Naval Base Trinidad, also called NAS Trinidad, NAS Port-of-Spain, was a large United States Navy Naval base built during World War II to support the many naval ships fighting and patrolling the Battle of the Atlantic. The fighting in the area became known as the Battle of the Caribbean. Naval Base Trinidad was located on the Island of Trinidad in West Indies of the Caribbean Sea.
The base also supported the United States Army Air Forces, United States Coast Guard, US Marine Corps and US Army. Naval Base Trinidad was a US Naval Advance Base built to protect the shipping lanes to and from the Panama Canal from U-boat attacks, by sea and air. The base did fueling, loading and unloading of cargo ships. The base also became a repair depot, with auxiliary floating drydocks that were able to repair boats and ships in the field. Naval Base Trinidad was commissioned on June 1, 1941, and at its peak it had 135,000 troops on the island.Long Night of the Tankers: Hitler's War Against Caribbean Oil, by David J. Bercuson and Holger H. HerwigThe British Grant of Air and Naval Facilities to the United States in Trinidad, St. Lucia and Bermuda in 1939, by Baptiste, F. A., 1976
History After Adolf Hitler’s declaration of war against the United States on December 11, 1941, U-boat operations were extended to East Coast of the United States, Gulf of Mexico, and to the Caribbean. So Naval Base Trinidad became a key to keeping Panama Canal, Venezuela oil and the Caribbean open. The US Navy and US Army landed on Trinidad on September 2, 1940. Much of Naval Base Trinidad was built by private contractors in 1941 and in 1942 expanded by the Seabees of Naval Construction Battalions. Naval Base Trinidad also was a training center for troops preparing for war. Trinidad supported US Navy subbases in St. Lucia and British Guiana. The base also supported emergency advance bases on the northeastern coast of Brazil.
Naval Base Trinidad and seven other bases in the Caribbean became known as Destroyer Bases. This name came from the U.S.-British Destroyers for Bases agreement which exchanged older US destroyers for U.S. rights to operate Advance Bases in the Atlantic. This was done so the US could have tactical bases, patrol aircraft and ships to control the Caribbean Sea. Trinidad, Bermuda, Santo Domingo and Argentia became major bases. The US Navy started construction at Trinidad on January 193, 1941. Over 10,000 Trinidadian workers were hired for the construction projects. Trinidad, off the coast of Venezuela, was key to protecting South American trade routes and the Panama Canal. The Naval Base was built on the northwest tip of the island on 7,940 acres, this included the land on five small islands in the Gulf of Paria. Later 3,800 more acres were added to the base, but only 1,200 acres were built up. Four bays were used for Naval activities: Carenage, Chaguaramus, Teteron, and Scotland. Two major land bases were built at Chaguaramus (Chaguaramas Naval Base) and Tucker (Tucker Naval Base).
The second task after the port was built, was building a naval air station and a seaplane base at Carenage Bay. The Gulf of Paria was used for major fleet anchorage. Carenage Bay was also built up as a major port with the construction of a 500-by-50-foot tender pier. Both bays had major dredging projects done, so the port could support large ships. A 200 men team worked full-time on a malaria reduction project, due to the swamps in the area. Teteron Bay became a major navy depot. Seabees arrived at Trinidad on December 30, 1942. The Seabees of the 30th, 83rd and 11th Construction Battalion took over the operation and maintenance of the base from the civilian contractors. The US Army built two major airfields, Waller Field and Carlson Field. Both were also used by the Navy as bases for aircraft carrier fighter aircraft and transport services. Carlsen Field became a US Navy lighter-than-air base in the fall of 1943 when blimps were added to the patrol dues. The 80th Seabees built a large blimp hangar, a mooring post, and a helium purification plant to support the blimps. By May 1944 all major construction had been completed and the 11th Construction Battalion was released. The Bureau of Yards and Docks departed on June 30, 1943.Weapon of Choice: The Navy's Role In Trinidad's Battle for Independence. By: Miranda, Louis. Sea Power. Sep. 2018, Vol. 61 Issue 7, p39-39
Trinidad being a large base and training center did not close after the war, like many other bases. Troops departed in 1967, the base closed in 1977, and the lease of the land was given up by the US in 1988. Today the base headquarters are a hotel and convention center.Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: A History of the Bureau of Yards and Docls, 1940-1946, Volume 2, By Bureau of Yards and Docks
During that period, many calypsos made reference to the American presence in Trinidad.
Background
The Battle of the Atlantic began on September 3, 1939, and by 1941 the United Kingdom (UK) needed help in protecting shipping from British Overseas Territories. The British Overseas Territories had become a lifeline to the UK during the war. France was defeated by Nazi Germany in June 1940. The United States at this time was neutral. Thus England, the British Commonwealth and British empire was alone in the war against German and Italian Fascism. The 50 destroyers, in the base for destroyers deal of September 2, 1940, were , , and . The destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the US Navy. The United States received rent-free 99-year leases of US bases on the British controlled islands of Newfoundland, Bermuda, Trinidad, Great Exuma, Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia, the Bahamas, and one in British Guiana. The deal was done by President Franklin Roosevelt by executive agreement, without congressional approval. West coast of Trinidad with the Gulf of Paria was part of the deal.
