Subic Bay History
CHAPTER
FIVE
WORLD WAR I
In 1917, as the United -States was drawn into the war in Europe, all the Navy's shipyards including Subic Bay began working feverishly to prepare their ships for sea. The pride with which the workers at Subic Bay, American and Filipino alike, is shown by a story told around the navy yard at the time:
At Subic Bay a division of destroyers had just completed overhaul and within four hours after notification got underway at full speed for Europe, reaching Gibraltar in record time without a breakdown, slowdown or mishap.
They were met by a British Admiral ' who inquired how much drydocking and repairs would be needed.
"We were just overhauled at Subic Bay, Sir," came the answer, "We should not need anything until the end of the war."
The Subic Bay destroyers became the vanguard of Admiral Sims convoy force.
In addition to regular work at Subic Bay, 26 German ships captured or interned in the area were overhauled and refitted, including the 600-foot liner Princess de Austria, renamed Matawaska, that took thousands of America soldiers to Europe.
German efforts to instigate discontent 'among the Filipinos failed. A USS Brooklyn crewman wrote that when the Armistice came on November 11, 1918, the "navy yard' whistles and bells sounded off and I was surprised to see the Philippine yard workers cheer and throw their hats in the air with joy. I guess the yard workers were as patriotic as we were!"
A popular song of the time was We Won I t Go Back To Subic Anymore!. Ship's bands always played it when sailors left the ship, homeward bound, for discharge or transfer.
Alcohol, even beer of modest percentage, was prohibited on the reservation. Subic Town, 3 miles across the bay by native banca boat, was only a nipa hut village hacked out of the jungle but had the advantage of selling alcohol. one bar was run by a former soldier of the all black 25th Infantry which had garrisoned Subic Town years earlier. He had taken a local discharge and opened a bar and small hotel with his Filipina wife.
The 1922 Washington Treaty for the Limitation of Naval Armaments nearly dealt a death blow to Subic Bay. This treaty included provisions that facilities for the repair and maintenance of U.S. naval forces in the Philippine Island would be reduced. Shops were dismantled at the navy yard at Subic Bay, Fort Wint was reduced to caretaker status and personnel levels were cut.
The Japanese government kept a close eye on activities in the Philippines for violations of the 1922 treaty. During the typhoon season of 1928, VT Squadron Five which operated Martin torpedo airplanes (T3M-52) out of Manila, arrived in Subic Bay on a routine training flight. A typhoon suddenly veered toward Subic Bay and the plane crews, with assistance from the navy yard workers laid down ramps to haul the seaplanes up on the beach. The pontoons were filled with water and the planes lashed down. When the typhoon had passed the undamaged planes were refloated and returned to their tenders at Manila.
A reaction from the Japanese was not long in coming. Within 3 weeks the squadron commander was informed of a Japanese complaint that the Navy had violated the treaty by increasing the facilities for plane handling at Subic Bay. The squadron commander was to provide all facts concerning the incident to the Philippine Governor General's office so that a response could be made to the Japanese government.
In addition to the limitations imposed by the treaty, the Navy was enduring a hand-to-mouth existence during the lean national defense days of the Coolidge Administration. The population of the station dwindled to about 61,000 by 1928 with only 60 Marines assigned. Eleven Marines were detailed as the town's police force with the ranking officer acting as the Patrol Officer. He was appointed by President of the Philippines Manuel Quezon as Justice of the Peace and discharged ex-pacifico duties. Each barrio, or neighborhood, of the reservation had one Marine assigned.
Even though the facilities at Subic Bay were reduced, some ship repair capability remained, including the Dewey drydock. An earthquake on August 30, 1923, devastated Yokohama, Japan. The transport Merritt was made seaworthy in 72 hours and left Subic Bay loaded with Red Cross relief supplies and 200 Filipino nurses.
While the naval station at Subic Bay was declining, the town of Olongapo was still enjoying some of its best years. Olongapo was reported in the Journal of the American Chamber of Commerce to be "one of the Navy's better jobs, with wide clean streets, neat dwellings, good public buildings and well stocked shops. The Navy may be proud of it - the cleanest and best governed town in the Philippines.”
Two fires in succession had cleaned out the old town and the new community was laid out along modern lines. The citizens got together and voluntarily assessed their real property, raising $250,000 for the purchase of an automatic system of f ire protection that was still in use up to World War II. Electricity, sewage services and water were provided to the town from the naval station. By the beginning of World War II the population of Olongapo was 15,000.
Roman Catholic, Filipino Independent, Church of Christ and Methodist churches ministered to the religious needs of the community. In 1932 the original parish church of San Roque was so dilapidated it was torn down. Through the efforts of a Filipino Jesuit, Father Leopoldo Arcaria, a new building was erected. Through the years the church has been rehabilitated several times but still serves today as the Subic Base Chapel.
The 10-bed Camilia Simpson Hospital was located in the building that is now the quarters of the Commander, Naval Station Subic Bay and provided medical care at low fees to those who could pay and free to those that couldn't. The hospital was established through the efforts of the wife of Captain Edward Simpson, Commandant of the Yard, and was named in her honor. It was maintained largely by U.S. Navy funds and private donations.
A tree planting program was begun in the late 1930's and the naval station was landscaped into what a Leatherneck magazine article of the time called "a virtual tropical garden ... most of the walks lined with coconut palms, hibiscus and gardenias." Just inland from the naval station there were jungled mountains, "teeming with iguana, deer, wild pig, wild carabao and one of the things for which the Philippines is famous - the Regal Python." A 37 foot python was bagged on Grande Island.
Outside activities for the Americans were many and varied. Sports of all kinds were available - baseball, tennis, handball and bowling. A golf course was laid out right in town in the area where Lowry Hall stands today. The year-round favorite was undoubtably swimming. Within walking distance of the station were several excellent beaches, the most popular being Half Moon Bay. Many picnics and moonlight parties were held there. The American sailors and Marines brought their girlfriends who entertained by singing native songs in Tagalog, Ilocano or Spanish as they danced around the bonfire.
Two miles further up the coast was Maquinaya, now the site of the town of Barrio Barretto. The Marines maintained a training area here, holding combat exercises, bush warfare pra-ctice as well as qualifications in rifle, pistol and machine gun.
Source: SUBIC BAY From Magellan to Mt. Pinatubo; by: Gerald R. Anderson; pp. 42-60
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