Naval Base San Pedro and San Pedro Submarine Base were

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 ...

bases at the Port of

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

officially founded in 1919. While commissioned in 1919, the Navy started operating out of the port in 1910, by renting dock space at the City of San Pedro's

Dock No. 1 A dock (from Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The exact meaning vari ...

in 1914. The Navy had vessels stationed at the port starting in 1913. The San Pedro Submarine Base closed in 1923, with the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Naval Base San Pedro became part of Naval Operating Base Terminal Island on 25 September 1941, which closed in 1947.

San Pedro Submarine Base

San Pedro Submarine Base was officially established on June 10, 1917 in response to the outbreak of

. San Pedro

Submarine Base A submarine base is a military base that shelters submarines and their personnel. Examples of present-day submarine bases include HMNB Clyde, Île Longue (the base for France's Force océanique stratégique), Naval Submarine Base Kings Ba ...

operated as a Naval coastal defense unit. The USS ''Pike'' and the USS ''Grampus'' completed in 1902 were built in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. The

Holland Torpedo Boat Company General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) is a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation. It has been the primary builder of submarines for the United States Navy for more than 100 years. The company's main facilities are a shipyard in Groton, C ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

contracted

Union Iron Works Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries ...

to build the two ''Plunger''-class submarines. For three and half years the two submarines operated out of

Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates ...

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, California, San Jose, and Oakland, Ca ...

for training and testing. In July 1910 the ''Pike'' and ''Grampus'' relocated to San Pedro Submarine Base. In 1913 the F-class submarines were stationed at the port of San Pedro. The submarines of the 1st Submarine Group, Pacific Torpedo Flotilla arrive in 1913. To support the submarines the

submarine tender A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

, USS ''Cheyenne'' and USS ''Alert'' were stationed at San Pedro Submarine Base. The submarine tenders had housing and a

mess hall The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

for the crew. To resupply the tenders, they would dock at the rented San Pedro Dock No. 1. On June 10, 1917, work on land facilities started to offer quarters,

, freshwater supply, ship fuel, and storage. The 2nd Torpedo Flotilla, Pacific Fleet with

Holland 602 type submarine The Holland 602 type submarine, also known as the H-class submarine, was one of the most numerous submarines of World War I. The type was designed by the Electric Boat Co. of the United States, but most of the boats were built abroad: in Canad ...

began operating out of San Pedro Submarine Base. USS ''Cheyenne ''and ''USS ''Alert sometimes depart the port for short-needed support missions up and down the California and

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the P ...

. San Pedro Submarine Base became a submarine School for enlisted sailors in October 1917. The base had 525 Navy personnel stationed at the San Pedro Submarine Base. In 1917 the Navy also founded the Naval Reserve Training Station with the F-class submarines: F-1, F-2, and F-3. The base closed in 1923 and the submarines moved to

Naval Base San Diego Naval Base San Diego, also known as 32nd Street Naval Station, is the second largest surface ship base of the United States Navy and is located in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, con ...

Pacific Torpedo Flotilla

In 1913 the Pacific Torpedo Flotilla of the

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

began operating out of Naval Base San Pedro. San Pedro Submarine Base Submarine: **First Submarine Group founded: * USS ''Pike'' * USS ''Grampus'' *

USS F-1 USS ''F-1'' (SS-20) was an F-class submarine. She was named ''Carp'' when her keel was laid down by Union Iron Works of San Francisco, California, making her the first ship of the United States Navy named for the carp. She was launched on 6 S ...

USS F-2 USS ''F-2'' (SS-21) was an F-class submarine built for the United States Navy during the 1910s. Description The F-class boats had a length of overall, a beam of and a mean draft of . They displaced on the surface and submerged. The F- ...

USS F-3 USS ''F-3'' (SS-22), was a F-class submarine. She was named ''Pickerel'' when her keel was laid down by The Moran Company of Seattle, Washington, making her the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the pickerel, a type of pi ...

USS F-4 USS ''F-4'' (SS-23) was a United States Navy F-class submarine. Her keel was laid down by the Moran Brothers of Seattle, Washington. She was originally named ''Skate'', making her the first ship of the United States Navy named for the skate. ...

