Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, it is now the location of an industrial and commercial area known as the Subic Bay Freeport Zone under the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Subic Bay is surrounded by the town of Subic and Olongapo City, both in the province of Zambales. Also in the bay are Grande Island, once home to Fort Wint, and was later turned into a rest and recreation island for the U.S. Seventh Fleet. Development of Olongapo City was largely tied to the presence of the United States Navy base at Subic Bay, once the largest U.S. military naval base in Asia.

An arsenal and ship-repair facility was established at Subic Bay in 1885 by the then colonial power, Spain. Following the Spanish-American war, Subic Bay became a U.S. Navy and Marine base, and grew to be a major facility. Until 1991, it was the base of the United States 7th Fleet.

In early 1991, after the collapse of protracted negotiations, the Philippine Senate rejected terms for renewal of the lease of the base. The US Navy was already in the process of downsizing its Subic operations in June 1991, when Mount Pinatubo erupted. One of the largest volcanic eruptions in the last 100 years, it covered the Navy Base in volcanic ash and collapsed a significant number of structures. The last ship, USS Belleau Wood, left on November 24, 1992. Some 8,000 residents of nearby Olongapo City, under the leadership of their mayor, Richard Gordon, volunteered to protect and preserve 8 billion dollars worth of facilities and property from looting and destruction. Subic Bay was later transformed into a commercial zone under the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

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Photos taken last 11th Oct. 2007

All the photos here were taken inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (except the road to Subic and the city of Olongapo)

( you can see the enlarged copy by double clicking with your PC mouse the photos )

Weblink :

http://www.sbma.com/

Official Website of SBMA

Please see also the related postings about Subic Bay and SCTEX.

Thursday, November 5, 2009
Photo Journal of Subic Bay Freeport Zone - 4th November 2009
http://jibrael.blogspot.com/2009/11/photo-journal-of-subic-bay-freeport.html


November 5, 2009
Photo journal of Olongapo City - 4th Nov. 2009

http://jibrael.blogspot.com/2009/11/photo-journal-of-olongapo-city-4th-nov.html


November 5, 2009
Road trip from Clark to Subic via SCTEX - 4th November 2009

http://jibrael.blogspot.com/2009/11/road-trip-from-clark-to-subic-via-sctex.html



May 9, 2009
Photos of Subic Bay and Approaches

http://jibrael.blogspot.com/2009/05/photos-of-subic-bay-and-approaches.html


September 17, 2008
Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway

http://jibrael.blogspot.com/2008/09/subic-clark-tarlac-expressway-clark-to.html