Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo

Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo

Nickname: Espiritu Santo
Map of Espiritu Santo
Geography
Location	Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu
Coordinates	15°30′52″S 167°10′38″E / 15.51444°S 167.17722°E / -15.51444; 167.17722
Archipelago	Inlands of New Hebrides
Major islands	Espiritu Santo and Aore Island, Espiritu Santo Naval Base from 1942 to 1946
Administration
Current name: Vanuatu, US Navy New Hebrides in 1940s
Largest settlement	City of Luganville

Naval Advance Base Espiritu Santo or Naval Base Espiritu Santo, most often just called Espiritu Santo, was a major advance Naval base that the U.S. Navy Seabees built during World War II to support the Allied effort in the Pacific.^[1] The base was located on the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. The base also supported the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and US Marine Corps. It was the first large advance base built in the Pacific. By the end of the war it had become the second-largest base in the theater.^[2] To keep ships tactically available there was a demand for bases that could repair and resupply the fleet at advance locations, rather than return them to the United States.^[3] Prior to December 7th, Pearl Harbor was the U.S. fleet's largest advance base in the Pacific. Espiritu became capable of all aspects necessary to support the Fleet's operations from fleet logistics in fuel, food, and ammunition, to transport embarkation for combat operations or returning to the continental United States. The ship repair facilities and drydocks were capable of attending to most damage and routine maintenance. Had it not existed, ships would have had to return to Pearl Harbor, Brisbane, or Sydney for major repairs and resupply. The base became a major R and R destination for the fleet.^[4][5][6][7]