Naval Base Brisbane Explained

Naval Base Brisbane
Location:Brisbane, Queensland
Country:Australia
Type:Naval base
Pushpin Map:Queensland
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Queensland
Pushpin Relief:1
Operator:United States Navy
Built:1942
Used:1942 - 14 January 1946
Builder:Seabee and civilian contractors

Naval Base Brisbane was a major United States Navy base built in the early part of World War II at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. At first, operated as a base for patrol aircraft and convoy escort aircraft to protect the last leg of the Pacific War to the Southwest Pacific. As the US Navy expanded in the island hopping campaign, Naval Base Brisbane expanded to include a submarine base, repair depot, seaplane base and other facilities. US Navy operations started on April 14, 1942, and ended after the war in 1945.[1] [2]

History

Australia entered World War II on September 3, 1939, being a self-governing nation within the British Empire. The United States formally entered the war on December 7, 1941, following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. On April 14, 1942, the USS Griffin (AS-13) and a fleet of eleven S-class US submarines arrived at Brisbane's New Farm Wharf. The wharf had a few storage sheds and some other support facilities, which the US Navy rented using the reverse Lend-Lease program, but a much larger facility was needed as a staging area. The US Government hired Australian construction crews to build a new staging area using mostly Australian supplies but with Quonset huts shipped in.

The S-class submarines' first mission was supporting the Solomon Islands campaign. Later, Gato-class submarines were added to the fleet. By the end of the war the Brisbane submarine fleet had sunk 117 enemy ships, totaling 515,000 tons, and rescued many downed airmen. In the spring of 1943, more space was needed and on March 24, 1943, the US Navy Seabee's 55th Battalion arrived and built "Camp Seabee", 5 miles north-east of Brisbane, at Eagle Farm. Camp Seabee became a staging camp for Seabees and their equipment in island hopping operations. The first departure was half the Seabees, to build Naval Base Milne Bay in New Guinea on May 23, 1943. Some Seabees departed to build an airfield at Merauke in New Guinea and others to Port Moresby, New Guinea. Most returned at the end of the construction for R&R. The Brisbane Seabees built a mine depot outside of Brisbane. The next departure was most of the Brisbane Seabees going to Palm Island and Cairns. At Palm Island, Seabees built Palm Island Naval Air Station and Palm Island Seaplane Base.[3] Seabees built the Cairns Harbor PT-Boat Base and Cairns Harbor Seaplane Base. At Cairns, Seabees built the Cairns Airfield used for patrols and a staging camp.[4] [3] On June 19, 1943, the Seabee 84th Battalion arrived at Camp Seabee, with half the Battalion departing to continue the expansion at Naval Base Milne Bay. The 55th and 84th Battalion continued to build up Naval Base Brisbane. Seabee built a mine depot, more barracks at Camp Seabee, a Merchant Marine anti-aircraft training camp, and Mobile Navy Hospital No. 9. In May 1943, Seabee 60th Battalion arrived at Camp Seabee. On January 20, 1944, Seabee Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 544th arrived to service the Naval Base Brisbane Bases. At Hamilton, Queensland Seabee built a ship-repair depot was built. Outside of the base, a ammunition depot was built. The 55th Battalion built and operated a sawmill. By March 1994 the base had 90,000 square feet of depot warehouse space and 53 acres of open deposit storage. The other large US Naval Advance Bases in Australia were at Naval Base Sydney and Naval Base Darwin. Unlink Darwin, Brisbane was out of the reach of Japanese bombers. Parts of Naval Base Brisbane began moving to more forward bases in January 1944. Palm Island base was moved on September 1, 1944, and Townsville moved in July 1944.[1] [2]

Bases and facilities

Naval Base Brisbane

Naval Air Station Brisbane

Naval Air Station Brisbane was based in Colmslie on the Brisbane River.[17]

Hamilton repair depot

Camp Seabee


Camp Seabee was home to the:


From the staging at Camp Seabee, Construction Battalions departed to help build:

Other camps

Remote Advanced Bases

Naval Base Brisbane built and supported remote advanced bases in Queensland:

Naval Base Cairns

Naval Base Cairns at Cairns, north of Brisbane, closed January 7, 1945 (now HMAS Cairns). Part of the base was on Green Island, offshore.

Townsville Naval Section Base

Horn Island Seaplane Base

Thursday Island PT Boat Base

Toorbul Combined Training Centre

Toorbul Combined Training Centre (CTC) was a joint Army and Navy amphibious training center opened on the summer of 1942 at Toorbul on Toorbul Point, now called Sandstone Point. The center had classrooms, camp, mess hall, jetties, slipway, a mock ship, and workshops. Royal Australian Air Force also had Radar Station at the base.Fleet PO Box was 146.[52]

