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, it 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.US Navy, Bases of World War II
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. 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. 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. Seabees 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, Seabees built a ship-repair depot. Outside of the base, an 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. Unlike 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.
Bases and facilities Brisbane, Queensland Bases: United States Seventh Fleet:
Naval Base Brisbane Naval Base Brisbane on the Brisbane River Navy Headquarters, from Naval Base Melbourne in July 1942. New Farm Wharf depot, now New Farm Park ferry wharf AHS Centaur, USS Samaritan (AH-10) and USS Comfort (AH-6) Hospital ships Brisbane Submarine baseJones, David; Nunan, Peter (2005). U.S. Subs Down Under. Brisbane, 1942–1945. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-644-5.Brisbane Submarines base, ozatwar.com Some Submarines Base at Brisbane:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Caiman, Pompon, Cod, Raton, Guavina, Bowfin, Grouper, Grouper, Blackfish, Rasher, Balao, Corvina Submarine maintenance depot Submarine training center Brisbane Degaussing Station Brisbane Degaussing Station, ozatwar.com Crash boat base Fleet Post Office FPO# 134 SF Brisbane Barracks Brisbane Barracks ozatwar.com Supply depotNorthgate depot ozatwar.com Ammunition depot, Brisbane Navy 134 at Mount Coot-thaAmmunition depot Mount Coot-tha, ozatwar.comNavy 134, ozatwar.com Mine depot outside of the city Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit. No.1 Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit. No.1 ozatwar.com Archerfield shared with Army, just south of Brisbane.Archerfield ozatwar.com Camp Perry Park, Navy housing unit at Camp Perry ParkCamp Perry Park ozatwar.com Toowoomba Recreation Center, at Toowoomba west of Brisbane Coolangatta Recreation Center at Coolangatta, south of Brisbane Transmitting Station at ColmslieUSN Transmitting Station Colmslie ozatwar.com
Naval Air Station Brisbane Naval Air Station Brisbane was based in Colmslie on the Brisbane River.Naval Air Station Brisbane ozatwar.com Naval Base Colmslie Naval Base Colmslie ozatwar.com 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 baseBarrier Reef Airways ussieairliners.org
Hamilton repair depot Repair depot Hamilton repair depot in Hamilton on the Brisbane River. Cairncross Dockyard Dockyard ozatwar.com Supply depot Machine shops Engineering camp Chemical Engineering Camp Some repair ship at Brisbane: USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) USS Remus (ARL-40) USS Clytie USS Fulton (AS-11) USS Sperry (AS-12) USS Wachapreague (AGP-8) USS Satinleaf (AN-43) USS Sonoma (AT-12) USS Geronimo (ATA-207) USS Wright (AV-1) USS Coucal (ASR-8) USS Mataco (AT-86) USS Portunus (AGP-4) USS Oyster Bay (AGP-6) SS Stratheden USS Tangier (AV-8) USS Dobbin (AD-3)
Camp Seabee
Camp Seabee at Eagle Farm on the Brisbane River in Brisbane Camp SeabeeUS Navy, Camp SeabeeCamp Seabee, ozatwar.com Camp Seabee staging camp and depot Merchant Marine Anti-aircraft training camp, Wellington Point Gunnery School at Wellington Pointozatwar.com, Merchant Marine Anti-aircraft training camp Advanced Base Construction Depot (ABCD)Royal Australian Navy, Seabess Advanced Base Construction Depot Mobile Navy Hospital No. 9, with 3,000 beds Mobile Navy Hospital No. 9, ozatwar.com, Theater Recreation building Laundry depot Power station Decomposed granite quarry for roads. Eagle Farm Airfield, shared with ArmyEagle Farm Airfield, ozatwar.com Allison Engine Testing AreaEagle Farm, engine testing ozatwar.com
Camp Seabee was home to the: 19th Construction Battalion Special The boom-dozer: 30th Special Naval Construction Battalion, 19th Construction Battalion Special, US Navy 1948 20th Construction BattalionUS Navy 20th CB 55th Construction Battalion US Navy 55th CB 60th Construction Battalion US Navu 60th CB 77th Construction Battalion 84th Construction BattalionUS Navy 84th CB 91st Construction Battalion US Navy 91st CB Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 - 104th Naval Construction Battalion US Navy 104th CB 115th Construction BattalionUS Navy 115th CB 138th Naval Construction BattalionUS Navy 138th CB Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11
From the staging at Camp Seabee, Construction Battalions departed to help build: Naval Base Cairns Naval Air Station Palm Island Townsville Naval Section Base Thursday Island PT Boat Base Naval Base Sydney Naval Base Merauke KanaKopa PT Boat Base Oro Bay Airfield Naval Base Lae - Landing at Lae Naval Base Mios Woendi at Mios Woendi PT Boat Base and Owi Airfield Naval Base Woodlark Island Naval Base Milne Bay Naval Base Finschhafen Naval Base Hollandia Kiriwina Airfield Naval Base Cape Gloucester - Battle of Cape Gloucester Naval Base Alexishafen, at Madang Naval Base Morotai - Battle of Morotai Naval Base Banika Island on Banika: Renard Field and Banika Field Renard Sound Seaplane Base Naval Base Saipan Naval Base Okinawa Naval Base Amsterdam Island on Amsterdam Island, West Papua, PT Boat Base Leyte-Samar Naval Base 60th CB Naval Base Guadalcanal - Guadalcanal campaign 61th CBpacificwrecks, Koli Point Camppacificwrecks, Naval Base Lunga Tenaru Camp - Battle of the Tenaru Koli Point Camp - Koli Point action Naval Base Lunga at Lunga Point Henderson Field 6th CB Naval Base Manicani Repair base Radar Station at Auki for RNZA 60th CB Naval Base Emirau 60th CB on Emirau Island Naval Base Darwin 84th CB Naval Base Puerto Princesa at Palawan 84th CB pacificwrecks, Puerto Princesa Seaplane Base Naval Base Manus Naval Base Treasury Islands Torokina Airfield Piva Airfield Naval Base Lingayen - Sual Bay PT Boat Base 104th CB Naval Base Subic Bay Olongapo Naval Station Olongapo Camp, 115th CB NAS Attu 138th CB on Attu Island Naval Base Auckland at Auckland Bases in the Aleutian Islands 138th CB
Other camps
Camp La Fayette Prison Stockade at Eagle Farmozatwar.com, Camp La Fayette Prison Stockade Camp Whinstanes, Prison ozatwar.com, Camp Whinstanes
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. Cairns Harbor PT-Boat Base, later moved to Milne Bay Cairns Harbor Seaplane Base pacificwrecks.com, Cairns Harbor Seaplane Base 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-7ozatwar Cairns floating drydocks 600-foot timber wharf 5,000-gallon water tank farm Ammunition depot outside of camp Cairns Airfield used for patrols Cairns staging camp Trinity Bay, amphibious training, US Army, Navy with US Navy support. Sheridan Street Camp, Cairns Army Camp located along Sheridan, Dutton and Spence Street.
Naval Air Station Palm Island Naval Air Station Palm Island, at Palm Island north of Brisbane, started July 6, 1943, closed June 1, 1944. 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 US Navy Naval Air Station Wallaby Point 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. 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 Black River Navy hospital US Navy at Cleveland Bay Army camp, staging Army airfields and Army 12th Station Hospital HMAS Magnetic Royal Australian Navy base near US base
Horn Island Seaplane Base Horn Island Seaplane Base at small Horn Island, far north of Brisbanepacificwrecks, Horn Island Seaplane Base Horn Island Airport RAAF
Thursday Island PT Boat Base