Naval Base Saipan or Naval Advance Base Saipan or Naval Air Base Saipan was a

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 ...

Naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

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 Pacific Ocean theater of war and the many warships and troops fighting the war. The base was on the island of

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

in the

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territory and Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States consistin ...

. The base was part of the Pacific

island hopping campaign Leapfrogging was an amphibious military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan during World War II. The key idea was to bypass heavily fortified enemy islands instead of trying to capture every island ...

. The base construction started after the

Battle of Saipan The Battle of Saipan was an amphibious assault launched by the United States against the Empire of Japan during the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II between 15 June and 9 July 1944. The initial invasion triggered the Battle of the ...

ended on July 9, 1944. US Naval Advance Base Saipan was constructed by the

Seabees 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 ...

Naval Mobile Construction Battalions. The base was under the

Commander Naval Forces Marianas The Commander Naval Forces Marianas, also known as COMNAVMARIANAS, is the Navy force shore commander responsible for United States Navy activities in Guam, Saipan, Tinian and the surrounding islands, and is an Rear Admiral. COMNAVMARIANAS is curr ...

. Saipan is long and wide. About 70% of the island was

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

cultivation at the start of the base construction. At the start of the Battle of Saipan, the island's population had about 30,000 Japanese troops and about 20,000 Japanese civilians. The city of

Garapan Garapan ( Old Japanese name: 柄帆町, ''Garapan-chō'') is the largest village and the center of the tourism industry on the island of Saipan, which is a part of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Garapan, ...

was the administrative center for the Saipan governmental district. The Navy used 110 ships to bring troops and equipment to Saipan from

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. Included in the Saipan fleet were 37

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 ...

s (APA and AP), 11

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

s (AKA and AK), 5

Dock landing ship A dock landing ship (also called landing ship, dock or LSD) is an amphibious warfare ship with a well dock to transport and launch landing craft and amphibious vehicles. Some ships with well decks, such as the Soviet Ivan Rogov class, also hav ...

s, 47

Landing Ship, Tank A Landing Ship, Tank (LST) is a ship first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto a low-slope beach with no dock (maritime), docks or pier ...

and 10

Auxiliary ship An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxili ...

s. For the battle and base, 74,986 tons of cargo was moved, at 7,845,194 cubic feet of cargo. After the war, Saipan remained a US Navy base. In 1962 Saipan became the headquarters of the U.S. administered United Nations trust territories of the Pacific Islands till 1986.

Seabees Construction

The first Seabee Construction Battalions landed with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

on June 15, 1944, at Chalan Kanoa on the west coast of Saipan. The 121st and the 18th Seabee Construction Battalions with parts of 92nd and 67th Battalions start unloading equipment for the battle and base operations. The Seabees repaired the captured airfields, the northern island runway and the Aslito Airfield. Both airfields were repaired with crushed

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

and

marston mat Marston Mat, more properly called pierced (or perforated) steel planking (PSP), is standardized, perforated steel matting material developed by the United States at the Waterways Experiment Station shortly before World War II, primarily for the ...

. The northern side airfield was long, US Navy

Grumman TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

s were the first to use the runway. The captured aviation fuel tanks were usable and the Seabees filled them from shore tankers. After the repairs were complete,

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 ...

started patrols fights from the runway also. The Seabees used a captured pier to unload cargo ships. On June 21 Seabees of the 121st Construction Battalion began to repair the shell-damaged railroad tracks that ran from Charan Kanoa to Aslito Airfield and by June 25 supply trains started running. The other tracks in the area were also repaired. Construction Battalions did road repair and started depot construction. After the capture of

Tanapag Harbor Tanapag Harbor () is the primary harbor of Saipan, and is located on the western side of the island in the city of Tanapag. It is separated from the Philippine Sea by a Coral reef, barrier reef, located about 3 km (2 miles) off the shore. Thi ...

, Seabees repaired and expanded the port facilities. The port had a depth from to . Japanese resistance on Saipan ended on July 9. On September 13, 1944, the Seabees were given the order to turn Saipan into a major Advance Base. Much of the damaged equipment on the island was removed first. The 39th, 17th, 101st, 117th, 595th and 614th Construction Battalions and the 31st Special Battalion joined in the construction. To keep boats on the flighting front there was a great demand for bases that could repair and restock boats in remote ports, Advance Base Saipan was able to repair and restock boats. Large ships in need of repair went to

Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo 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 to support the Allied effort in the Pacific. The base ...