Other bases

Post war

A number of Memorials were built in memory of the World War II activities in Australia:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/building-the-navys-bases/buidling-navys-bases-vol-2-chapter-26.html US Navy, Bases of World War II
  2. Web site: USN Submarines Based in Brisbane during World War II. corporateName=Royal Australian. Navy. www.navy.gov.au.
  3. Web site: Pacific Wrecks. pacificwrecks.com.
  4. Web site: Pacific Wrecks - Cairns Airfield (Cairns Airport), Queensland, Australia. pacificwrecks.com.
  5. Web site: Pacific Wrecks - Queensland (QLD) Australia. pacificwrecks.com.
  6. Jones, David; Nunan, Peter (2005). U.S. Subs Down Under. Brisbane, 1942–1945. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-644-5.
  7. https://www.ozatwar.com/ozatwar/capricorn.htm Brisbane Submarines base, ozatwar.com
  8. https://www.ozatwar.com/usnavy/brisbanedegaussingstation.htm Brisbane Degaussing Station, ozatwar.com
  9. https://www.ozatwar.com/usnavy/usnquartersbne.htm Brisbane Barracks
  10. https://www.ozatwar.com/usnavy/northgateusn.htm Northgate depot
  11. https://www.ozatwar.com/ozatwar/jcslaughter.htm Ammunition depot Mount Coot-tha, ozatwar.com
  12. https://www.ozatwar.com/usnavy/navy134.htm Navy 134, ozatwar.com
  13. https://www.ozatwar.com/usnavy/meiunitno1.htm Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit. No.1 ozatwar.com
  14. https://www.ozatwar.com/arch@war.htm Archerfield ozatwar.com
  15. https://www.ozatwar.com/locations/campperrypark.htm Camp Perry Park
  16. https://www.ozatwar.com/locations/usntransmittingstation.htm ransmitting Station Colmslie
  17. https://www.ozatwar.com/locations/usnatscolmslie.htm Naval Air Station Brisbane
  18. https://www.ozatwar.com/locations/colmsliearea.htm Naval Base Colmslie
  19. https://aussieairliners.org/BarrierReef/bra.html Barrier Reef Airways
  20. https://www.ozatwar.com/locations/sthbnedrydock.htm Dockyard
  21. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/Cruisebooks/wwiicruisebooks/ncb-cruisebooks/55%20th%20NCB%20%201942-1945.pdf US Navy, Camp Seabee
  22. https://www.ozatwar.com/ozatwar/campseabee.htm Camp Seabee, ozatwar.com
  23. https://www.ozatwar.com/locations/ackackwellingtonpt.htm ozatwar.com, Merchant Marine Anti-aircraft training camp
  24. https://www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/place?id=591 Royal Australian Navy, Seabess Advanced Base Construction Depot
  25. https://www.ozatwar.com/usnavy/mob9.htm Mobile Navy Hospital No. 9, ozatwar.com
  26. https://www.ozatwar.com/eaglefarm.htm Eagle Farm Airfield, ozatwar.com
  27. https://www.ozatwar.com/civilian/allisontestingarea.htm Eagle Farm, engine testing ozatwar.com
  28. The boom-dozer: 30th Special Naval Construction Battalion, 19th Construction Battalion Special, US Navy 1948
  29. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/seabee/explore/seabee-unit-histories/ncb/20th-Naval-Construction-Battalion.html US Navy 20th CB
  30. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/UnitListPages/NCB/055%20NCB.pdf US Navy 55th CB
  31. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/UnitListPages/NCB/060%20NCB.pdf US Navu 60th CB
  32. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/UnitListPages/NCB/084%20NCB.pdf US Navy 84th CB
  33. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/seabee/explore/seabee-unit-histories/ncb/91st-Naval-Construction-Battalion.html US Navy 91st CB
  34. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/UnitListPages/NCB/104%20NCB.pdf US Navy 104th CB
  35. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/seabee/explore/seabee-unit-histories/ncb/115th-Naval-Construction-Battalion.html US Navy 115th CB
  36. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/seabee/explore/seabee-unit-histories/ncb/138th-Naval-Construction-Battalion.html US Navy 138th CB
  37. https://pacificwrecks.com/provinces/solomons_guadalcanal_koli.html pacificwrecks, Koli Point Camp
  38. https://pacificwrecks.com/provinces/solomons_guadalcanal_lunga_anchorage.html pacificwrecks, Naval Base Lunga
  39. https://pacificwrecks.com/airfields/philippines/puerto_princesa_sea/index.html pacificwrecks, Puerto Princesa Seaplane Base
  40. https://www.ozatwar.com/locations/camplafayette.htm ozatwar.com, Camp La Fayette Prison Stockade
  41. https://www.ozatwar.com/locations/campwhinstanes.htm ozatwar.com, Camp Whinstanes
  42. https://pacificwrecks.com/airfields/australia/cairns_harbor/index.html pacificwrecks.com, Cairns Harbor Seaplane Base
  43. https://www.ozatwar.com/usnavy/floatingdockscairns.htm ozatwar Cairns floating drydocks
  44. Web site: Pacific Wrecks - Cairns, Queensland, Australia. pacificwrecks.com.
  45. Web site: Palm Island Naval Air Station, Palm Island, Queensland, near Townsville during WW2. www.ozatwar.com.
  46. https://www.navyhistory.org.au/palm-islands-a-naval-connection/11-sea-bees-constructing-naval-air-station-at-wallaby-point-palm-island/ US Navy Naval Air Station Wallaby Point
  47. Web site: Townsville War Cemetery | Cemetery Details. CWGC.
  48. https://pacificwrecks.com/provinces/australia_horn.html pacificwrecks, Horn Island Seaplane Base
  49. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/building-the-navys-bases/buidling-navys-bases-vol-2-chapter-26.html US Navy Thursday Island PT Boat
  50. http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/05127.htm navsourcem PT-127
  51. https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-44000/NH-44487.html US Navy Thursday Island repair base
  52. https://www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/place?id=1373 Toorbul Combined Training Centre
  53. Web site: Prisoner of War and Internment Camps in Australia during WW2. www.ozatwar.com.
  54. Web site: Catalina Memorial | Monument Australia. monumentaustralia.org.au.
  55. Web site: Cairns War Cemetery | Cemetery Details. CWGC.
  56. Web site: Home. Cairns Museum.
  57. Web site: Pacific Wrecks - Townsville War Cemetery, Queensland, Australia. pacificwrecks.com.
  58. Web site: Pacific Wrecks - Bakers Creek (Scrubby Creek), Queensland, Australia. pacificwrecks.com.

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