Oceania UN Geoscheme - Map of Micronesia

Naval Base Marshall Islands were

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

advance bases built on the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

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

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

efforts. The bases were built by US Navy after the

Marshall Islands campaign The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign was a series of engagements fought from August 1942 to February 1944, in the Pacific theatre of World War II between the United States and Japan. They were the first battles of a large-scale offensive ...

that captured the islands from the

Empire of 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 ...

. By February 1944 the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

had captured the islands. Most of the airfields and other facilities Japan had built were destroyed in

allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

raids and

naval bombardment Naval gunfire support (NGFS), also known as naval surface fire support (NSFS), or shore bombardment, is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of sever ...

. US Navy

Seabee United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Forces (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Dependi ...

Construction Battalions arrived as soon as the area was secured and remove the debris. The Seabees quickly repaired, built and improved the

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip 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 public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

s and

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

. Seabees often worked around the clock to get airfields operational so that

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 ...

and

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

s could start operating. The bases were used for staging upcoming campaigns and for repair.

History

At the start of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Japan took control of the Marshall Islands from the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

. Japan built bases on many of the islands and had troops stationed on the Marshall Islands. The tropical Marshall Islands are near the

Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the

International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...

. Marshall Islands has over five major islands and 29

coral atoll Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oce ...

s comprising 1,156 individual islands and

islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...

s. The Marshall Islands capital and largest city is

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain, Ratak ( ...

on a large coral atoll, Majuro atoll. The US Naval built bases for troops, ships,

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

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 ...

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, supply depots, training camps, fleet recreation facilities, and ship repair depots. To keep supplies following the bases were supplied by the vast II United States Merchant Navy. The Marshall Islands were in Japan's inner line of defense and 2,887 miles from Japan's homeland. At the end of the war, the Marshall Islands came under the control of the United States as part of the

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the U.S. during the Pacifi ...

until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986.

US Navy Marshall Islands Bases

Major US Navy Bases: *

Naval Base Eniwetok file:Marshall Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg, Marshall Islands on the globe in the Pacific Ocean Naval Base Eniwetok was a major United States Navy base located at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands, ...

, Fleet PO Box 3237, after

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

**Naval Base Engebi on Engebi Island in

Enewetak Atoll Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a leg ...

to support Wrigley Airfield, Fleet PO Box 3236 *

Naval Base Kwajalein Naval Base Kwajalein was a United States Navy base built on Kwajalein Atoll, in the Marshall Islands to support the World War II efforts in the Pacific War. The base was built after the Battle of Kwajalein ended 3 February 1944. The US Navy bu ...

, Fleet PO Box 3233, won in

Battle of Kwajalein The Battle of Kwajalein was fought as part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. It took place 31 January – 3 February 1944, on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Employing the hard-learned lessons of the Battle of Tarawa, the Unite ...

Naval Base Majuro Map Majuro and Arno Atolls Naval Base Majuro was a major United States Navy base built on Majuro Atoll, in the Marshall Islands to support the World War II efforts in the Pacific War. The base was built after the Battle of Majuro-Kwajalein en ...

, Fleet PO Box 3234 ** Majuro Submarine Base ** Majuro Destroyer Base *Naval Base Ujelang, on

Ujelang Atoll Ujelang Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is an uninhabited coral atoll of 30 islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is , and it encloses a lagoon of . It is the westernmost island in the Marshall I ...

, Fleet PO Box 3238, staging base for

Battle of Peleliu The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II by the United States Armed Forces, US military, was fought between the United States and Empire of Japan, Japan during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign of World War II, from 15 Septe ...

*Naval Base Mille, on

Mili Atoll Mili Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 92 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. It is located approximately southeast of Arno. Its total land area is making it th ...

to support Milo Airfield, Fleet PO Box 3250 *Naval Base Moloelap on

Maloelap Atoll The Maloelap Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) (also spelled Maleolap) is a coral atoll of 71 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its land area is only , but that encloses a lagoon o ...

