Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo or Naval Base Espiritu Santo, most often just called ''Espiritu Santo'', was a major advance Naval base that the U.S. Navy Seabees built during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to support the Allied effort in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. The base was located on the island of

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...

in the New Hebrides, now

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

, in the South Pacific. The base also supported the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and US Marine Corps. It was the first large advance base built in the Pacific. By the end of the war it had become the second-largest base in the theater. To keep ships tactically available there was a demand for bases that could repair and resupply the fleet at advance locations, rather than return them to the United States. Prior to December 7th,

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

was the U.S. fleet's largest advance base in the Pacific. Espiritu became capable of all aspects necessary to support the Fleet's operations from fleet logistics in fuel, food, and ammunition, to transport embarkation for combat operations or returning to the continental United States. The ship repair facilities and

drydock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

s were capable of attending to most damage and routine maintenance. Had it not existed, ships would have had to return to Pearl Harbor,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, or

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

for major repairs and resupply. The base became a major R and R destination for the fleet.

History

At the start of the war Espiritu Santo was one of a string of roughly 80 islands under the rule of a joint British and French New Hebrides colony. The administration was the Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides. U.S. troops first set up a base in May 1942 on the nearby island of

Efate Efate (), also known as Île Vate (), is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third larg ...

, as a defence against the expanding

Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

. In July 1942 the 1st Construction Battalion (CB) sent a detail from the 3rd CB Construction detachment that was on Efate to Espiritu Santo to build a bomber strip to attack the Japanese on

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

. The 4th Marine Defense Battalion and the

24th Infantry Regiment The 24th Infantry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army, active from 1869 until 1951, and since 1995. Before its original dissolution in 1951, it was primarily made up of African American soldiers. History The 24th Infantry Regiment (on ...

both on Efate respectively sent an anti-aircraft battery and an

Infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

Company to help the Seabees. Together, working around the clock, they built Turtle Bay Airfield in 20 days. In August, 7th CB arrived tasked with constructing a base.Espiritu Santo, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, History of the Bureau of Yards, and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940-1946, Volume II, US GPO, Washington, 1947, p.228-3

/ref> In 60 days they had built a second field and began work on two more. In October, the 15th CB arrived, followed by the 35th CB on January 27, 1943. In February, the 36th Naval Construction Battalion arrived as did the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40, 40th CB.

Facilities

* Navy port - support base * Navy Base Hospital No. 1 at Bellevue plantation, 1,500-beds in

quonset hut A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel with a semi-circular cross-section. The design was developed in the United States based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War I. Hund ...

s (600 beds to start) * Navy Base Hospital No. 2 * Navy Base Hospital No. 3, now Northern Provincial Hospital * 25th Evacuation Hospital * Naval harbors for anchoring * Floating drydock repairs * Luganville Seaplane Base served the PBY

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...

s at Havannah Harbor * Pontoon wharf at Santo * Vanuatu Labor Corps * Naval Air Station Tender * Crash boat base * Aviation Overhaul shop * Red Cross Service Club * Officers Club * Casual camp * Motor pool * Quartermaster Laundry * 17th Photo Detachment * Army Air Force Transient Camp * Army Air Force Fighter pilot camp * Royal New Zealand Air Force Fighter pilot camp * Firing ranges * Torpedo assembly center * Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit * Navy Fleet Ammunition Stores, large complex north of base for safety * Marine Air Depot Squadron * Army Air Force Bombers Camp * Marine Camp * Marine Air Warning Squadron * Oxygen Plant * Navy Net Layer center * US Navy Port Director's Office, now Cruise Ship Terminal * Navy Pier No 1, now Cruise Ship Terminal * Navy Pier No 2, 3 and 4 * Aore Island - Navy Ammunition store, Navy mine assembly, Fuel Store, Fleet Recreational Center *

PT Boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

base #1 and #2 * Sarakata River Bridge * Boat repair dock * Pallikula Bay Pontoon Wharf * AA gun emplacements * Naval Air Transport Service Facilities * Tank farms for: Fuel oil, aviation fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline * Headquarters at Malapoa Point * Barracks * Navy Bank * Fleet Post Office FPO# 140 SF Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides * Mess halls * Navy Communication Center * Troop store * Royal New Zealand Air Force seaplane base * Military supply depot * Espiritu Santo Military Cemetery opened in 1944 * Army 122nd Station Hospital * 687th Quartermaster Bakery Company * US Army Radar & Searchlight * 674th Signal Air Warning Company * Coral mining pits * Trash dump Built at the bases were personnel housing, piers, roads, shops, power plants, water plants and large storage depots with fuel, ammunition, food and other consumable supplies. Fuel for ships, planes and vehicles was in much demand. The build up of Espiritu Santo was both a defense strategy and then a staging point for the offense against the Japanese. The base supported action in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

. The base was very active in the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major military campaign, campaign of the Pacific War during World War II. The campaign began with the Empire of Japan, Japanese seizure of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island, B ...

and

New Guinea campaign The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Territory of New Guinea on 23 January and Territory of Papua on ...

. There were always fears that New Hebrides and Espiritu Santo would be invaded. To build all the bases and airfield tens of thousands of tonnes of equipment was shipped to the base. By the end of the war 9 million tonnes of equipment had been shipped there and over 500,000 servicemen and women had spent some time at New Hebrides and Espiritu Santo.

