Re the USS Atherton..getting a U-boat on 9 May 1945..was that the last one sunk in the war?
Probably last in ETO. Japanese boats were probably sunk later.
Yes, they are probably now regretting giving us the boot in 1992, when they kicked us out of the Subic Bay Navy Base. Mount Pinatubo destroyed Clark AFB, about an hour drive NW of Subic Bay back in 1991. We wrote off Clark as a total loss, but wanted to keep Subic, but alas, the Philippine Senate refused to ratify a new base treaty and we pulled out in November, 1992.
Subic Bay Navy Base and Clark Air Force Base were our largest Navy and Air Force Bases outside the United States when we were there. Maybe with this Chinese saber rattling, they will allow us to move back into Subic Bay and possibly Clark. I'd be willing to bet that if we still had our bases in the Philippines, that the Chinese would not be near as belligerent as they are now.
The PI had better hurry, though. I read a few days ago that the Vietnamese may soon make an offer to the United States to allow our Navy use of Cam Rahn Bay and to make Cam Rahn Bay a U.S. Navy Base again. We had a major Navy base there during the Vietnam War. You know it is getting bad with the Chinese when our former enemies are seriously considering asking our Navy to return to Cam Rahn Bay and to stay there.
The Russians/Soviets pulled out of there ten years ago and with the Chinese also rattling sabers at the Vietnamese of late, they figure our making Cam Rahn Bay a major U.S. Navy base in the South China Sea a deterent from the Chinese attacking them.
It sank a U-Boat the day after VE day? Must be an interesting story there.