Naval Base Brisbane

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]

USS Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) moored at Brisbane, Australia, 10 February 1944
USS Gabilan in Brisbane in 1944
Naval Base Brisbane
Brisbane, Queensland in Australia
Naval Base Brisbane is located in Queensland
Naval Base Brisbane
Naval Base Brisbane
Location in Queensland
Coordinates27.442041°S 153.092935°E / -27.442041; 153.092935
TypeNaval base
Site information
Owner United States Navy
OperatorUnited States Navy
Site history
Built1942
Built bySeabee and civilian contractors
In use1942 - 14 January 1946

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

  • Naval Base Colmslie [18]
  • NATS Seaplane Base Colmslie (now Colmslie Recreational Park)
  • Colmslie Seaplane workshop, repair of Navy Consolidated PBY Catalina planes
  • Navy and Pan Am radio station, Pan Am used the base for mail and other services.
  • Imperial Airways, BOAC, RAAF and Qantas also use the base.
    • Post war became Barrier Reef Airways base[19]

Hamilton repair depot

Camp Seabee
Camp Seabee gate at Eagle Farm
Camp Seabee Dock on Brisbane River


Camp Seabee was home to the:


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

Other camps
  • Camp La Fayette Prison Stockade at Eagle Farm[40]
  • Camp Whinstanes, Prison [41]

Remote Advanced Bases
Camp Seabee Naval Base Brisbane, base building trips

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

Naval Base Cairns at Cairns, north of Brisbane, closed January 7, 1945 (now HMAS Cairns Part of the base was on Green Island, 20 miles of the shore.

    • Cairns Harbor PT-Boat Base, later moved to Milne Bay
    • Cairns Harbor Seaplane Base [42]
    • PT Boat repair base
    • Escort Base One destroyer repair depot
    • US Amphibious Training Base
    • Naval mine maintenance depot
    • Patrol-craft repair depot
    • Supply depot
    • Mess hall
    • Navy hospital
    • Feet post office FPO# 144 SF Cairns, Australia
    • Floating drydocks: AFD-10, ARD-7[43]
    • 600-foot timber wharf
    • 5,000-gallon water tank farm
    • Ammunition depot outside of camp
    • Cairns Airfield used for patrols [4]
    • Cairns staging camp
    • Trinity Bay, amphibious training, US Army, Navy with US Navy support.[44]
    • Sheridan Street Camp, Cairns Army Camp located along Sheridan, Dutton and Spence Street.
Seabees building Seaplane Base Palm Island in 1943
  • Naval Air Station Palm Island
    • Naval Air Station Palm Island, at Palm Island north of Brisbane, started July 6, 1943, closed June 1, 1944.[45]
    • VPB-29 Patrol Bomber unit
    • VP-11 Patrol Squadron with Consolidated PBY Catalina
    • Hangars
    • Seaplane Base Palm Island
    • Fleet Post Office FPO# 420 SF Palm Island, Australia
    • Naval Air Station Wallaby Point [46]
    • 60,000 barrels tank farm
    • Palm Island patrol bombers repair depot
    • Docks
    • Radio stations
    • PT boat bases
    • Hospitals
    • Naval mine depot
    • Power station
    • Supply base

Townsville Naval Section Base
  • Townsville Naval Section Base
    • North of Brisbane a section base was built a Townsville closed and moved July 1944.[3]
    • Rose Bay Townsville Navy hospital, 120-bed
    • Ammunition depot outside of camp
    • Fleet Post Office FPO# 143 SF Townsville, Australia
    • Townsville Navy hospital, 100-bed[47]
    • Black River Navy hospital
    • US Navy at Cleveland Bay
    • Army camp, staging
    • Army airfields and Army 12th Station Hospital[3]
    • HMAS Magnetic Royal Australian Navy base near US base

Horn Island Seaplane Base

Thursday Island PT Boat Base
  • Thursday Island PT Boat Base was built on Thursday Island, far north of Brisbane, by the Seabees. The base opened in February 1943 and closed in September 1945. Thursday Island PT Boat Base had a PT Boat repair depot. The base was shared, HMAS Carpentaria base. The US also stationed some submarine bases at the base.[49][50][51]

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:

