The Port continues to be one of the country's major economic engines with more than 700 investment projects, including the 4th largest shipbuilding facility in the world owned by Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC).
[5] Cavite, which had been home to most of the Spanish fleet in the Philippines, suffered from unhealthy living conditions and was vulnerable in time of war and bad weather because of its shallow water and lack of shelter.
To begin, the Filipinos dredged the harbor and its inner basin and built a drainage canal as the Spanish were planning to make Olongapo and their navy yard an "island."
To complement these gunboats, coastal artilleries were planned for the east and west ends of the station, as well as on Grande Island.
To finish these projects, the Filipinos had to remove thousands of tons of dirt and rock from Kalalake in Olongapo to use as fill.
The Arsenal's showpiece was the station commandant's headquarters, which was a one-storey building of molave and narra, and stood near today's Alava Pier and had colored glass windows.
His other units would then use Subic Bay as a sally port, with which he could attack the American fleet's rear and cut off its supplies.
On the morning of the April 27, the Castilla was towed northeast of Grande Island to help control the western entrance to Subic Bay.
In Hong Kong, Dewey purposely delayed his sailing until he received news from the U.S. Consul at Manila, Oscar F. Williams, about information about the strength and positions of the Spanish fleet.
On April 30, Dewey sighted the islands of Luzon and thus ordered the Boston and the Concord to sail at full speed to Subic Bay to hunt for enemy ships.
After seeing no enemy vessels at Subic, the Boston and the Concord signaled the Olympia of their findings and rejoined the squadron underway to Manila.
Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines.
In 1917, as the United States was drawn into World War I, all the Navy's shipyards including Subic Bay began working at a feverish pace to prepare ships for sea.
American and Filipino workers would take pride in their workmanship such that destroyers that were overhauled in Subic Bay became the vanguard of Admiral William Sims's convoy.
The United States Congress therefore authorized the release of funds with which to update the Coast Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays.
Seaward defenses included the batteries at Fort Wint on Grande Island and a minefield, which had been laid off the entrance to Subic Harbor.
In June 1968 a fire of unknown origin destroyed a warehouse with the loss of 18,000 line items worth more than $10 million.
Finally, on December 27, President Corazon Aquino, who fought to delay the pullout to cushion the country's battered economy, issued a formal notice for the U.S. to leave what had been the U.S.'s largest overseas defense facility after Clark Air Base was closed, by the end of 1992.
[9] The port's operations were contracted out to Philippine private investment firm International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) that year.
In March 2022, the nearby Agila Subic Shipyard was acquired by the American private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, after the previous owners, South Korean shipping company Hanjin went bankrupt, amid concerns about rising tensions between the U.S. and China.