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Although not commonly known, the Maldives played a pivotal role during WW2, providing important logistical support to Britain. The Indian Ocean island nation became a British protectorate in 1887 which continued right through until 1965. The Maldives was strategically most important to the war in this region as both Japan and Germany used ocean lanes around the Maldives.
During the early days of World War 2 British leaders in public continued to point to Singapore as the 'jewel in the crown' for the allies far-eastern defences, however privately they were very concerned that the "Malay Barrier" consisting of Malaya, Sumatra and Java could not be defended in the event of a Japanese attack. If Singapore fell the plan was to fall back on the deep-water port of Trincomalee on Ceylon's eastern coast as the new base for the fleet.
However, Admiral James Somerville, the fleet commander, thought the port was not suitable for various reasons including defending the port against attack and also the '5th column' activity of the growing Indian nationalist movement, whom the British suspected of being in cahoots with the Japanese during these quite paranoid days of late 1941.
Somerville wanted an alternative base situated strategically equidistant to the middle of the Indian Ocean. Consequently after the British Eastern Fleet lost its base facilities in Singapore including dry-docks and repair sheds after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese they then temporarily withdrew to a new harbour base in Colombo in Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka). Obviously they desperately needed a new base in the Indian Ocean, and consequently after a suitable location was found they then started construction of a top secret military base in the Maldives at the deep-water location that Addu Atoll afforded - code named 'Port T'.
A group of 150 British Royal Marines, under the command of Col. Jones arrived at Addu Atoll in August 1941 (the southernmost island group in the Maldives - also known as Seenu) to start construction of the base and an airstrip for long range surveillance aircraft and bombers. Addu Atoll consisted of several large islands ringing a deep lagoon with several channels leading into the lagoon, with the largest and deepest channels at the southern end of the atoll. The southernmost island, Gan was selected for the air-base and three crushed-coral airstrips were laid down for long-range American 4-engined heavy Liberators. Soon after this British and Commonwealth Forces set-up defences in nearby Hithadhoo, Meedhoo and Gan islands, turning these sleepy atolls into a military fortress in the Indian Ocean.
The base was kept a close secret for most of the remainder of WW2 and the Japanese were not aware of 'Port T's existence during the April 1942 carrier raids in the Indian and did not know of it until the later part of the war when they were all but defeated, thus the Royal Navy used it extensively.
During the rest of WW2 amphibious Catalina and Sunderland flying boats began reconnaissance operations and anti-submarine patrols from the jetties on the north shore of Gan. The base's most important facilities were the big oil tanks built on Gan and on Hitaddu Island on the western edge of the atoll.
Supplies for the fleet and base were provided from a pair of Australian refrigerated ships, 'Changte' and 'Taiping' that included Attu Atoll in a number of bases that they serviced regularly, and they replenished forty or more ships of the Eastern Fleet three times during this period. Several large AIF (Australian Imperial Forces) troop convoys also refuelled at Addu on their way from Egypt (Aden) to Fremantle in Western Australia.
The six major islands were garrisoned by the 1st Royal Marine Coast Defence Regiment who manned the shore batteries and anti-aircraft guns. To facilitate the defence of the island causeways were built connecting the western islands of Gan, Aboohéra, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo which were later linked by a light railway. The causeways are still used today and are a popular feature of the tourist attractions the island offers.
Shipping around the Maldives islands was quite vulnerable to attacks from submarines and another notable incident in the area was in November 1943 when a Japanese submarine sank the Maldivian merchant sail boat 'Yahunbaraas' off the southern coast of Ceylon. Only two people were taken by the submarine, with the rest left to drown.
Despite the immense secrecy of Port T and the impressive anti submarine defences around the atoll, a German u-boat in 1944 managed to torpedo the British ship 'Loyalty', which was a BP (British Petroleum) oil tanker actually moored right inside the harbour. It was an incredibly impressive feat as the torpedo was fired from a great distance outside the harbour past the anti-submarine nets and harbour defences in the harbour. Although there were no casualties, the resulting oil spill totally destroyed the marine habitat of the atoll, severely affecting the local fishermen.
The base and airstrip was turned over to the Royal Air Force in 1957 and became "RAF Gan," a base that was used intermittently until around 1974/5 especially as an important outpost during the Soviet-American 'Cold War' period. The base - in theory - could handle all aircraft the British flew at that time however the short runways often had the large bombers crashing on landing!
RAF Gan is now a major tourist resort; Equator Village, with the airstrip now called Gan International Airport. in WW2 however it was considered a major hardship posting with British troops despising the posting due to the heat, humidity and isolation. Gan had no recreational facilities, and the local ladies were strictly 'off-limits'. How things have now changed!
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