Later in the year the United States transferred ten Lake-class Coast Guard cutters to the Royal Navy to be used as anti-submarine convoy escorts. The large refinery at Pointe-à-Pierre on Trinidad a key to winning the war.Seapower, geostrategic relations, and islandness: The World War II Destroyers for Bases deal. By: Flint, Colin. Island Studies Journal. May 2021, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p271-291Burns, James MacGregor (1956). Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox. Easton Press. , p. 438
Pan American Airways developed airports in Latin America in the fall of 1940. This was with the support of the United States, the program was called the Airport Development Program. The goal was to increase United States presence should the US enter the war. Once the US entered the war the US Army and US Navy did take over these Pan American Airways airports. Naval Base Santo Domingo was the other large Caribbean Naval Base.
Facilities
Total of 11,740 acres, with 1,200 acres were developed Most of the base was on the northwest tip of the island on 7,940 acres The Base included five small islands in the Gulf of Paria. Maqueripe Bay Martin PBM Mariner depot Four remote natural bays on the northwest peninsula: Carenage, Chaguaramus, Teteron, and Scotland Two shore valleys: Chaguaramus and Tucker, both developed Carlsen Airfield, 80 paved runways, main "Edinburgh" and "Xerxes" runways (used by Army and Navy), became Carlsen Air Force Base Piarco Airport (Army and some Navy) Crown Point emergency landing strip Waller Army Airfield (Army and some Navy) Chaguanas, Edinburgh Field Power station Water treatment plant Naval harbors for anchoring Carenage Bay Naval Headquarters at Carenage Bay Two Naval pairs at Carenage Bay, 350 feet - 600 feet Naval Hospital in upper Tucker Valley Two wooden floating drydocks, 3,000-ton and 1,000-ton capacity, built on the site Degaussing range on Pelican Island Radio station - Chaguaramus Valley Hangars Ship repair facilities Net Lying base, support by Hopocan (YNT-1) and over Net Tender ships Blimp hangar Air traffic control Chaguaramas training base Tardieus' land at Scotland Bay recreation area and zoo Seven-mile road over jungle mountains to Maracas Bay over Mount Pleasant (North Coast Road) Princess Margaret Highway AFDM-3-class medium auxiliary floating dry dock (Fort Read, mostly US Army) Officers Club Seaplane base at Carenage Bay 500-by-50-foot tender pier at Carenage Bay Motor pool Malaria reduction depot Quarry Naval Supply Depot - fleet warehouses Crash boat base Aviation Overhaul shop Quartermaster Laundry Torpedo assembly center PT Boat base Tank farms for: Fuel oil, aviation fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline Barracks Navy Bank Fleet Post Office FPO# 117 NY Trinidad, British West Indies Mess halls Navy Communication Center Troop store Military supply depot AA gun emplacements Naval Air Transport Service Facilities
Sub-installations Secondary bases: Naval Base Trinidad headquarters managed and supplied logical support for subsidiary satellite Bases, also called emergency advance bases and NAAF Trinidad.
NAF St. Lucia, on St. Lucia island north of Trinidad. Port and 221-acres of land at Gros Islet, built Advance base, airbase, seaplane base with tenders. The base was started in February 1941 and had 200 troops based at the camp. The base was decommissioned on September 1, 1943. Base was located at the north end of the island at . NAF British Guiana was in British Guiana. NAF British Guiana had a squadron of seaplanes. The Navy had blimps stationed at the Army air base at Atkinson Field, now Cheddi Jagan International Airport. The base was built by civilian workers. NAF British Guiana was 40 miles up the Essequibo River on a 1400-acres of land at . FPO#12. NAF Dutch Guiana NAF Paramaribo and Zandery Field (Army and Navy) at Paramaribo (now Suriname), became Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport. A Paramaribo was a lighter-than-air blimp base, used for U-boat patrols, the base opened in August 1943 and closed in April 1946. FPO#404.
Brazil Emergency advance bases (Naval patrol bases): On the northeastern coast of Brazil 16 bases, from the Brazil-United States Political-Military Agreement, agreed May 23, 1942. FPO# 335.
NAF Fortaleza in Fortaleza Harbor, with Pici Field (on Sítio Pécy farm) and "Adjacent Field". The Naval base support large bombers of the AAFBU Unit Fortaleza. A K-class blimp was used for patrol. Fortaleza Pici Field (Chapada do Pici) at location . Fleet Post Office (FPO) # was 90. Adjacent Field (Adjacento) at location . NAF Recife and NOF Recife at Recife, with Ibura Airfield that became Recife Airport. NAF Recife opened on October 1, 1943. Most common plane was the PV-1 Ventura used for patrol. One blimp was used for patrol also. The 150-bed Knox Hospital was built in 1942. The base also had a ship repair depot, to keep destroyers at sea. NAF Recife Fleet Post Office FPO# 120 NY and NOB Recife FPO# 1501. The United States Fourth Fleet worked out the base. The large base was closed in November 1945. At location . NAF Amapá, on the Mapiá Grande River, had two blimps and three patrol bombers. Base started on September 22, 1942. USAAF was given space for Consolidated B-24 Liberators. FPO# 328. Early on station at the port were the seaplane tender USS Humboldt (AVP-21) and USS Barnegat (AVP-10) to support VP-94. At location . NAF Amapá was closed June 30, 1945. NAF Belem at Belém harbor, stated on September 22, 1942. Took over Pam American and Brazilian airlines facilities. Naval base with seaplane ramp. Also at the site was the Val de Cans Airfield that became Belém/Val-de-Cans International Airport. Fleet Post Office FPO# 118 NY Belem, Brazil. NAF Belem at location . NAF Belem was closed June 15, 1945.