Marine_tractor_pulls_OS2U_on_Funafuti_Beach_1943

Naval Base Funafuti was a naval base built by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in 1942 to support the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

effort. The base was located on the Island of Funafuti of the Ellice Islands in the Western Pacific Ocean. The island is now

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...

, an island country in the

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

n. After the

surprise attack Military deception (MILDEC) is an attempt by a military unit to gain an advantage during warfare by misleading adversary decision makers into taking action or inaction that creates favorable conditions for the deceiving force. This is usually ac ...

Naval Station Pearl Harbor Naval Station Pearl Harbor is a United States naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In 2010, along with the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base, the facility was merged to form Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. Pearl Harbor is ...

on December 7, 1941, the US Navy was in need of setting up more advance bases in the

Pacific Ocean 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 definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. At Naval Base Funafuti the Navy built a sea port, a small hospital,

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, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...

base, a

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 tec ...

base and an

airbase An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

History

The

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

started the construction of an airfield on Funafuti before the US entered the war. The US Army had some troops on Funafuti and refused the US Navy's request to have a Naval Base on the island in early 1942. The US Navy requested the base as Fongafale is midway between

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, a key refueling and communications link. On October 2, 1942, the US Navy landed the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

5th Defense Battalion The 5th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (5th AAA Bn) was a United States Marine Corps antiaircraft unit that served during World War II. Formed in 1940 as the 5th Defense Battalion, its original mission was providing air and coastal defense for ...

and arrived with 11 naval ships, in Operation Fetlock. Operation Fetlock was a secret mission, but on March 27, 1943, the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

discovered the new base. Soon after the Marine Corps landing the US Navy started dredging the Te Bua Bua Channel, so ships could anchorage in the island's lagoon. Local natives helped the building of the base, most spoke English, as they had learned it from the London Missionary delegation on the island. To

USS Terror (CM-5) USS ''Terror'' (CM-5) was a fleet minelayer of the United States Navy, the only minelayer of the fleet built specifically for and retained for minelaying during World War II (two sister ships, the ''Catskill'' and the ''Ozark'', were converted i ...

laid

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

s to the passages the navy was not using to get to the lagoon. The port and base were needed for the planned attacks on the

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

(

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

) that were occupied by Japanese forces. Funafuti is to the south-east of the Gilbert islands The lagoon offered fleet anchorage for up to 100 ships. After Japan discovered the new base, they made ten air raids on the new base from

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

on April 20, 1943, and Japan's

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

90mm antiaircraft guns were able to shoot down six bombers. By November 1942 the Navy completed a hard-packed coral. runway. US Navy Seabee, 2nd Naval Construction Battalion, extended the runway to in April 1943. VMF-441 a Marine Fighting Squadron, did missions with

F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atlan ...

, operated from Funafuti from May to September 1943. The new runway was about to land

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

bombers that bombed Japan's bases on the Gilberts Islands in 1944. The bomders were from the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

VII Bomber Command The VII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946. It engaged in patrol operations from Hawaii from January 1942. On the n ...

. On December 15, 1942, four VOS float planes ( Vought OS2U Kingfisher) from VS-1-D14 arrived at Funafuti to carry out anti-submarine patrols.

PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

s of US Navy Patrol Squadrons were stationed at Funafuti for short periods of time, including VP-34, which arrived at Funafuti on 18 August 1943 and VP-33, which arrived on September 26, 1943. In April 1943, a detachment of the 3rd Battalion constructed an aviation-gasoline tank farm on

Fongafale Fongafale (also spelled Fogale or Fagafale) is the largest of Funafuti's islets in Tuvalu. It is a long narrow sliver of land, 12 kilometres long and between 10 and 400 metres wide, with the South Pacific Ocean and reef on the east and the protec ...

`. Funafuti is east of the Solomon Islands and south of the Marshall Islands. The base was built on three of the nine island atolls of the Ellice islands: Funafuti, Nanomea and

Nukufetau Nukufetau is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu. The atoll was claimed by the US under the Guano Islands Act some time in the 19th century and was ceded in a treaty of friendship concluded in 1979 and coming into force in 1983. It has a ...