Airfields

US Navy seabees built four airfields near the naval base, three to support United States Army Air Forces

bombers A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strategic bombing is ...

, one to support

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

. The

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

and US Marine Corps also operated from the airfields. * Palikulo Bay Airfield also called Bomber Field #1 * Pekoa Airfield also called Bomber Field #2, which became the international airport after the war * Luganville Airfield also called Bomber Field #3 * Turtle Bay Airfield also called Fighter Field #1 The base also supported the US

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

base, to the southwest and the

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

training base, to the east. Crushed coral was used for the runways, ramps and road. Local coconut logs were used in building the base.

Auxiliary floating drydock

Auxiliary floating drydocks were used to repair ships. Three large floating

s were stationed at the base. Advance base sectional dock (ABSD) were able to repair the largest of the Navy's ships. * USS ''Artisan'' (ABSD-1) (A-J), built by Everett-Pacific and others, docked in the Segond Channel, off

Aese Aese Island (also known as Aessi, Haiite Island) is a private uninhabited island in Sanma Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. Geography Aese Island is located off the east coast of Espiritu Santo Island. The island has an area of , or 169 ...

island. This was the largest floating drydock ever built able to lift 90,000 tons out of the water for repairs. * USS ''AFD-14'' served Espiritu Santo. This was a Small Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock. AFD were built as one piece, open at both ends. AFD were used to repair small craft,

PT boats A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hamper ...

and small submarines. *( (A-J), built by Mare Island Naval Shipyard in

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California, United States, and the second largest city in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the ci ...

. Assembled at the base and then towed to

Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 40 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-cov ...

's Seeadler Harbor.) *( (A-G), built by Mare Island Naval Ship Yard (NSY). Assembled at the base and then towed to Admiralty Islands's Seeadler Harbor. Attacked by air on April 27, 1945. Partially sunk 1989 as a reef.)

SS ''President Coolidge''

sank at Espiritu Santo. ''Coolidge'' was built as luxury ocean liner in 1931. In 1941 the US War Department converted the ship to a

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

with a capacity of 5,000. On 26 October 1942 it was sunk by two U.S. Navy mines when it unknowingly entered a mined area. It was run aground to keep from sinking while the crew and 5,340 troops safely disembarked. Two died from the mine explosions: a fireman in the engine room and a captain of the 103rd Field Artillery Regiment who had returned to the ship when he heard men were still trapped in the infirmary. As the ship went down it slipped off the reef and sank in the channel. The ''President Coolidge'' is the largest and most accessible wreck dive in the world. The ship has vast array of corals and fish, including barracuda and sharks. The ''President Coolidge'' is part of the tentative list of

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

listing.

Million dollar point

At the end of the war a vast amount of vehicles, supplies and equipment at the bases was deemed not needed and too costly to ship to the U.S.The Million Dollar Point of Vanuatu, Kaushik Patowary, Amusing Planet web site, November 201

/ref> Also it would have hurt home front industries in bringing all the gear home as there was already a vast amount of

military surplus Military surplus is goods, usually materiel, that are sold or otherwise disposed of when held in excess or are no longer needed by the military. Entrepreneurs often buy these goods and resell them at surplus stores. Usually the goods sold by th ...

. The U.S. attempted to sell much of the gear to the French for 6 cents on the dollar. The French hoped that by buying none of the gear the U.S would abandon the base and get everything for free. But the U.S had the Seabees build a ramp into the sea near Luganville Airfield. The gear was then dumped into the sea. The base was abandoned in February 1946. Today the site is a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

called ''Million Dollar Point''.

Post war

In 1948 author, James Michener wrote a sequence of fictional short stories called ''

Tales of the South Pacific ''Tales of the South Pacific'' is a Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of sequentially related short stories by James A. Michener about the Pacific campaign in World War II. The stories are based on observations and anecdotes he collected while s ...

''. The stories became the basis for the

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...

musical, '' South Pacific''. As many troops stayed at or passed through the base, the island became a tourist spot, including a popular

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

spot. The Navy base is now part of the city of Luganville.

South Pacific World War II Museum

There is a plan to build a '' South Pacific World War II Museum'' on Espiritu Santo in the town of

Luganville Luganville is the second largest city in Vanuatu after the capital Port Vila; it is located on the island of Espiritu Santo and has a population of 18,062 as of the 2020 census. Those on Vanuatu's northern islands who regard Luganville as their ...

. The site will be at Unity Park, Main Street, Luganville, Vanuatu. On 26 October 2017 the South Pacific World War II's Museum Museum Project Development Office opened. A few

s and other remnants can still be found on the island.

References

External links

Video Espiritu Santo Navy Base Hospital No. 3 #1Video Espiritu Santo Navy Base Hospital No. 3 #2Video Espiritu Santo Navy Base Hospital No. 3 #3Video Espiritu Santo Navy Base HospitalVideo, August 15, 1944 the mighty battleship Idaho arrived at Espiritu SantoYoutube, BATTLESHIP USS IDAHO REPAIRED AT ESPIRITU SANTO in 1944 in USS Artisan (ABSD-1)1
{{Provinces and islands of Vanuatu Military installations established in 1942 Naval Stations of the United States Navy World War II airfields in the Pacific Ocean Theater Espiritu Santo Airfields of the United States Navy Military installations closed in the 1940s 1942 establishments in the New Hebrides 1946 disestablishments in Oceania 1940s in the New Hebrides Military installations closed in 1946 Closed installations of the United States Navy