Naval Base Perth

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Coordinates: 31°58′44″S 115°49′15″E / 31.978814°S 115.820889°E / -31.978814; 115.820889
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Naval Base Perth
Western Australia
United States Navy (1942-1945)
Naval Base Perth is located in Australia
Naval Base Perth
Naval Base Perth
Coordinates31°58′44″S 115°49′15″E / 31.978814°S 115.820889°E / -31.978814; 115.820889
Established1942
Time zoneAWST (UTC+08:00)
Crawley Bay
Consolidated PBY Catalina with the US Navy VP-11

Naval Base Perth was a United States Navy base near Perth, Western Australia during World War II. Perth was selected as the site for a U.S. Navy base as it was beyond the range of Japanese long-range bombers. The Bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 demonstrated a more southern port was needed. Both existing port facilities and new bases were built at Perth. Naval Base Perth's Fleet Post Office # was 255 SF Perth, Australia.[1]

Seaplane Base Nedlands

Double Sunrise Catalina G-AGKS at Nedlands in 1943

The US Navy performed search, combat, rescue, and reconnaissance patrols out of the Perth

Naval Air Station Palm Island. The VP-101 arrived at Nedlands in December 1943. VP-102 and VP-21 arrived at Nedlands in March 1942. 26 October 1943: VP-33 arrived on October 26, 1943: VP-33 did day searches missions and night bombing (missions in Black Cat on Koepang and Amboina. VPB-29 arrived at Nedlands on November 9, 1942. VP-52 arrived on August 7, 1943. The seaplane base closed in July 1944 and the base moved to the Admiralty Islands. The Seaplane Base was located at the City of Nedlands, just west of Perth, on the north shore of the Swan River. The Double Sunrise air service also operated from the base.[2][3]

Operation Flight Gridiron

PBY Catalina
and crew during World War II

One of the longest rescue missions was done from Naval Base Perth by Lieutenant Deede out of Perth with Patrol Wing 10. Deede, Captain Thomas F. Pollock, and one other PBY Catalina flew to

oil tank burning on the island. The smoke even gave the crew the wind direction. The planes land at 11:20 pm and two US small craft came out to greet the planes and load the cargo into the boats. A large boat arrived and the three boats, unload cargo and arrived with the rescue personnel. The personnel included: Brigadier General, Major, Commander, Lieutenants, Lieutenant colone, Captain, wives and other troops. April 29, 1942, was Hirohito’s birthday, thus it is thought this is why the planes were able to land and take off without any attacks. The planes returned to Lake Lanao to rest and fuel. One plane took off, but the other with only one small tow boat had problems. In a gust of wind one plane hit a submerged reef and the plane started taking on water fast. The hole was plugged with clothes and some empty gas drums were roped to the tail to stop it from sinking. Then an empty gas drums raft was built and put under the starboard wing. The ground troops used marine glue to patch the two holes with a muslin cloth. A small water pump and bailing were used to clear the plane of water. The repairs and clearing of water was a long and difficult task, but at 4:00 pm the plane took off with the bailing party still working. Once in the air, the water drained out. The damaged plane landed in Darwin, and as soon as they landed, bailing started again. At Darwin, proper repair was done. After the repair the plane flew to Perth, 1400 miles away landing at 1:30 am, the other plane was already there. The planes flew about 7,000 miles, with 3,900 of those miles in Japan control airspace. Over 1,000 was flown without guns. The undamaged plane took 5 ½ days to complete the mission and the damaged plane 6 ½ days. The crew had long flights and little rest on the trip. All the flight personnel were awarded the Silver Star medal.[4][5][6][7]

Fremantle submarine base

USS Holland with United States Navy submarines at Fremantle in March 1942
Main article: Fremantle submarine base

Southwest of the City of Perth at Fremantle Harbour the US built a larger submarine base, Fremantle submarine base, at the City of Fremantle about 2 miles from the coast.[8] Fremantle submarine base opened on March 10, 1942. Most of the submarines at the base had escaped before Naval Base Manila in the Philippines before it was captured.[9] The submarine operated out of the Dutch East Indies and then Indonesia until these ports were taken over. Fremantle submarine base was a wartime secret, to keep from being attacked as many of the South Pacific patrols operated out of the base. The base closed in September 1945. Fremantle's Fleet Post Office # was 137 SF Fremantle, Australia. Fremantle Fortress protected the base. Charles A. Lockwood was overseeing the bases at Fremantle and Exmouth Submarine Base.[10] However, in August 1945, newspaper reports openly acknowledged the impact of the forces' activity.[11][12]

