BLOG 25—ARGENTIA, NL

We spent 6 nights June 14-19, 2015 in Argentia, our last destination in Newfoundland and the jump-off place to catch the Marine Atlantic Ferry back to North Sydney, Nova Scotia.   Argentia is the huge former United States Naval Base that was of great importance during World War II and the Cold War.

Perhaps surprisingly, Argentia was one of the most interesting destinations of the trip, especially to former Navy man, Lin.  Lots and lots of World War II, Cold War and Navy history right here!

Argentia Naval Base--As part of the “Destroyers for Bases” deal that FDR made with Churchill in September 1940 giving Great Britain 50 old destroyers, the U.S. was granted a 99 year lease on 3 properties in Newfoundland--St. John's, Stephenville and Argentia, as well as several in the Caribbean, that became American military bases. The Argentia property had formerly been a small fishing village and the occupants were paid between $3-6000 for their property and  moved to a village about a mile away.  

 

The campground had a large display of photographs and maps of the original base

Why did the U.S. select Argentia for its major Naval base?  Argentia had a large deep water anchorage, an ice free and well protected harbor, ample flat land for an airstrip and it already had a rail terminal connected to the Newfoundland Railway.  The purpose of the base was to support U.S. Navy ship patrols and air patrols escorting supply convoys across the Atlantic and hunting German submarines in the North Atlantic where they were sinking many of the supply ship convoys heading to Great Britain.  The Argentia Naval Base consisted of a Naval Operating Base with repair and support facilities for ships and a Naval Air Station with hangars, repair and service facilities for aircraft.  

The SS Richard Peck in 1941

Argentia Naval Base was called the “Gibraltar of the Atlantic.”  It was 3392 acres in size and consisted of 3-5000' runways, 2000' of wharf, a large floating drydock, aircraft hangars, seaplane base, 15 million gallons of fuel and oil storage tanks and living quarters, shops and utility infrastructure.  The largest U. S. Navy Atlantic task force was based here with 5 aircraft carriers and 50 destroyers and patrol craft!  Argentia was the largest and costliest U.S. overseas military base built in World War II ultimately costing over $53 million!   Navy Atlantic Weather personnel and the Atlantic Ice Patrol were also based here.

The best way to dramatize Argentia's importance is a timeline of the base---

September 1940  “Destroyers for Bases” deal signed giving Argentia to the U. S. on a 99 year lease.

October 13, 1940 USS Bowditch (AG-30) a survey ship, arrived with a large group of Army Corps of Engineers personnel and civilian hydrographic and surveying personnel. The ship conducted geodetic surveys in the harbor and the Bay.

December 1940  Construction began on the base.

January 19, 1941  1500 American construction and engineering personnel arrive aboard the transport SS Richard Peck and lived aboard ship for 2 years while the base was built including living quarters.    4000 Newfoundlanders were also employed during construction.

January 25, 1941 120 U. S. Marines arrived and raised the American flag for the first time on Feb. 13.

By the end of WWII, up to 15,000 different Newfoundlanders worked at the base providing a huge economic stimulus to the area and all of Newfoundland.

February 1941 Fort McAndrew Army facility, just south and contiguous with the Naval Base, opened  with infantry, seacoast artillery and anti-motor torpedo boat groups plus anti-aircraft batteries to defend Argentia Naval base.

May 15, 1941    First military planes arrived--Grumman Amphibians PBYs and PBMs and Martin torpedo bombers.

July 15, 1941   Naval Operating Base commissioned.

August 9-12, 1941  Base personnel finally knew what the mad rush to get the base open and functioning was all about when the word passed that U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were having an important conference just offshore of the base. 

FDR in fact, came over by boat to inspect the progress on the Navy base construction!

August 28, 1941   Naval Air Station—NAS Argentia commissioned.

March 1942  Fort McAndrew Army Base opened.

1943    12,000 U.S. military personnel stationed here.

Spring 1943  7000 ton Floating Drydcok and ship repair facility opened.

1944    Argentia added a refueling and maintenance base for 6 USN K-class blimps used for North Atlantic nighttime anti-submarine warfare operations.  

1944 to the end of the war, German POWs, mostly survivors of bombed or captured German submarines, were detained here.

Height of WWII   20,000 military and 6000 civilians worked at the base.

August 1945   immediately after war, first Navy dependents (families of men stationed here) permitted to live on base in permanent family quarters.

1946   Fort McAndrew transferred to Army Air Corps and in 1948, after creation of the U.S. Air Force,  became Mc Andrew AFB. 

1947-48   Cold War—Argentia personnel rose again to 7000.

July 1953   End of Korean War--8500 personnel on base.

1955   McAndrew AFB deactivated and facility transferred back to USN.

1960   NavSta Argentia added top secret underwater hydrophone listening facility for Soviet and other foreighn submarines and surface vessels.

1967   First ferry terminal at Argentia port running from Argentia to North Sydney, NS in summer months only by CN railway marine subsidiary. In 1989 Marine Atlantic took over operations.