**Second-Line boats 6th Division San Pedro: *

* USS H-2 * USS H-3 * USS H-4 * USS H-5 * USS H-6 * USS H-7 * USS H-8 * USS H-9 * USS L-5 * USS L-6 * USS L-7 * USS L-8 *Tenders of San Pedro Submarine Base: * USS ''Cheyenne'' * USS ''Alert'' * USS ''Beaver'' (AS-5) * USS ''Camden'' (AS-6) * USS ''Rainbow'' (AS-7) * USS ''Canopus'' (AS-9)

Submarine sea trails

San Pedro Submarine Base was also used for testing and sea trails of new submarines. From August to November 1918 some new R-class submarines arrived after construction at Union Iron Works in San Francisco. Tested were R-15 (SS-91), R-16 (SS-92), R-17 (SS-93), R-18 (SS-94), R-19 (SS-95), R-20 (SS-96) and O-2 (SS-63).

Naval Base San Pedro

After World War I which Japan fought on the Allied side, Japan took control of German bases in China and the Pacific. In 1919, the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide Intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by ...

approved Japan's mandate over the German islands north of the equator. The U.S. did not want any mandates and was concerned with aggressiveness. As such

Wilson Administration Woodrow Wilson's tenure as the 28th president of the United States lasted from 4 March 1913 until 4 March 1921. He was largely incapacitated the last year and a half. He became president after winning the 1912 election. Wilson was a Democra ...

transferred 200 Atlantic

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 to the Pacific Fleet in 1919.Cathal J. Nolan, et al. ''Turbulence in the Pacific: Japanese-U.S. Relations during World War I'' (2000) The Port of San Diego, not yet developed, was too shallow to handle the

battleships A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type o ...

, so San Pedro Submarine Base became a Naval Base on August 9, 1919. San Pedro Submarine Base and

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporated ...

became fleet anchorage for the 200 ships. In 1940 President Roosevelt authorized the fleet at San Pedro to be stationed at

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

Naval Base Pearl Harbor A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

due to Japanese war actions. The a training ship was based at San Pedro from 12 January 1915 to 14 April 1917. *Fleet support: San Pedro from 1919 to 1940 became the home port for some Navy ships of the

Pacific Battle Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

. Some ships base at San Pedro: and ; Aircraft Carriers and ; Repair Ships , and ; and Hospital Ships and . A number of US Navy destroyers built in California used the base for supplies and sea trials. US destroyers at the base included: , , , , , , and . Other US Navy ships also used the base for resupply and a repair facility.

Early port history

Angels Gate - San Pedro, Los Angeles, California panoramio

The first time the US Navy operated out of the Port of San Pedro was during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...

, on 6 August 1846 when Commodore

Robert F. Stockton Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam- ...

sailed into the port with the USS ''Congress'' and took over the port. On August 11 First Lieutenant

Jacob Zeilin Jacob Zeilin (July 16, 1806 – November 18, 1880) was the United States Marine Corps' first non-brevet flag officer. He served as the seventh commandant of the United States Marine Corps, from 1864 to 1876. Early life and education Zeilin was b ...

leading

US Marines 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 ...

and some US Navy sailors marched to the

City of Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and captured it. The port remained a small unit till 1851 when

Phineas Banning Phineas Banning (August 19, 1830 – March 8, 1885) was an American businessman, financier and entrepreneur. Known as "The Father of the Port of Los Angeles," he was one of the founders of the town of Wilmington, in Los Angeles County, Californ ...

built a new wharf and warehouse in San Pedro, but a storm in 1858 destroyed the wharf. The US moved its operation to the new town of New San Pedro, now called Wilmington. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

troops were stationed at New San Pedro. In 1869 the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was ...

operated a rail line to the Port of San Pedro and the port grew. The US founded a military reservation in 1888 in an area surrounding San Pedro Bay as part of a harbor defense system. Port growth stopped when politics changed and Los Angeles picked

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

as the site for a new large port. The Port Los Angeles's long Wharf in Santa Monica was completed in 1894. The 4,700 feet Wharf had a Southern Pacific Railroad line that run out on the Wharf to the dock. San Pedro Bay port area was annexed to Los Angeles in 1909 and in 1913 a storm ended the Santa Monica operation. Thus Port of San Pedro grew to be a major port. To protect San Pedro Bay construction of a breakwater started on April 26, 1899, when the first barge with rocks quarried from nearby Catalina Island were dumped in the bay. The 2.11-mile San Pedro breakwater was completed in 1911. In 1913 the Los Angeles lighthouse (Angel's Gate Light) was built at the end of the San Pedro breakwater, now a

U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. It was 35 years before all of the Los Angeles Harbor breakwater was completed. With the protection of the breakwater and loss of the Santa Monica Wharf the Port of San Pedro grew into a major port.

References