Story and photos by Lawrence I. Charters
Seahawk, August 10, 1984, pp. 6-7.
Napoleon’s army, made up mostly of infantrymen, may have run on its stomach, but a modern army – and navy, and air force – runs on petroleum. Meeting the tremendous appetites of military units is no easy task; petroleum is expensive, and both hard and dangerous to store. In Japan, this appetite has led to the development of the largest military fuel department in the world.
Operated by Yokosuka’s Naval Supply Depot and directed by long-time fuels manager F.L. “Monty” Quick, several factors make the Fuel Department’s operations unique. Part of a worldwide system of fuel facilities controlled by the Defense Fuel Supply Center [DFSC], the department, though staffed by U.S. Navy personnel, serves military facilities throughout Japan, from the U.S.S. Midway (CV-41), to Misawa AFB, to the Army Exchange gas station at Camp Zama. As the DOD’s largest bulk fuel storage complex, the department is a
leader in fuel reclamation, recovering $500,000 worth of fuel each year from waste products turned in by ship and shore activities throughout the Far East.
Because of its size, it isn’t easy to get a clear picture of the department’s operations. Its seven terminals have a capacity of almost half a billion gallons, or more than a quarter of all U.S. Navy tankage. Keeping all its 142 tanks in operation requires 110 miles of pipeline, 23 miles of roadway, 6 miles of railroad, 39,000 feet of seawall, and an impressive fleet of watercraft. Its facilities cover almost 900 acres. In comparison, the huge Yokosuka Naval Base complex occupies just 562 acres.
Almost all the department’s terminals are thought to have been constructed as coaling stations for the old Imperial Japanese Navy. Just outside Sasebo, on the southern island of Kyushu, the department has three terminals at Akasaki, Yokose, and Iorizaki. Some of the tanks date back to 1909, and were designed to hold “black oil” at about the time the changeover from coal began. Iorizaki is also noted for four giant rectangular underground concrete tanks, built between 1921-25, that are still the largest in the world. Each tank could hold all of Yokosuka’s huge Commissary and Exchange building, and a one inch drop in any of the tanks represents a change of thousands of gallons.
Right across the bay from Yokosuka, on Azuma Island, sits the old Hakozaki coaling station. By 1923, oil had replaced coal as the principal fuel of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and at this time disaster struck. On Sept. 1, a little before noon, the Great Kanto Quake hit Japan. Several of Hakozaki’s tanks were ruptured, and 70,000 tons of fuel leaked into the bay and caught fire. According to some reports the fire was so bad (lasting several days) the Imperial Navy eventually resorted to desperate measures. Destroyers were raced at high speed back and forth through the flames, breaking the burning oil patches into smaller, more manageable pieces.
New safety technology, such as extensive “AFFF” (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) fire fighting systems, permit Hokozaki Terminal to handle modern fuels, ranging from kerosene to jet fuel, with far greater safety margins. Hakozaki also boasts the only “Class A” fuel laboratory in the Western Pacific, with the ability to run extensive tests on everything from motor oil to JP-4 jet fuel. Each year, the lab tests 7,000 to 8,000 samples, with each sample requiring an average of 15 tests.
In spite of being the primary fleet support unit for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, Hakozaki has a very rural look. The underground tanks are covered by grass and bordered by woods, providing the island’s extensive wildlife with a quiet home on the edge of busy Tokyo Bay.
Koshiba Terminal, located in Yokohama, also presents startling contrasts. In the early 1970’s the facility bordered on Tokyo Bay, but an extensive landfill project moved the shoreline 4,100 feet away. Now surrounded by densely populated residential and industrial neighborhoods, the terminal issued and receives fuel along a 1.25 kilometer pipeline system connected to a small pier. From here the fuel travels by submerged pipeline another half kilometer to a huge 40 foot diameter IMODCO buoy moored in the bay.
Passing through the terminal gates from the busy streets of Yokohama is a shock. Instead of packed buildings and bustling crowds, Koshiba offers acres and acres of trees and meadows. Cresting a hill, you have to look hard to find the fire lines and other reminders of the huge underground tanks; more noticible are the large number of washi, taka, and kiji (eagles, hawks, and pheasants).
Koshiba, like the other terminals, did not fall under U.S. Navy control until 1971. Since that time, tens of millions of dollars have been spent by the Navy and Government of Japan on repairing the various terminals and adding new safety equipment. Koshiba’s workers are particularly proud of an extensive self-help project, now nearing completion, aimed at removing a massive garbage dump and incinerator. Eventually they plan to seed the area with grass and convert it to a purpose dear to both Americans and Japanese: a baseball field.
At the northern tip of Honshu is the department’s Hachinohe terminal. Unlike the other facilities, Hachinohe is operated by private contractor, with one lone U.S. Navy petty officer to oversee the operation. After receiving fuel from tankers and barges, Hachinohe sends the fuel by pipeline to Misawa Air Base, jointly used by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and Japan Air Self Defense Force. Along the way the pipeline crosses several rivers and streams, and past miles of beautiful woods, meadows, and farm fields.
One Fuel Department facility which looks like a fuel installation is Tsurumi Terminal, set i n the heart of Yokohama’s industrial port. Along the waterfront a steady stream of boats, barges, and ships ply back and forth, serving the hundreds of government and commercial facilities jamming the area. About the only feature which sets the terminal apart from dozens of similar facilities are the Japanese and American flags flying side by side near the entrance.
Just outside the headquarters building is a small Shinto shrine, dedicated to Inari, the god of business. Before the U.S. Army took over the terminal, the property was owned by a private company. Hirotani Yoshihito, administration officer for the Tsurumi Detachment, notes that, when the company left, “they took the god with them.” The Navy, ever cautious, continues to maintain the shrine building and torii (gate).
Tsurumi probably handles the largest number of fuel transactions of any military fuel terminal in the world. Every day roughly 25 truck tankers and 30 rail cars fill up with fuel, bound for destinations all over Japan. Because of its prime location, it also receives numerous fuel shipments by barge and tanker from Japanese refineries located
in the Yokohama-Tokyo area, as well as from the larger-capacity Koshiba and Hakozaki terminals.
Lt. J.H. Christensen, Assistant Officer in Charge, believes each terminal should be known for more than its busy schedule. Improvement projects undertaken by the staff have greatly changed the appearance of the terminals over the past few years. “Improving the looks of the grounds improves the morale of the work force,” giving them pride in ther terminal’s appearance as well as their operation.
LCdr. R.J. Martin, Officer in Charge, goes one step further in his praise. He credits staff-initiated improvement projects with being the key reason why Tsurumi, Hachinohe, Koshiba, and Hakozaki were recently presented the Secretary of the Navy Environmental
Award. Offered “In Recognition of Outstanding Efforts in Environmental Protection During 1983,” the Fuel Department’s Sasebo complex won the award the previous year. A pleasant
case of sibling rivalry-?
