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Subic Bay, Former U.S. Base

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mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
U.S. Navy vets of a certain age who served aboard ships in the Pacific or at the base itself will remember Subic Bay, and the adjacent Olongapo City, which was a huge port and shipyard operated by and for the U.S. Navy until 1991 and the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Current interest focusses on the efforts of Chinese private sector companies to buy into the shipyard and use it to extend the influence and reach of Chinese interests in the South China Sea. I flew into Clark Air Force Base in 1970 and took a wild mountain bus ride to Subic Bay where I boarded my minesweeper USS Gallant (MSO 489) and sailed for Vietnam literally the next morning. Months later we were back at Subic for refitting for the next DMZ patrol. My memory of Olongapo is the poverty, people shouting in the dark from under the walkway bridge into town for coins and cash. Even on base, people were busy in the dumpsters scavenging for goods and material for resale along with food.

 
T

terry292

Lurker
Apr 5, 2017
16
26
Gordon Street, Oolangopo City, the Barrio, 1-4-D'Road, Sunny's. Remember them all very well. I made several trips in and out of Subic to pick up and depart various TAD assignments.

 
kanaia

kanaia

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 3, 2013
660
551
That bridge went over what was called shit river as it was basically an open sewer for the city of Olongapo. For me I remember the good things such as the warmth and friendless of the Filipinos even amongst the harsh poverty. Also have great memories of the night life which for a 19 year old male at the time was nothing if not paradise. For more information read Olongapo Liberty by Rob Leininger.
http://www.subicbaypi.com/town_photo_girls.htm

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
After our Subic stops, many of the crew members would receive, or already had in hand, photos of the girlfriends they'd made, and would receive notes from them later. These were sex workers, but some of the fellas felt attached and fantasized about going back and seeing them again. I never tried to dissuade 'em about these relationships. Live and learn. Besides, the women needed any spare cash these guys could afford. Some of the Filipinos on base had good jobs in the shipyards and base shops and such, and that fed into the local economy. I think the Philippines population felt somewhat triumphant when the U.S. left, but it may not seem so beneficial with their large neighbor moving in. Yes, the people there were mostly friendly and open to the sailors passing through.

 
mikethompson

mikethompson

Lifer
Jun 26, 2016
11,339
23,496
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Looks like a nice place, at least from this angle!
subic.jpg


 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
Beautiful country. Water buffalo are common farm animals. I took a landing craft out to an island with a nice swimming beach, with my six pack of beer. When we got off the landing craft, some Philippino marines in full combat gear with automatic weapons got off with us and soon disappeared into the sea grass. I'm sure they were there to protect stray Navy radiomen in baggy issue swimsuits. Ha. They still have problems with insurgent factions.

 
kanaia

kanaia

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 3, 2013
660
551
From what I've read the US wants to reopen Subic due to China flexing it's muscle in the area. I'm sure the Duerte government is just blowing smoke in order the raise the price of the new lease. Guess we will just have to stay tuned.

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
The U.S. Navy runs regular patrols through the area in the South China Sea to assert its right to the open sea. The Chinese have built bases on uninhabited islands and made islands out of submerged atolls, adding the necessary dry fill, and built bases on those. When I was there, it was the Soviet trawlers that would trail our ship and occasionally harass us by passing too close and cutting in front. Our main battery was a mortar, though we had some 50 caliber machine guns fired from the second deck. The mortar was useless being a trajectory weapon on a small round-bottomed wildly rolling ship, and I never even saw it test fired. When I left the ship, they were installing twin anti-aircraft canons on the foredeck. Better but maybe not great. The trawlers were passed off as unarmed, so we probably wouldn't have fired on them anyway. Some of the destroyers enjoyed pumped their bilges with plenty of live sewage if the trawlers got within range of that. Our real main batter was a radio to call in aircraft from the carrier that was part of our Operation Market Time task force.

 
cranseiron

cranseiron

Part of the Furniture Now
May 17, 2013
589
67
McHenry, MS
The old Subic is still operating under Filipino authority as the Free Port Center. It's still some nice real estate, but much shabbier than when the US Navy leased it. I was there once back in 1985-86 when I was doing an unaccompanied tour at Wallace Air Station about three hours north. Since then, I've in-ported there many times as a Navy civilian on a US Navy scientific white ship. Really, not much has changed-- friendly people, cheap eats and beer, easiest place for the ugliest guy in the known universe to get laid and feel like a rock star with the women. It's not nearly as rowdy as it was back in its Navy days, though. Corruption is still endemic. Fed Ex used to have a big operation at Cubi Point, but left after fighting the corruption. The base is very laid back now with some hotels, meeting venues, bars and restaurants. Olongapo and Subic City are the same. Nice beach in Olongapo with Aussie bars/restaurants/motels. I think the shipyard is now run by the South Koreans. Subic is still a nice place to in-port, relax after some sea time and not have to spend a bunch of money.

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
The U.S. Naval Base had one of the major transmitter (and relay) stations there. As a radioman on a minesweeper, sitting the zero hundred to zero eight hundred watch, I'd feel around between receivers to find the best signal available, sometimes shifting from Subic, to San Diego, to Kodiak over the course of the watch as one would fade and get static and another would come up strong. The messages would get printed, some in code, on big rolls of yellow teletype paper and I'd strip off the ones to us and carry them to the bridge on a clip board. Messages at a certain level of security would have to be taken to the captain or executive officer in his stateroom, and he'd be awakened to read it.

 
f5rd2hy

f5rd2hy

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 24, 2017
139
227
NV
We (USS PELEIU (LHA-5))) pulled in right after the eruption and it was a moonscape what with the lahar covering everything. We evacuated people (and pets) to Cebu (for further transport to Guam).
 
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