Auxiliary Albany Submarine Base

Albany Submarine Base was founded on March 17, 1942, as a Fremantle Auxiliary Submarine Base at

quarantine station was used for the HQ and station. The base was moved to Naval Base Brisbane in August 1942 to prepare for the support of the Guadalcanal campaign. Submarines returned to Port of Albany during the Western Australian emergency of March 1944 out of fear of an attack on Fremantle. The Royal Australian Navy operated a large refuelling tank farm at Albany.[14][15][16]

Port of Perth

Port of Perth offered excellent fleet anchorage. The Port of Perth is on the wide deep mouth of the Swan River at the City of Perth, about 10 miles inland from the sea. The existing port facilities at Port of Perth were large enough to support the needs of the US Navy. Most US Navy activity was at Fremantle, 12.8748 km (8 miles) away from the port. USS ARD-9, a US Navy auxiliary floating drydock, was at Perth for repairing ships and subs in January 1944, then departed to Naval Base Milne Bay. Some US ships that ported at Perth during World War II: USS Augusta (CA-31), USS Tucker (DD-374), and SS Mariposa.

Airfields

  • Maylands Airport for Royal Navy and U.S. Navy
  • Perth Airport
  • Middle Swan Airfield
    for Royal Navy and U.S. Navy
    • Satellite fields: Beverley, Bindoon, Gingin North and Mooliabeenie.

Loses

USS Langley (CV-1)

Main article: USS Langley (CV-1)
USS Langley scuttled via torpedo on 27 February 1942 off Java, after departing Perth

To fight the Empire of Japan in

Tilatjap. The USS Langley was heavily damaged, the crew abandoned the ship and she was scuttled by her escort ships.[18]

Vought Kingfisher

On September 12, 1943, a US Navy Vought OS2U Kingfisher No. 2283 with the Scouting Squadron Sixty-One, VS-61, was doing engine test flight. During the test problems appeared and the plane turned upside down and nose-dived into the Swan River. The plane exploded sank killed the two crew members, pilot and Radio-operator. The plane had taken off from the Maylands Airfield.[19]

Post war

  • Allied Submarine Plaque. On March 20, 1995, a memorial plaque place to commemorate the submarine base.[20]
  • Perth War Cemetery and Annex, Australian Army founded in 1942. First used for those that died at Hollywood Military Hospital.[21]
  • Western Australia Aviation Museum at Bull Creek.[22]
    • US Submarine USS Bullhead (SS-332) memorial at the Western Australia Aviation Museum. USS Bullhead was the last US Naval vessel, to be lost in World War II, with 84 crew.[23]
  • A large memorial to lost Fremantle submariners was built by the periscope project Fremantle War Memorial.[24]
  • Memorial Day for US US submariners at Perth is held.[25][26]

See also

References

  1. ^ Western Australian Aviation Hall of Famealanblencowe.com
  2. ^ US Navy VPB-11ozatwar.com
  3. ^ Seaplane Base Nedlandsozatwar.com
  4. ^ In the Hands of Fate: The Story of Patrol Wing Ten, Messimer, 1985, chapter 13
  5. ^ "Bataan and Corregidor". US Navy, navy.mil.
  6. ^ Escape from Bataan: Memoir of a U.S. Navy Ensign in the Philippines, October 1941 to May 1942, by Phillip Hoffman
  7. ^ PBY Catalinalanbob.com
  8. ISBN 978-1-920843-52-6
  9. ^ "Fremantle was big submarine base". Army News. Darwin, NT. 25 August 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Correspondence". The West Australian. Perth. 24 September 1949. p. 26. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia. anecdotal correspondence 4 years after 1945 correlating the "secrecy" of the base
  11. ^ "Submarine base". Kalgoorlie Miner. WA. 17 August 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Fremantle base". The West Australian (Special ed.). Perth. 16 August 1945. p. 2. Retrieved 8 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ US Submariners Memorial albanyinthistogether.com
  14. ^ US Base at Port of Albanydefence.gov.au
  15. ^ Albany Submarines Base ozatwar.com
  16. ^ Western Australia Submarines Base ozatwar.com
  17. ISBN 0-313-26202-0
    .
  18. ^ Far East Air Force, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk adf-serials.com.au
  19. ^ Vought OS2U Kingfisher crashozatwar.com
  20. ^ Allied Submarine Plaquepacificwrecks.com
  21. ^ Perth War Cemeterypacificwrecks.com
  22. ^ Perth Western Australia Aviation Museumpacificwrecks.com
  23. ^ New U.S. Submarine Memorial Unveiled in Perth USA, usembassy.gov
  24. ^ Kerr, G. A. (Gilbert Armstrong), 1911– (1992), Project periscope : an account of the periscope memorial on Monument Hill, Fremantle, retrieved 16 February 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ Memorial Day in Australia - 2005submarinesailor.com
  26. ^ Submariners remembered at Albany ceremony defence.gov.au

External links

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