U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay

For the body of water, see Subic Bay, Philippines. For the municipality, see Subic, Zambales.

U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay
Subic Bay, Philippines
An aerial view of Naval Station Subic Bay (right) and Naval Air Station Cubi Point (left; present-day Subic Bay International Airport).
Coordinates14°48′30″N 120°17′30″E / 14.80833°N 120.29167°E / 14.80833; 120.29167
TypeNaval base
Site history
Built1885 (1885)
Built by Spain
In use
FateReactivated
An aerial view of Cubi Point, and in the background, Naval Station Subic Bay

Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the Spanish Navy and subsequently the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines. The base was 262 square miles (680 km2), about the size of Singapore.[1] The Navy Exchange had the largest volume of sales of any exchange in the world, and the Naval Supply Depot handled the largest volume of fuel oil of any navy facility in the world.[2] The naval base was the largest overseas military installation of the United States Armed Forces, after Clark Air Base in Angeles City was closed in 1991.[3] Following its closure in 1992, it was transformed into the Subic Bay Freeport Zone by the Philippine government.

In late 2022, plans to reopen the base under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement emerged after the Philippine Navy reoccupied a portion of the base and a U.S. investment firm purchased the remainder of the port.[4]

  1. ^ Floyd Whaley (26 April 2013). "Shadows of an Old Military Base". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  2. ^ Anderson, pp. 142–143.
  3. ^ Barber, Ben. "Two decades on, Philippines struggles with U.S. base cleanup". The American Legion Magazine, September 2012: 64.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).