Simbawa

After negotiating the strait we moored at Simbawa. This base actually has an interesting history. Its origins date back to WWII when the Japanese crossed the strait to avoid the main coastal defenses. The British warships defending their territory left from the base to face off against a Japanese fleet. They were sunk by enemy aircraft and never played any part in the defense of Singapore. Ever since Singapore was liberated by allied forces, a strong British and American presence has remained here. The base itself is a British possession basically being leased by American forces. The bulk of personnel are American but while my ship was in port, we saw an Australian ship moor.

Simbawa is the largest Supply Base in Southeast Asia. I did not realize the extent of what that meant until I started running into Senior Supply Officers. I made it a point to meet with the Officers that I had not run into yet and got some great advice. Aside from official duties, I went shopping at the NEX for both ship and personal supplies and worked out at the gym. The main hangout point was a club at the entrance of the base. The crew was enjoying hanging out at the pool.

Simbawa is a nice base, although quite a bit smaller than Yokosuka and Changi where we moored previously. It was more laid back than either of the previously mentioned bases. It was nice to network with the Supply Corps Community, I do not have as many opportunities to meet and greet other Supply Officers on a forward deployed ship.