Naval Base Eniwetok


Naval Base Eniwetok was a major United States Navy base located at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands, during World War II. The base was built to support the island-hopping strategy used by allied nations fighting the Empire of Japan in the Pacific War. During 1944-5 Eniwetok was one of the busiest naval bases in the world with over 488 ships.

History

Enewetak Atoll is a large coral atoll with a lagoon circled by 40 islands in a circumference. The islands have less than of land that is only a few feet above sea level. The deep lagoon in the atoll offers excellent fleet anchorage for the largest ships. The lagoon has only three entrances, providing control and protection. After World War I, Eniwetok became part of Japan under the South Seas Mandate. In November 1942, the Empire of Japan built an airfield on Enewetak Atoll's Engebi Island, to refuel and support planes at Truk. In the United States' Marshall Islands campaign, the US took control of the Marshall Islands and the Imperial Japanese Army sent the 1st Amphibious Brigade with 2,586 men to defend the base on Engebi Island and Parry Island. In the Battle of Eniwetok, the US took Eniwetok, starting on 17 February 1944, and ending 23 February. The action took place on three islands: Engebi, Parry, and Eniwetok by the US 22nd Marines and the Army's 106th Infantry. Medical dispensaries were built on each of the main islands: Eniwetok, Engebi, and Parry islands, with a total of 200 beds.

Engebi Airfield

On Engebi Island was a runway built by Japan. The US Army 47th Engineers repaired and improved the runway starting February 1944 and completing 10 March. The Engebi Airfield was named Wrigley Airfield. Four fighter squadrons used the 3,950-foot by 225-foot runway. At the airbase were an engine-overhaul shop and a 146,000 gallons aviation-gasoline tank farm. The Army had the 41st Bomber Group and 396th Bomber Squadron flying B-25. Marine Aircraft Group 31 and VMF-113 also used the Engebi Airfield, flying Vought F4U Corsair. In September 1944 Charles Lindbergh visited Engebi Airfield and United States Marine Corps flew the Corsairs. Charles Lindbergh helped improve the maximum ordnance load of the Corsairs. By June 1944, the major projects on Engebi had been completed and Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 594, CBMU 594, took over. Engebi Island was given the code name Janet and is at. The airfield was abandoned at the end the war.

Eniwetok Island

US Navy Seabees with the 110th Naval Construction Battalion arrived at Eniwetok starting 21 February 1944. The Seabee's first task was clearing the runway of battle damage and repairing the runway to be a bomber airbase for the United States Army Air Forces. The completed runway, Stickell Field, was wide on Eniwetok Island. The first plane landed on 11 March, and the first attack mission was carried out on 5 April. Seabees built air facilities that included a major engine overhaul depot, and barracks for Army aviation personnel with quonset huts. The most common bombers were Consolidated B-24 Liberator and North American B-25 Mitchell.
The US Navy also used Stickell Field, with unit VD-3 flying PB4Y, Navy Liberator. The Navy had stationed at base unit VB-109, VD-4, and VPB-109 flying Lockheed Ventura Harpoon-PV-1 and Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer. Stickell Field is named after Lt. John H. Stickell, a US Navy and former RAF pilot. John H. Stickell was killed in 1944 in action against the Jaluit Atoll.
Seabees built a large tank farm with twelve 1,000-barrel tanks to fuel the bombers with aviation gasoline at Stickell Field. Tankers in the lagoon could refill the tanks by a floating pipeline that was 1,200 feet long at a tanker mooring. The tank farm was completed by May 1944. It was partly damaged when a Landing craft tank, LCT-315, had an explosion on 23 March 1944.
Seabees also built two coral-fill piers out into the lagoon on Eniwetok Island for unloading supplies. They also built tow beach ramps for unloading LCTs. In addition, Seabees built two berths that were used for ships to dock and do anti-aircraft target practice. For target practice, the airbase would provide a towed target and also had drone planes tow targets for safety.
3,500 troops were stationed on Eniwetok Island in 1944. Naval Base Eniwetok Fleet Post Office Box's number was 3237. Eniwetok Island was given the code name Fred at. After the war, the runway became Enewetak Auxiliary Airfield, now an emergency landing runway. Hal Kanter built and ran Armed Forces Radio Service radio station on Naval Base Eniwetok.

Bob Hope

In 1944 Bob Hope put on a Bob Hope Show on Eniwetok Island. In the USO military tour there were still wrecked planes and equipment in the background. Hope had Jerry Colonna and Frances Langford sing on stage. Patty Thomas danced and musician guitarist Tony Romano played. Hope called his 1944 tour of the South Pacific: "Loew’s Malaria Circuit" and "the Pineapple Circuit". Hope did 150 shows in the two months they were on the 1944 road trip. Hope's 1944 show visited Naval Base Pearl Harbor Hawaii at the Nimitz Bowl, Eniwetok, Naval Base Cairns, Green Islands, Bougainville, Milner Bay, Naval Base Treasury Islands, Naval Base Mios Woendi called Wendy Island, and Naval Base Kwajalein.

