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The 'Lingayen Gulf' is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching 56km. It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central. The Agno River drains into Lingayen Gulf.

Contents

History

Features

Economy

References

History

Main articles: Invasion of Lingayen Gulf

During World War II, the Lingayen Gulf proved a strategically important theatre of war between American and Japanese forces. On the 22 December, 1941, the Japanese 14th Army under Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma landed on the Eastern part of the gulf at Agoo, Vaba, Santiago and Bauang, where they engaged in a number of relatively minor skirmishes^[1] with the defenders, which consisted of a poorly equipped contigent of predominantly Filipino and American troops, and managed to successfully invade and occupy the gulf. Following the defeat, the next day General MacArthur issued the order to retreat from Luzon and withdraw to Bataan. For the next three years, the gulf remained under Japanese occupation prior to the Lingayen Gulf Landings.
On 9.30 AM, January 9th, 1945, the US 6th Army conducted an amphibious landing on the gulf, following a devastating naval bombardment, with 68,000 troops landing on the first day alone and a total of 203,608 in subsequent landings along a 20-mile beachhead, stretching from Saul, Lingayen and Dagupan (XIV Corps) to the west, and San Fabian (I Corps) in to the east. The total number of troops under the command of MacArthur was reported to have even exceeded the number that Eisenhower controlled in Europe^[2].
Despite their success in driving out the Japanese army stationed there, they suffered relatively heavy losses, particularly to their convoys due to Kamikaze suicide attacks. From January 4 - 12, a total of 24 ships were sunk and 67 damaged by Kamikaze planes, including the battleships USS ''Mississippi'' and USS ''Colorado'' (accidentally hit by friendly fire), light cruiser USS ''Columbia'', and minesweepers USS ''Long'' and the USS ''Hovey'' ^[2]. Following the landings, the Lingayen Gulf was turned into a vast supply depot for the rest of the war to support the American assault on Manila.

Features

The gulf has numerous islands, the most famous of which are in the Hundred Islands National Park. This tourist attraction features 123 islands, the majority of which are relatively small in size. A number of cities are found along the gulf's coast such as Dagupan City and Alaminos City in Pangasinan, and San Fernando City in La Union. Lingayen, the capital of Pangasinan also lies on the shores of the gulf.

Economy

Fishing and salt-making are the primary industries on Lingayen Gulf. In fact, the name Pangasinan literally means ''“place where salt is made”'' in Tagalog. Salt is collected from seawater through evaporation, leaving the crystalline salt behind.

References

1. Encyclopedia of American History
2. Pacific wrecks - Lingayan Gulf
3. Pacific wrecks - Lingayan Gulf

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