further. Despite the pushing and pleading of the entire company the mule would not budge. Finally, the exasperated captain built a fire under the stubborn animal's belly. The mule reconsidered his firm stand and trotted along with the company, causing no further trouble during the hike. The young captain's name was Hiram I. Bearss, decorated 11 times during his career, including the Medal of Honor for service on Samar.
If the end of the day found the Marines near a town, they'd set up camp on the public square, buy a few tins of bino and have a rousing time around a bonfire. Bino was a mildly intoxicating local concoction of unknown origin or composition. It was a memorable event for these small communities when a company of Marines marched in and set up house. The whole town gathered around in the evening to watch the "crazy Americanos" sit around a big f ire, sing ribald songs and curse their hard luck.
While in garrison the training continued with the Marines regularly conducting a wall scaling drill by climbing over the wall surrounding the yard. The drill was a ticklish affair as bits of broken glass were embedded on the top of the wall and nests of ferocious red ants were always stirred up as the Marines clambered over.
Undoubtably least popular among the Marines was a weekly drill in the swamp based on the scenario of a night-time attack on the station. Marines were set up in attack and defense companies, ducking and dodging among the mangroves, waist or neck deep in liquid, foul smelling mud.
The Marines and sailors did find time to relax during their off-duty time. There were five saloons in Olongapo, one owned, by former Marine, John Jacob Gordon, on a homestead on the Santa Rita River just outside of the Reservation boundary. It was nicknamed Gordon's Chicken Farm. In 1907 Asiatic cholera swept Subic Bay killing many Filipinos and Americans. The clean water and healthy atmosphere at Gordon's place made it popular and was credited with saving many lives.
There was a dancehall owned by a Filipino named Joe Gonzales, which was just big enough for a 3 piece band and 8 dancers.
There was also a restaurant operated by a Chinese man whose menu consisted of ham and eggs and what he called "flied fish." Usually he was out of ham and his hens laid "discouraging eggs" and at times there were no fish to “fly.”
There were numerous small stores, called tiendas, in town, all of which sold gin and bino.
A water distilling plant was eventually built on the base. In those days before refrigeration, the water came out-of the plant just slightly below the boiling point. This did not escape the attention of the Post Exchange officer, who, ever alert to make an honest penny, had the excess water piped to a shower room in the nearby Post Exchange building, abutting the bay. Because of the one-nickel fee, the bathroom suffered in popularity and was neglected. The underpinning of the wooden floor rotted away and the floor sloped crazily toward the bay. A Marine or sailor who craved a hot shower, and whose finances could stand a nickel, gold, had to tie a rope around his middle and hook himself to a stout nail in the ceiling t avoid sliding on the slippery floor into the bay.
The Marines put out a little weekly newspaper printed on a flatbed mimeograph. It was called the Olongapo optimist and had eight pages, selling for one nickel. It carried news of the camp, gossip, sports, hikes, descriptions of the natives and country, all garnished to read favorable, since most of the Marines and sailors sent their copies home.
There was a halo of romance about the hometown boy who had ventured so far away as the Philippines. He was sort of a hero, braving the dangers and the hardships. Most of the hometown papers reprinted every word of the Optimist, and the homefolks would send the clippings back to the hero at Subic Bay to let him know he was not forgotten.
Although excellent hunting and fishing were available around the naval reservation,, it was stiff guard duty, drills, parades and reviews that kept the Marines' from boredom. To relieve the strain, they occasionally would put on a minstrel show, a vaudeville-show or a boxing match.. There were many good fighters among the Subic Bay Marines,, with some bouts going for 10 or 15 hard-fought rounds.
In 1904, the base pay for a private of Marines was $12i8O with a concession of 20 per cent for Foreign Service. This was soon gone after he paid his credit, or jawbone, to the Post Exchange and had settled with the launderer, the barber, the hat blocker, the shoemaker, the banana peddler and so on.
A few days later he had to start the financial round, again by signing on the dotted line at the Post Exchange. Credit was given in the form of pieces of thick yellow cardboard, each good for 5 cents, gold. These pasteboards were handy for gambling and, on each drawpay, the barracks was a miniature Monte Carlo.
Within a couple of days, most of the pasteboards found their way into the ditty boxes of the sharpers, who converted' them into currency by turning them in to the Post Exchange steward. One enterprising Marine thought he could beat the system by forging the pasteboards. There was consternation for a while on the, part of the Post Exchange until the counterfeiter was caught.
After a Marine spent a year at Subic Bay he was a seasoned soldier, able to fend for himself under any conditions, to cook his food, make himself a camp quickly and efficiently in the jungle out of native materials.
Doyen was relieved in April 1905 by Major Joseph H. Pendleton. Subic Bay continued to be one of the best training areas in the Corps, but the naval station at Subic Bay continued to suffer from a lack of operating and maintenance funds. It took the outbreak of war between Russia and Japan in, 1904 and increasing tension between the U.S. and 'Japan to stimulate Congress into action. Even then, although the Navy called for a 5 to 7 year building program costing $10 million, Congress provided only $860,000. Appropriations for following years also fell far short of the Navy's requests.
In June 1907, as tension with Japan mounted, orders were secretly issued for Army and Navy forces in the Philippines to concentrate at Subic Bay. A large supply of coal and certain advance base materials including coastal defense guns were to be moved from Cavite.
Acrimonious debate broke out as General Leonard Wood and other military leaders attacked this plan. They insisted it would be impossible to defend Subic Bay, pointing out the Russian experience at Port Arthur which had been captured by the Japanese army. The Russian Baltic fleet, sent to relieve the base, arrived in Asian waters exhausted and without adequate supply or repair facilities and was utterly destroyed by Admiral Togo.
The see-saw debate over the Philippine position led to a far-reaching decision: the discarding of plans to build a major repair base in the islands. Roosevelt had written in 1904 "if we are to exert the slightest influence in western Asia... it is of the highest importance that we have a naval station at Subic Bay. 11 By 1908, disappointed by the vacillations in military policy, he summed up the Philippine situation as a "humiliating experience." Roosevelt now pushed for funding for the development of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In this effort he was more successful, obtaining an initial Congressional appropriation of almost $1 million, followed a few months later with a like amount.
Source: SUBIC BAY From Magellan to Mt. Pinatubo; by: Gerald R. Anderson; pp. 28-41
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