[3] Following a visit to Australia, British Admiral Reginald Henderson suggested Cockburn Sound as the location of a naval base once more in 1910, as part of a report compiled by him.

[7] The official opening of the Henderson Naval Base took place on 7 May 1913, in the presence of Senator George Pearce,[8] with speeches from Admiral Creswell and the Premier of Western Australia of the time, John Scaddan.

[4] The project suffered from unfortunate timing, starting just a year before the outbreak of World War I, and domestic issues like labour shortages and delays in the harbour dredging.

[4] By late 1913, only about 30 men worked on the Henderson Naval Base, the number of workmen having been scaled back, something that was registered with indignation in Western Australia.

Leading Australian politicians like Senator Pearce felt that, with the Washington Naval Treaty from 1922, the potential threat of Australia from Japan had been eliminated for at least the following decade.

A feasibility study for Cockburn Sound was carried out in 1966 and, three years later, the Australian Government announced the construction of a naval base on Garden Island.