, to support

Taroa Airfield Taroa Airfield was a major air base approximately three miles long and one mile wide on Taroa Island in the Maloelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The runway, which spanned the length of the island, is still in use today and known as Maloelap Airp ...

, Fleet PO Box 3119 * Naval Base at

Jaluit Atoll Jaluit Atoll ( Marshallese: , , or , ) is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is , and it encloses a lagoon with a ...

, FPO#3000 Minor US Navy bases: *

Wotje Atoll Wotje Atoll (Marshallese language, Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 75 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Geography Wotje's land area of is one of the largest in the Ma ...

on Ormed Island, Fleet PO Box 3243, Naval base to support Wotje Airfield. *

Bikini Atoll Bikini Atoll ( or ; Marshallese language, Marshallese: , , ), known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 19th century and 1946, is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a central lagoon. The atoll is at the no ...

, Fleet PO Box 3078,

Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity on July 16, 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices sinc ...

test site *

Rongelap Atoll Rongelap Atoll ( ; , ) is an uninhabited coral atoll of 61 islands (or motus) in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is . It encloses a lagoon with an area of . ...

, Fleet PO Box 3244, former Japan base, Atoll islanders were evacuated before US Castle Bravo test fallout. *

Rongerik Atoll Rongerik Atoll or Rongdrik Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is an unpopulated coral atoll of 17 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and is located in the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands, approximately east of Bikini Atoll. Its total land area is only , ...

, Fleet PO Box 3055, toll islanders were evacuated before Castle Bravo test fallout. * Taongi Atoll, Fleet PO Box 3057 *

Likiep Atoll Likiep Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 65 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. It is approximately northwest of Wotje. Its total land area is only , but that en ...

, Fleet PO Box 3058 *

Erikub Atoll Erikub Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is an uninhabited coral atoll of fourteen islands in the Pacific Ocean, located in the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon with an area of . It is located ...

, Fleet PO Box 3059 *

Ailinglaplap Atoll Ailinglaplap or Ailinglapalap ( Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 56 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain in the Marshall Islands. It is located northwest of Jaluit Atoll. Its total land area is ...

, Fleet PO Box 3060 *

Namu Atoll Namu Atoll (Marshallese language, Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 54 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only , but that encloses a lagoon of . It i ...

, Fleet PO Box 3071 * Kusaie Island and Lelu Harbor, Fleet PO Box 3072 *

Ebon Atoll Ebon Atoll (Marshallese language, Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 22 islands in the Pacific Ocean, forming a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its land area is , and it encloses a deep lagoon with an area of . ...

, Fleet PO Box 3073 *

Ujae Atoll Ujae Atoll ( Marshallese: or , ) is a coral atoll of 15 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon of . It is located about ...

, Fleet PO Box 3076 *

(Majuro Fleet PO Box) * Maug Island, Fleet PO Box 3077

Post war

At the end of the war, the Marshall Islands came under the control of the United States as part of the

until the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986. Marshall Islands were given self-government on 1 May 1979.

Compact of Free Association The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) are international agreements establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia ( ...

was make between the Marshall Islands and United States on 21 October 1986. These close associations United States dollar and English are used in the Marshall Islands. The Compact of Free Association agrees that US is responsible the defense of the Marshall Islands. The compact gives the Marshall Islands ( Marshallese) the right to

emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

, without a visa, to the United States .
The vast

Kwajalein Missile Range The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, commonly referred to as the Reagan Test Site (formerly Kwajalein Missile Range), is a missile test range in Marshall Islands (Pacific Ocean). It covers about and includes rocket launch s ...

was built Marshall Islands during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

Gallery

File:Pacific_Theater_Areas;map1.JPG, Pacific War Theater Areas map 1942 File:South_Pacific_islands_1945.jpg, South Pacific islands in 1945 File:Enewetak or Eniwetok atoll.jpg,

Eniwetok Atoll Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a leg ...

and Parry Island File:Enewetak map.png, Map Enewetak File:NAS Kwajalein NAN7-49.jpg, NAS Kwajalein File:Wyspy Roi-Namur - mapa.PNG, Map

Roi-Namur Roi-Namur ( ) is an island in the north part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Today, the island is a major part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, hosting several radar systems used for tracking and character ...