1969   USN and USMC drop to 3000 personnel and 1000 by 1971.

1973   NAS Argentia closed and by 1975 entire north side of base transferred back to Canadian govt.

1975   On entire north side of former base, Canadian government using 20% of all buildings and facilities; NL provincial government using 40% and private companies using 40%.

1994 Naval Operating Base Argentia, one of the USN's most modern facilities, decommissioned and  land and facilities transferred back to Canadian government then to NL Provincial government. 54 years of American operation and local economic stimulus ends!

1995  Argentia Management Authority and its Port Authority formed to attract new uses to base property to stimulate regional employment opportunities.  Trying to make industrial park out of property.

2015  Our visit to Argentia--our pictures of the port today.    

The Argentia Management Authority (AMA) property now consists of the Port, the Technology Park and the Industrial Park.  Current former base tenants include Argentia Freezers and Terminals, Vale Hydrometallurgical Processing Demonstration Plant (INCO nickel mine processing), a huge new drydock facility under construction to build and repair Husky Oil offshore oil rigs, Tacamore call center, a future oil refinery and a future LNG terminal.  A recent Port tenant is Clearwater Seafood's new Shellfish Harvester vessel, MV Belle Carnell. This vessel with “the most advanced shellfish harvesting and processing technology” will fish between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia for arctic surf clams, cockle clams and propeller clams year round.  It will come into the Port of Argentia 10 times a year!   The AMA website details development into a heavy industrial seaport.  Lots of great potential here and the landlord is really hungry for business and can offer major government incentives to locate here!

Very few of the original buildings are still there--the"Mae West" hills are visible from everywhere

Here are several other interesting parts of the former base today illustrated with our photographs---

Twin  6” Coastal Defense Guns  The only defensive weapons remaining on the former base are two 6” coastal defense guns that could fire a 105 pound armor piercing projectile out 15 miles to protect the base against German submarines or surface ships.  This was Fort McAndrew's Army Battery 282 consisting of two 6” coastal defense guns and a large underground bunker connecting the 2 guns.  The Argentia Management Authority plans eventually to stabilize the site and interpret them for visitors.    Our photographs tell the story of overgrown vegetation, damaged gun turrets and stripped electrical and control devices in turret. Note the end of the gun barrel and date of manufacture of the guns and the armory. (6 IN No.8 ORD DEPT USA 1903 WATERVLIET ARSENAL). The bunker tunnels are accessible and currently it's easy to park a car or two next to the main highway and walk a short distance to see the battery.  Very interesting artifacts from 74 years ago! 

Naval Base Backland Trail,  Bunkers & Underground Hospital  There are many miles of unpaved roads around the former base property leading up and down hills to former bunkers, lookout posts, antenna farms, coastal defense guns, a few old buildings and more.  The Argentia Management Authority has built 16 KM of hiking trails up to viewpoints and through the forest areas.  

There is a recent Canadian Coast Guard radar and communication facility at a high point.  

Coast Guard Radar station and again the "Mae West" hills

We drove the roads looking for old bunkers as well as the legendary underground emergency hospital that we finally found after being told the landmarks to locate it. 

We met a gentleman camping in the RV Park who was a retired Navy Hospital Corpsman 1^st class and he showed us the location of the 6” guns as well as the underground hospital, where one of his jobs in the 1970s was to keep the medical equipment and supplies current and ready to use in an emergency when the underground facility would be activated.  Lots of good exploring opportunities!

 

We even saw a ghost in the dark eerie bunkers!

Argentia Sunset Park is where we camped for our 6 nights here in Argentia.  It's a 40 site RV Park built and operated by the Argentia Management Authority with full hookups.  It's located on a hill in the old base overlooking the port area.  Caravans use this park as well as RV travelers on the Argentia- North Sydney NS ferry.  Our caravan folks with dogs liked this place as there were unlimited walking and sniffing opportunities for their animals! 

Atlantic Charter Memorial — this memorial is about a 20 mile drive from Argentia to the town of Ship Harbour, also on Placentia Bay, then 1.2 miles down a bad eroding gravel road.  

  

Just offshore between August 9-12, 1941, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his senior staff arrived on the heavy cruiser USS Augusta (CA-31) along with another heavy cruiser, USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37) and three destroyers as escort ships to meet with British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill on the British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and her escort of three Canadian destroyers.  FDR did a little fishing from the Augusta while waiting for Churchill to arrive!   On Sunday, FDR joined Churchill on the Prince of Wales for divine services.   

Both leaders brought their top advisers to discuss war strategies and logistics after the U.S. entered World War II and then ultimately hammered out an 8 point declaration that was called the “Atlantic Charter.”  This important document, although never signed by the 2 leaders, outlined how peace should be maintained in a post-World War II world and later became the basis for the founding of the United Nations.

The Memorial overlooks the North Atlantic and contains a large bronze tablet showing the 2 leaders passing a document symbolizing the conclusion of an important agreement—the Atlantic Charter.  There are several interpretive panels, a large Navy anchor and a few benches for quiet contemplation of the world-changing events that happened here 74 years ago!