. The base became a major resting place for troops and a regroup spot. Many of the wounded troops from the

Battle of Iwo Jima The was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, desi ...

and the

Okinawa campaign The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

were taken to the hospital on Saipan. By the end of the war, Saipan had 9,500 hospital beds in seven hospitals. The Seabees built two new , asphalted runways at Aslito Airfield. These were used for the

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the Bo ...

bombers. At the end of the war, the Japanese civilians that had survived were returned to the Japanese homeland. CharanKanoaportSaipan1944

Facilities

Facilities built, repaired or expanded, 7,000 buildings were built. * Tanapag Harbor Navy port, 3

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

beths, masonry pier and two x pontoon piers. Ramp for LST's, LCT's, and LCM's. Seabees dredged the Harbor, so large ships could dock. * Chalan Kanoa, minor port *Housing, 4,250 men 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 * Seabee camp for 2,500 men * Seabee depot *Boat-repair facilities *

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 ...

base

Tanapag Tanapag is a settlement on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is located close to Tanapag Beach on the northwest coast, just to the north of Capital Hill, the island group's center of government. It lies on the Marpi Road ( ...

concrete ramp, at Flores Point,

VP-16 VP-16, nicknamed the ''War Eagles'', is an active Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It has been based at NAS Jacksonville, Florida since its founding in 1946. The squadron's mission is to operate Maritime patrol aircraft to the fleet in support o ...

with

Martin PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner is a twin-engine American Maritime patrol aircraft, patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and Consolidated PB2Y Coronado, PB2Y C ...

*Naval supply depot *Chalan Kanoa railroad *Capitol Hill camp * San Roque Magazine camp * Micro Beach landing * Lower Base camp * Two radio stations *Naval hospital, 400-beds * Army hospital, 1,000-beds * Army hospital, 2,000-bed (Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns) * Army Station Hospital 176, 600-beds * Army Station Hospital 39, 600-beds * Two small Hospitals *Ammunition depot, 500 acres *Fleet recreation areas (85 Buildings, tennis courts, volleyball, baseball and softball fields. *Major Harbor developments *Chapel * Crash boat base * Aviation Overhaul shop * Base for 12,000 Army Air Corp * Officers Club * Motor pool * Quartermaster Laundry *

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 * AA gun emplacements * Naval Air Transport Service Facilities * Large Tank farms for: Fuel oil, aviation fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline * Navy Bank * Fleet Post Office FPO# 3245 SF Saipan Island, Marianas Islands * Mess halls * Navy Communication Center * Troop store * Two seaplane hangars * Aviation supply annex * 11 refrigerator storage sheds * Barge with a 12-ton crane * 6x18 foot and 4x15

Auxiliary floating drydock An auxiliary floating drydock is a type of US Navy List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy, auxiliary Dry dock#Floating, floating dry dock. Floating dry docks are able to submerge underwater and to be placed under a ship in need of repai ...

*Garapan pier *Torpedo assembly center *Bahia Laulau, also called Magicienne Bay or Lau Lau Bay, ship anchorage only. * Pads for over 100 airplanes * Susupe Internment Camp, housed 13,000 Japanese civilians *

Power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

s Postwar: *

International Broadcasting Bureau The International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) is the technical support outlet within the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) (former Broadcasting Board of Governors, BBG), which is a U.S. independent agency. The IBB supports the day-to- ...

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

broadcast site. * Navy Technical Training Unit.

Airfields

Saipan airfields built and/or repaired by Seabees: * East Field (Saipan) (Kagman Field) built by 51st CB * Aslito Field, now

Saipan International Airport Saipan International Airport , also known as Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport, is a public airport located on Saipan Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The airport is owned by Commonwealth P ...

* Marpi Point Field built by Seabees *

Kobler Field Kobler Field is a former a World War II airfield on Saipan in the Mariana Islands, part of Naval Advance Base Saipan. It was closed in 1977 and redeveloped as a residential housing area. History World War II Kobler Field was constructed between ...

*Isely airfield No. 1 Each airfield had housing, mess hall and depots.

References

External links

Video Saipan Navy Base 1944Video Saipan 1944 - Piercing Japan's Pacific DefencesVideo The Deadly Surprise That Awaited U.S. Troops on SaipanVideo, An Island Called Saipan
{{Northern Mariana Islands Military installations established in 1944 Naval Stations of the United States Navy World War II airfields in the Pacific Ocean Theater Airfields of the United States Navy 1962 disestablishments in Oceania Military installations closed in 1962 Closed installations of the United States Navy

Seabees Construction

Facilities

Airfields

See also

References

External links