File:Kwajalein Atoll 2.jpg, Map

Kwajalein Atoll Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ) is part of the Marshall Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking re ...

File:80-G-425529.jpg,

Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Vought, Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production con ...

fighters at

Majuro Airfield Majuro Airfield or Naval Air Facility Majuro (NAF Majuro) is a former World War II airfield on the island of Delap in the Marshall Islands. The facility was supported by a large base, Naval Base Majuro. History World War II Majuro Airfield was o ...

File:Majuro Satellite.PNG, Majuro Atoll Satellite photo File:MH -map A.png, Map of the Marshall Islands File:SBD-5 VMSB-321 Majuro Aug1944.jpg, Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber at Majuro Airfield USS Essex (CV-9) at Majuro Atoll on 2 March 1944.jpg,

USS Essex (CV-9) USS ''Essex'' (CV/CVA/CVS-9) was an aircraft carrier and the lead ship of the 24-ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in December 1942, ''Essex'' partic ...

at Majuro Atoll on 2 March 1944.jpg File:Local Traffic Regulations.png, Majuro road built by US Navy File:SBDs VMSB-231 Majuro 1944.jpg,

Douglas SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main Carrier-based aircraft, ...

s with VMSB-231 at Majuro in 1944 File:B-24 liberators- Kwajalein-June 1944.jpg,

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 desi ...

on Kwajalein in June 1944 File:USS LST-29 Kwajalein February 1944.jpg, USS LST-29 at Kwajalein causeway February 1944 File:Kwajalein Invasion, February 1944.jpg, Kwajalein February 1944 File:LST-476 and LST-479 land vehicles and supplies at Roi Island, circa in early February 1944 (80-G-54417).jpg, US Navy ship USS LST-476 and USS LST-479 land vehicles and supplies at Roi Island in February 1944 File:Wyspy Roi-Namur - mapa.PNG, Map of Roi-Namur during World War II. The causeway is roughly centered. File:SBD VB-16 over USS Washington 1943.jpg, An

SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/dive ...

flies patrol over USS ''Washington'' and USS ''Lexington'' during the Marshall islands campaign. File:Tradex.jpg, ALTAIR radar at Roi-Namur today File:Kwajalein Atoll 2003-02-07 - Landsat 7 - 30m.png, File:Kwajalein Atoll in 2003 by

Landsat 7 Landsat 7 is the seventh satellite of the Landsat program. Launched on 15 April 1999, Landsat 7's primary goal is to refresh the global archive of satellite photos, providing up-to-date and cloud-free images. The Landsat program is managed and ...

File:Dyess Army Airfield.png, Dyess Army Airfield File:Delta Mariner at Meck Island orig (2009).jpg,

Meck Island Meck Island (, ) is part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Ralik Chain in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. Meck is part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, and a launch site for anti-ballis ...

part of

File:Nike Zeus tracking radars on Kwajalein in 1960s.jpg,

Nike Zeus Nike Zeus was an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system developed by the United States Army during the late 1950s and early 1960s that was designed to destroy incoming Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile warheads before they could hit their ...

tracking radars on Kwajalein in 1960s File:Mt-Olympus Nike Zeus.jpg, Photo of "Mount Olympus", the Nike-Zeus launcher complex on Kwajalein Island. The built-up hill allowed full-sized Zeus silos to be built into land only feet above sea level.

External links

youtube.com Majuro Atoll Marshall Islandyoutube.com Task Force At Majuro Atoll Marshall Island

References

{{Marshall Islands topics Naval Stations of the United States Navy Closed installations of the United States Navy 1944 establishments in Oceania Military installations established in 1944 Kwajalein Atoll