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Olongapo, Zambales, Republic of the Philippines
Home away from home. No words can adequately express the feelings of a
West Pac sailor when he remembers liberty in Olongapo. You just have to
experience it for yourself. A town dedicated to the entertainment of the
fleet and reminiscent of the wild and brawling western boomtowns. Olongapo
had bars, "massage parlors," restaurants and guards armed with sub-machine guns.
From the time you walk out the main gate of the Subic Bay Naval Base, walking
across the bridge, you heard the cries of the children begging for coins or
offering to shine your shoes, or your uniform; or sitting in small boats,
waiting to dive for coins thrown into the river. The unpaved streets were
always crowded with pedestrian traffic, bicycles, motor bikes, and jeepnys.
Sidewalk vendors sold everything from "monkey meat on a stick" to fried rice and
"genuine Rolex" watches. The sound of street hawkers and the smell of
cooking food and sour beer was thick in the air.
We also had opportunities to see Manila, Bagio, Pagsanjan Falls, and other
parts of the Philippines, too. Special Services set up tours and many of
us went exploring.
Shopping in the Philippines was, generally, pretty good, too. Not as
good as Hong Kong or Yokosuka, but very inexpensive by American standards.
Most guys took advantage of the offerings of the Subic base exchange.
(Pesos from Fred Girk)
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Subic Bay, P.I. (SH) |
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The next thirteen pictures are a sequence of the Canberra
pulling into Subic Bay. This first shot is a first glimpse of the
Philippine Islands. (SH) |
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This, and the one below, are of the Cubi Point Naval Air
Station. This is where the "bird farms" tie up
(SH) |
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| Looking back at the entrance to the bay. Isla Grande
(Grande Island) is in the distance. Shore batteries were once
installed there to defend the harbor. We found a great recreational
facility there. Athletic fields and picnic areas; bungalows for
overnighters; lots of places to explore; skin diving and a really nice EM
club. (SH) |
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Another shot of Cubi Point and the carrier piers.
(SH) |
| The ammunition depot. This place was REALLY busy,
keeping the AEs and AOEs shuttling back and forth to the gunline and Yankee
Station. (SH) |
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| This is a ferry ship taking aircraft to the Army's air
mobile units in Viet Nam. (SH) |
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The "tanker farm." Like the ammunition depot, across
the bay, these ships were kept very busy ensuring the the ships in the
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club had the fuel and lube oils they needed.
(SH) |
| Food and other provisions came from here. It takes an
awful lot of "stuff" to keep a fighting fleet at sea. These folks
helped make that possible. (SH) |
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Just a look across the bay.
(SH) |
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Pulling into the fueling pier. After a non-stop
transit from Pearl Harbor, we were ready to take on some Navy Special.
(SH) |
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Next to the pier at Alava (?) Wharf.
(SH) |
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This is the site (with varying degrees of clarity) that
greeted many a Canberra crewman returning from Olongapo.
(SH) |
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Pulling maintenance at the pier in Subic Bay.
(FG) |
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(JG) |
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(JG) |
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(JG) |
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Ed Huntington (PHAN), and Peter Detlef Osburg at the EM
club, Subic Bay. (EH) |
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At the entrance to Subic Bay is Grande Island. The
island is a major recreation area for fleet sailors and Marines. Here,
Spike Parker (PH3, far right) and friends go skin diving.
(Cruise Book) |
| Our shipmate, Larry Gibson (S1-Div), on a diplomatic mission
with the Good Will Ambassador from Olongapo. (JC) |
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Revised:
Sunday, May 12, 2002
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