When the Japanese bombed Manila and Cavite, Philippines out of existence in December, 1941 and January 1942, American submarines moved south to Dutch submarine facilities in Java. The Dutch base was of little use since it had its hands full supporting free Dutch submarines with its limited resources. Captain John Wilkes and Captain John Fife tried to establish a submarine support facility at Darwin, on the extreme northwestern coast of Australia. They anticipated bringing the tender Holland to Darwin, but on February 19, 1942 the same Japanese carrier strike force that had bombed Pearl Harbor raided Darwin. On that morning 188 bombers came over Darwin in two waves. The attack killed at least 243 people and caused huge damage to the seaport and town.

It was clear that the Japanese intended to continue raiding the town and that the capture of all of Australia was in the Japanese war plans. Exmouth Harbor, to the south, on the most western tip of the continent was also considered, but this was little more than a few shacks without the safety of a protected harbor. Farther to the south was the comparatively large city of Perth and its port to the southwest, Fremantle. It was here that American submarines would find safety.

Fremantle lay to the southwest of Perth by only fifteen miles. Bus and taxi service to the city was easy and the port of Fremantle was deep enough to allow submarine tenders to tie up at docks.

Captain Wilkes was relieved by Admiral Charles Lockwood who immediately commenced improving the repair facilities. In addition he saw the need for rest and recreation for his submariners and leased the King Edward Hotel, Wentworth Hotel, Ocean Beach Hotel and Majestic Hotel for the exclusive use of his boys. When American submarines, mostly old S-boats, came into Fremantle for repairs, a relief crew came on board to accomplish the work. The tired crews went to one of Lockwood's hotels for rest and recreation. The population of the Perth/Fremantle area were appreciative of the role played by American submarines in protecting their country. The Americans were well treated.

Edward Crawfoot was a first class electrician on the Pompon (SS- ) and made several patrols out of Fremantle. In an interview with SRC he said,

"We normally got about two months of liberty in Perth when the boat returned from a patrol. The boat stayed in Fremantle to be put into shape by the relief crew. We took taxis with odd coal burners trailing behind into town. I was assigned to the King Edward Hotel. It was pretty luxurious with an elegant dining room, bar and small dance floor. I shared my room with a shipmate and sometimes we went out on the town together. We visited the Perth dance halls and pubs. Unmarried crew members had a series of love affairs. These were interrupted by the necessity to go back to sea.

The guys on the tender were in Perth on a continual basis, but the ladies soon found these constant companions to be second rate. One month in port I met Maisy. She was special and we hit it off. She thought I was the greatest, but soon we went back to sea. While at sea the Pompano was lost. When I returned to Maisy's flat I found her with a slob from the tender. There were lots of other girls in Perth so I wasn't much put out by it. I had jumped down from her porch when she came running to my side. She said that she thought I had gone down with the boat. I explained that I was on the Pompon, not the Pompano. She told me to wait and went back inside. A few minutes later the tender slob came out mumbling and swearing that he'd get even. She came out and we spent the rest of the month in other's arms.

When again ready to shove off, the slob met me on the pier. He sucker-punched me and the brawl was on. It was the submarine sailors against the bums on the tender. The shore patrol broke it up and the good guys were exonerated. We went to sea and I never saw Maisy again. I sometimes think of her and all the other girls of Perth. I suppose they are all still there."

While submariners enjoyed their liberty and went to sea in cycles of desperate combat and wonderful leisure, the problems of the Mk 14 torpedo were driving the submarine skippers nuts. Lockwood made almost no progress in 1942 toward resolving the defective torpedo problems.

Admiral English, Commander Submarines Pacific at Pearl Harbor was killed in a plane crash and Lockwood was sent east to take his place. Rear Admiral Ralph Christie took command of the boats operating out of Fremantle. In 1943 things were on the upturn with sinking rates increasing. By the end of 1943 the Fremantle facility was supporting over 30 boats.

The typical passage from Fremantle to the submarine operating areas included a fuel stop at either Exmouth or Darwin to top off the tanks. The boats then went north into the Java Sea. The quickest route to the Celebes Sea was through the relatively narrow passage of the Makassar Strait. This passage was bordered on the west by the island of Borneo and on the eastnby the Island of Sulawesi. It was a tricky business and the strait was sometimes avoided by submarines that chose to go north via the Indian Ocean then turning east to the operating areas in the South China Sea.

When American troops took the Philippines in 1944 Admiral John Fife who had relieved Christie moved his support facility to Subic Bay. It must have been a sad day for the people of Perth and Fremantle when the last submarine left port.