Parry Island

Troops at sea on ships and boats need R&R, so in June 1945, the 67th Naval Construction Battalion arrived and built a 35,000-man recreation center on Parry Island. Parry Island had mark off swimming beaches. At the recreation center in the atoll, the Navy had an ice cream barge that could make up to 500 gallons of ice cream for the troops in 8 hours. The ice cream barge also would make fresh bread products. The base officer's club was built on Parry Island. The base printed a bulletin newspaper to keep the Troops up-to-date at the base. After completion, the Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 608 took over the day-to-day operation and Maintenance of the center. Naval Base Eniwetok was part of the vast Naval Base Marshall Islands. On Parry Island the 110th Battalion Seabees repaired and improved the Parry Island Seaplane Base captured from Japanese forces. Parry Island is also known as: Medren, Elmer, Igem, Heartstrings, and Overbuilt at.

Smaller Islands

The local inhabitants, Micronesians, at Eniwetok were restricted to the smaller islands of Biijiri, Aomen, and the Rojoa complex. Aomen codename was Sally. Biijiri, Bijire codename was Tilda. One of the small islands, that was away from the base and inhabitants, for safety, was used as an ammunition depot. Seabees of the 126th Battalion built a second fleet recreation center on Runit Island, codename Hawthorne, six weeks later it was crated up and shipped to Naval Base Ulithi. The 126th Battalion also built facilities on Japtan, codename, David.

Eniwetok lagoon

The deep lagoon the Navy set up fleet anchorage and a major US Naval Advance Base. The USS Cascade became the flagship of Service Squadron 4 and Service Squadron 10. A Service Squadron is a floating Naval Base, with all the support a land base would give. In the Service Squadron were all the supplies and repair depot support the fleet needed. The Service Squadron had: Fleet Oilers, Gasoline Tanker, Repair Ships, Ammunition ships, Destroyer Tenders, Tugboats, Barges, Seaplane tenders,hospital ship, Net laying ships, barracks ships, Small Auxiliary Floating Dry Docks, stores ship, and Submarine tenders. By July 1944 there were about 488 at the base, after a fleet depart there were 283. ships. Seabes built a signal tower at the entrance to the lagoon, that became the Harbor Entrance Control Post, to direct port traffic. The USS Vega was used to assemble floating pontoon barges. Shipping Pontoons flat and unassembled took a lot less space. Outboard engines were added to many barges for moving supplies in the atoll.
As the fighting front moved east and closer to Japan, Service Squadron 10 was too far away from the action. Service Squadron 10 started departing Enewetak Atoll on 4 October 1944 for Naval Base Ulithi arriving on the 15th. Ulithi is 1,538 miles west of Eniwetok. Squadron 10 was moved to Ulithi in four convoys, tugboats returning to move non-self-propelled craft for each trips. Non-self-propelled craft included: APL-14 troopship, 7 concrete 3,000-ton storage barges, 19 oil/water barges, 17 gasoline barges, 24 500-ton barges with ammunition, freight, spare parts, radio, medical, mail, refrigerated food, etc. The Service Squadron 10 move took 2 weeks.

Eniwetok repair depot

The US Navy set up a large ship and boat repair depot at Naval Base Eniwetok. The repair depot provided the fleet with support to keep ships and subs tactically available in the Pacific War with the repair and supply depot, rather than ships having to return to continental United States. The Navy had built special auxiliary floating drydocks that were able to repair battle damage to even the largest ships and do regular maintenance in the field saving ships trans-pacific travel time for repair. Supply store ships were also at the base with the parts needed to keep the fleet ready. The USS Endymion was torpedoed and had temporary repairs made at Eniwetok. In September 1944 a strong westerly storm hit Eniwetok, damaging many boats and barges and driving high-speed target rafts ashore. The depot worked overtime to repair the damage.
  • Some of the Eniwetok repair depot ships and crafts:
  • USS Richland, Auxiliary floating drydock
  • USS Oak Ridge, Auxiliary floating drydock
  • USS Endurance, Auxiliary floating drydock
  • AFDL-32, a type of Small Auxiliary Floating Dry Docks
  • USS ARD-13, ARD Auxiliary floating drydock, mostly destroyer repair
  • USS ARD-15, ARD Auxiliary floating drydock, mostly destroyer repair
  • USS ARD-23, ARD Auxiliary floating drydock, mostly destroyer repair
  • USS Jason, large repair ship
  • USS Ajax, large repair ship
  • USS Nestor, repair ship and small craft tender
  • USS Oceanus, battle damage repair ship
  • USS Preserver, repair ship
  • USS Zeus, repair ship
  • USS Vestal, large repair ship
  • USS Mona Island, repair ship
  • USS Deliver, rescue and salvage ship
  • USS Shackle, rescue and salvage ship
  • USS Supply, aircraft stores ship
  • YRB-34, Floating Workshop