The Wilmington morning star., 1940-09-08
Those Offshore Bases

llO0O
The military bases which the United states
has ACQUIRED from Great Britain form a chain
If offshore defenses which will make attack
from abroad a perilous venture. The series
of bases from Newfoundland to British Guiana
are all within easy flight range and passage
between any two by an attacking air force
would be subject to two-way resistance.
Tn Newfoundland the United States will get
tbe southern coast and the Avalon peninsula.
The southern coast is approximately ESQ miles
long and at its easternmost and swings along
2 narrow isthmus into the Avalon area. Ihere
are plenty of harbors on the peninsula, among
them st. Johns, Carbonear, Conception oay'
ST. Mary's bay and Placentia Day. st. johns
is about one-third of the way from New YORK
IN London and there are already airflelds IN
Newfoundland which have been used by trans
Atlantic filters.
The next base will be at Bermuda, a A.
mile-long coral island about 700 miles SOUTH
east of New York and $50 miles east OF Cape
Hatteras. We get the east coast and the
Great Sound, the latter practically enclosed
by islands and reefs. On one side of these.
Ireland island, is a British dockyard and
naval establishment. Lying on a salient In
the Atlantic ocean from the North American
ontinen and within air range of the Carib'
can, Bermuda is a strategically important
base. One sign of its Importance is the fact
that passenger airplanes stopping at Bermuda
must block their windows almost an hour be.
fore reaching the island, lest prying eyes see
anything of Importance on Ireland island.
The third link in the chain of bases is in
the Bahamas, an archipelago in the West In
dies consisting of % islands, 661 bays and 397
rocks stretching from near the southern tip of
Florida about 900 miles to the southeastern end
of Cuba. We acquire the eastern fringe of
this string of islands which offers defense for
the Atlantic approaches to the Panama canal.
Further south is Jamaica where the United
States is given possession of the southern
coast. A limestone plateau runs along the
middle of the island rising etween 1000 and
5000 feet, but near the sea it slopes down so
that in some places there are about 10 miles
of level land between ocean and bluffs.
Beyond is Antigua, a little spot in the Lee
WdrQ lSldQQS, O4 miles III circumference. Lie
island rises almost straight out of the sea, and
is without trees or rivers-an ideal air base.
The Leeward islands are just south of the
main body of the West Indies, and below them
the line of islands curves sharply inward,
pointing toward South America. The mex link
in the chain is St. Lucia, which has a 150-mile
coast line and is the largest island in the
Windward group, which lie 300 miles north of
Venezuela. st. Lucia is practically a fortress
in itself. Mountains rise straight out of the
sea 5000 to 1000 feet. Then comes Trinidad,
about 20 miles from the coast of Venezuela.
This island is about 48 miles long and IS wide,
most of it is within a few hundred feet of sea
level. The United States base will be on the
Gulf of Paria, on the western shore facing
Venezuela. The chain ends at British Guiana,
on the north coast of South America, just east
of Venezuela. The area leased to the United
States is within so miles of Georgetown, at
the mouth of the Demerara river.
With the acquisition of these invaluable sites
the nation now faces the necessity of fastening
such physical improvements as the emergency
requires and providing manpower for their eff
ficient operation.