bay of the South China Sea, southwestern Luzon, Philippines. The bay is located 35 miles (55 km) northwest of the mouth of Manila Bay and extends northward into the Luzon coastline. From 1901 to 1992, on the southeast coast of the bay, the United States operated a naval base, Subic Bay Naval Station, the largest naval installation in the Philippines. Olongapo is the largest settlement in the region. The area suffered heavy damage in World War II; it was taken by the Japanese in 1942 and retaken by Allied forces in 1944. Its proximity to Indochina gave the U.S. naval base a prominent supply and maintenance role in the Vietnam War (1955–75). Rice, corn (maize), and bananas are grown in the area, and there are secondary forests around the bay.