Naval Base Iwo Jima


Naval Base Iwo Jima was a naval base built by United States Navy on the Japanese Volcano Island of Iwo Jima during and after the Battle of Iwo Jima, that started on February 19, 1945. The naval base was built to support the landings on Iwo Jima; the troops fighting on Iwo Jima; and the repair and expansion of the airfields on Iwo Jima. United States Navy Seabee built all the facilities on the island.

History

With the landings on Iwo Jima, Seabees' first task was to get cargo and vehicles on the island. Amphibious vehicles, Amphibious crafts, barges and amphibious ships were used to get cargo onto the beaches. Beach unloading was difficult due to the surf and sand. Marston Mats were laid to help jeeps and DUKWs onto the beach. Once the beach was secured Seabees built ship dock at the western beach. On the west beach, old ships were sunk to make a breakwater. Both old ships and concrete barges were sunk to make an artificial breakwater to form a harbor. Some of ships sunk were seized from Empire of Japan like the Toyotu Maru. Some were old Soviet Union ships like: Chetvertyi Krabalov, Caliche, and Gilyak. Other ships sunk were US Concrete Barge No. 30 and other concrete Barges. The last ship, the 12th was sunk on June 13, 1945. On the west beach a small harbor was built to support a small boats. The other high priorities for the Seabees were fresh water and the repair and expansion of the airfields on Iwo Jima. Japanese had made 14 wells on the island, the Seabees used eight wells to build a fresh water system including water tanks. Cisterns and new wells were added to the system. The United States Seventh Fleet Command Headquarters move to Iwo Jima in newly built buildings. After clearing land mines, the Seabees built a Radar station on Mount Suribachi and built a road to the top.

Facilities

Facilities built by the Seabees:
  • West beach harbor, built with sunk ships
  • East boat basin
  • Piers and quay walls
  • DUKW west beach landings with mats
  • Landing beaches with mats
  • Water supply system, with tanks and water distillation
  • Ammunition depot
  • Quartermaster depot
  • Medical center
  • Engineering camp
  • Chemical Engineering Camp
  • Power stations
  • Crash boat base
  • 27,000 cubic feet refrigerated depot
  • Tent camp for 37,000 Troops
  • Headquarters -quonset huts
  • Navy Carrier Aircraft Service Unit camp and depot
  • Mess halls - quonsets
  • Hospitals: 1,250 beds
  • *38th Field Hospital
  • *41st Station Hospital
  • *232nd General Hospital
  • Navy dispensaries with 105 beds
  • Radar station on Mount Suribachi, built road to top.
  • 20 miles of primary roads
  • 40 miles of secondary roads
  • Tank farms for: Fuel oil, aviation fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline
  • AA gun emplacements
  • Navy Communication Center
  • Post office FPO# 3150 SF Iwo Jima, Kazin Group
  • East shore quarry
  • Seabee depot
  • Hangars

Airfields

The Seabees first repaired the captured airfields. Next for Boeing B-29 Superfortress operation, the Seabees did massive earth works to get some to the needed runway. A number of Superfortresses made emergency landings as soon as the runway was fixed.

Seabees

[file:127-GW-304-530911 (24979758612).jpg|thumb|Seabee on a captured Japanese steam roller]
Seabees had very high casualties on Iwo Jima. Seabees were given the dangerous task of clearing land mines. Others were hit by enemy fire during unloading or construction.
Units on Iwo Jima:

Geography

Iwo Jima is a small volcanic island south of the Japanese homeland. The base took over almost all of the of land. Seabee built a road to the top of the highest peak,, on Iwo Jima, Mount Suribachi on the south point of the island. Most of the remainder of the volcanic island is a flat plateau. Much of the island is covered in volcanic black-gray sand and ash. The soft volcanic ash made the movement of troops and vehicles very difficult. The black beaches have a steep rise to the plateau. Marston Mats were laid on the beaches and into the water to help. The beaches have a sharp dropped off into the ocean, producing a narrow and violent surf zone, difficult for the landing craft. The island had no natural harbors and surf can be heavy at times. The beaches had many disabled crafts and vehicles on the landing D-day. The west beach offered 3 miles of landing beaches and the east shore had 2 miles of landing beaches. Each beach was divided into zones and names of a color. The north beaches were not used as these face a high plateau. Iwo Jima is south of the city of Tokyo, becoming a key base near Japan. Due to the island's small size and lack of a large harbor, it did not become a large base like Tinian Naval Base, where the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay took off from.

Post-war

  • While fighting ended on March 26, 1945, there were a few Japanese holdouts. Two soldiers under Lieutenant Toshihiko Ohno, Yamakage Kufuku and Matsudo Linsoki, hid out on the island for four years. They surrendered on January 6, 1949.
  • The US closed its last base on the island on June 27, 1968.
  • Seabee Memorial Iwo Jima at.
  • Mt. Suribachi Peak Memorial, dedicated to fallen U.S. and Japanese service members, at.
  • Former American War Cemetery Iwo Jima at. 6,821 American Troops died in the battle.
  • Reunion of Honor Memorial, memorial commemorating the reunion of American and Japanese veterans of the Battle of Iwo Jima at.
  • Islanders' Memorial Peace Cemetery Park at.
  • Iwo Jima, Japanese Artillery Control Bunker.
  • The sunk ship artificial breakwater is still at Iwo Jima. Some of the ships have moved due to typhoons and rising beach levels caused by volcanic uplift. Now called Shipwreck Cluster at.
  • Tranquility Hill, Japanese memorial at.
  • Japanese Iwo Jima Memorial at.
  • Marine Corps War Memorial, a national memorial located in Arlington County, Virginia, dedicated in 1954. With iconic 1945 photograph of six Marines raising a U.S. flag.
  • Iwo Jima Monument West at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.