  • Camp Seabee at Naval Base Brisbane from the air
    Camp Seabee at Naval Base Brisbane from the air
  • Damaged USS Growler at the submarine base at New Farm in February 1943
    Damaged USS Growler at the submarine base at New Farm in February 1943
  • Dunedin at Gardens Reach on the Brisbane River. South Brisbane wharves in background
    Dunedin at Gardens Reach on the Brisbane River. South Brisbane wharves in background
  • Cairncross Dockyard in 1942
    Cairncross Dockyard in 1942
  • Building Cairncross Dockyard in 1942
    Building Cairncross Dockyard in 1942
  • Colmslie Naval Base Brisbane in 1944
    Colmslie Naval Base Brisbane in 1944
  • Strategic supply chain situation in South Pacific in July 1942
    Strategic supply chain situation in South Pacific in July 1942

See also

References
  1. US Navy, Bases of World War II
  2. Navy, corporateName=Royal Australian. "USN Submarines Based in Brisbane during World War II". www.navy.gov.au.
  3. "Pacific Wrecks". pacificwrecks.com.
  4. "Pacific Wrecks - Cairns Airfield (Cairns Airport), Queensland, Australia". pacificwrecks.com.
  5. "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. Brisbane Submarines base, ozatwar.com
  8. Brisbane Degaussing Station, ozatwar.com
  9. Brisbane Barracks ozatwar.com
  10. Northgate depot ozatwar.com
  11. Ammunition depot Mount Coot-tha, ozatwar.com
  12. Navy 134, ozatwar.com
  13. Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit. No.1 ozatwar.com
  14. Archerfield ozatwar.com
  15. Camp Perry Park ozatwar.com
  16. ransmitting Station Colmslie ozatwar.com
  17. Naval Air Station Brisbane ozatwar.com
  18. Naval Base Colmslie ozatwar.com
  19. Barrier Reef Airways ussieairliners.org
  20. Dockyard ozatwar.com
  21. US Navy, Camp Seabee
  22. Camp Seabee, ozatwar.com
  23. ozatwar.com, Merchant Marine Anti-aircraft training camp
  24. Royal Australian Navy, Seabess Advanced Base Construction Depot
  25. Mobile Navy Hospital No. 9, ozatwar.com,
  26. Eagle Farm Airfield, ozatwar.com
  27. Eagle Farm, engine testing ozatwar.com
  28. The boom-dozer: 30th Special Naval Construction Battalion, 19th Construction Battalion Special, US Navy 1948
  29. US Navy 20th CB
  30. US Navy 55th CB
  31. US Navu 60th CB
  32. US Navy 84th CB
  33. US Navy 91st CB
  34. US Navy 104th CB
  35. US Navy 115th CB
  36. US Navy 138th CB
  37. pacificwrecks, Koli Point Camp
  38. pacificwrecks, Naval Base Lunga
  39. pacificwrecks, Puerto Princesa Seaplane Base
  40. ozatwar.com, Camp La Fayette Prison Stockade
  41. ozatwar.com, Camp Whinstanes
  42. pacificwrecks.com, Cairns Harbor Seaplane Base
  43. ozatwar Cairns floating drydocks
  44. "Pacific Wrecks - Cairns, Queensland, Australia". pacificwrecks.com.
  45. "Palm Island Naval Air Station, Palm Island, Queensland, near Townsville during WW2". www.ozatwar.com.
  46. US Navy Naval Air Station Wallaby Point
  47. "Townsville War Cemetery | Cemetery Details". CWGC.
  48. pacificwrecks, Horn Island Seaplane Base
  49. US Navy Thursday Island PT Boat
  50. navsourcem PT-127
  51. US Navy Thursday Island repair base
  52. Toorbul Combined Training Centreww2places.qld.gov.au
  53. "Prisoner of War and Internment Camps in Australia during WW2". www.ozatwar.com.
  54. "Catalina Memorial | Monument Australia". monumentaustralia.org.au.
  55. "Cairns War Cemetery | Cemetery Details". CWGC.
  56. "Home". Cairns Museum.
  57. "Pacific Wrecks - Townsville War Cemetery, Queensland, Australia". pacificwrecks.com.
  58. "Pacific Wrecks - Bakers Creek (Scrubby Creek), Queensland, Australia". pacificwrecks.com.
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