. Funafuti is about long and wide. At Funafuti that US Merchant Navy tankers transferred their fuel to US Navy fleet oilers, which transported the fuel into the combat zone to fuel

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

s. In the lagoon a small

seaplane base A seaplane base is a type of airport that is located in a body of water, usually a river, bay, harbor, or lake, where seaplanes and amphibious aircraft take-off and land. History Initially following the invention of the seaplane, traditional boat ...

and

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, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...

bases were built. Naval Base Funafuti supported

Operation Catchpole The Battle of Eniwetok was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought between 17 February 1944 and 23 February 1944, on Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The invasion of Eniwetok followed the American success in the Battle ...

in the Marshall Islands group. At Naval Base Funafuti US Merchant Navy

tanker ship A tanker (or tank ship or tankship) is a ship designed to transport or store liquids or gases in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and gas carrier. Tankers also carry commodities such as vegetable oils, ...

s transferred fuel to US Navy

fleet oilers A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...

. The fleet oilers would fuel warships ship closer to the combat zone. By July 1944, the war had moved closer to Japan and much of the base was moved to more forward bases. After the airfield became commercial airport,

Funafuti International Airport Funafuti International Airport is an airport in Funafuti, in the capital city of the island nation of Tuvalu. It is the sole international airport in Tuvalu. Fiji Airways (trading as Fiji Link) operates between Suva and Funafuti. Air Kiribati pr ...

Service Squadron 4

As operations at Naval Base Funafuti increased more support was needed. The US Navy started and sent Service Squadron 4 to Naval Base Funafuti arriving on November 21, 1943. The Service Squadron ships supported ships at port and supplement the land base operations. Service Squadron 4 started with 24 ships based at Funafuti port. Stationed at the port was the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

, a destroyer tender . Service Squadron 4 operated as a complete floating naval base with tenders, repair ships and concrete barges. To keep the fleet in operation and serviced Service Squadron 4 had: repair ships and . Some other ships in Service Squadron 4: The internal combustion engine repair ship

USS Luzon (ARG-2) USS ''Luzon'' (ARG-2) was an internal combustion engine repair ship in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947 and from 1950 to 1960. She was the lead ship in a class of twelve ships and was scrapped in 1974. Construction ''Luzon' ...

, tugboat Keosanqua I (AT-38), oiler

USS Truckee (AO-147) USS ''Truckee'' (AO-147) was a -class fleet oiler of the United States Navy in service from 1955 to 1994. The ship was named after the Truckee River in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. ''Truckee'' was laid down in December 1953 at Camd ...

, hospital ship USS Chaumont, for good storage the USS Alchiba; Troopship,

barracks ship A barracks ship or barracks barge or berthing barge, or in civilian use accommodation vessel or accommodation ship, is a ship or a non-self-propelled barge containing a superstructure of a type suitable for use as a temporary barracks for sai ...

s: USs Republic, USS Henderson, USS Harris,

USS St. Mihiel ''St. Mihiel'' was a troopship built for the United States Shipping Board by the American International Shipbuilding Corporation at Hog Island, Pennsylvania. The ship was operated from 1922 until mid-1940 as USAT ''St. Mihiel'' by the Army Transp ...

, USS U. S. Grant (AP-29). The USS Mettawee (AOG-17), an oil tanker, served as a station tanker at Funafuti from February through April 1943.

Supported airfields

Naval Base Funafuti,

Naval Base Samoa Naval Base Samoa, codename ''Operation Straw'', was a number of United States Navy bases at American Samoa in the central Pacific Ocean. The bases were used during World War II to support the island hopping Pacific war efforts of the allied nati ...

and Naval Base Fiji supported three airfields: *Naval Base to support

Nanumea Airfield Nanumea Airfield is a former World War II airfield on the island of Nanumea in the Ellice Islands (now known as Tuvalu). History World War II Nanumea Airfield was built by United States Navy Seabees during the Pacific War as an alternative stri ...

Nanumea Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about of the Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Nanumea is with a popul ...

, Ellice Islands, closed 1945 *Naval Base to support

Nukufetau Airfield Nukufetau Airfield is a former World War II airfield on the south-eastern side of Nukufetau on Motulalo Island during the Pacific War. History Nukufetau Airfield was built by United States Navy Seabees on Motulalo island as an alternative strip ...

, Ellice Islands, closed 1945 *Naval Base Canton Island to support

Airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

in the Phoenix Islands, closed 1945

References

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Naval Base Funafuti Naval Base Funafuti was a naval base built by the United States Navy in 1942 to support the World War II effort. The base was located on the Island of Funafuti of the Ellice Islands in the Western Pacific Ocean. The island is now Tuvalu, an isla ...

Naval Stations of the United States Navy Closed installations of the United States Navy 20th century in American Samoa 1942 establishments in Oceania 1945 disestablishments in Oceania Military installations established in 1942 Military installations closed in 1945

History

Service Squadron 4

Supported airfields

See also

References