1.
Battle of Leyte Gulf
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The Battle of Leyte Gulf is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history. It was fought in waters near the Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar and Luzon, from 23–26 October 1944, between combined American and Australian forces and the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Imperial Japanese Navy mobilized nearly all of its major naval vessels in an attempt to defeat the Allied invasion but was repulsed by the U. S. Navys 3rd. The IJN failed to achieve its objective, suffered heavy losses. The majority of its surviving ships, deprived of fuel, remained in their bases for the rest of the Pacific War. It was the first battle in which Japanese aircraft carried out organized kamikaze attacks, by the time of the battle, Japan had fewer aircraft than the Allied forces had sea vessels, demonstrating the difference in power of the two sides at this point of the war. S. 5th Fleets Fast Carrier Task Force captured most of the Mariana Islands and this offensive breached Japans strategic inner defense ring and gave the Americans a base from which long-range Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers could attack the Japanese home islands. The Japanese counterattacked in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the U. S. Navy destroyed three Japanese aircraft carriers and approximately 600 Japanese aircraft, leaving the IJN with virtually no carrier-borne air power or any experienced pilots. For subsequent operations, Admiral Ernest J. U. S. Army General Douglas MacArthur championed an invasion of the Philippines, which also lay across the supply lines to Japan. Leaving the Philippines in Japanese hands would be a blow to American prestige and an affront to MacArthur. However, Nimitz and MacArthur initially had opposing plans, with Nimitzs plan centered on an invasion of Formosa, Formosa could also serve as a base for an invasion of mainland China, which MacArthur felt was unnecessary. Nimitz eventually changed his mind and agreed to MacArthurs plan and it was also estimated that an invasion of Formosa would require about 12 divisions of U. S. Army soldiers and Marines. It was eventually decided that MacArthurs forces would invade the island of Leyte in the central Philippines, amphibious forces and close naval support would be provided by the 7th Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Thomas C. The 7th Fleet at this time contained units of the U. S. Navy, the U. S. 3rd Fleet—commanded by Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr. with Task Force 38 as its main component—would provide more distant cover and support for the invasion. A fundamental defect in this plan was there would be no single American naval admiral in overall command, Kinkaid and his 7th Fleet fell under MacArthur as Supreme Allied Commander Southwest Pacific, whereas Halseys 3rd Fleet reported to Nimitz as C-in-C Pacific Ocean Areas. This lack of unity of command, along with failures in communication, was to produce a crisis, by coincidence, the Japanese plan, using three separate fleets, also lacked an overall commander. The American options were apparent to the IJN, the plans were for complex offensive operations committing nearly all available forces to a decisive battle, despite this substantially depleting Japans slender reserves of fuel oil. The Japanese command therefore put Shō-Gō2 into action, launching waves of air attacks against 3rd Fleets carriers, following the American invasion of the Philippines, the Japanese Navy made the transition to Shō-Gō1
2.
Hinunangan, Southern Leyte
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Hinunangan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 29,976 people and it has a 5. 21% population growth compared to the 2010 census. Hinunangan is known as the Rice Granary of the Province for its vast plain land that is planted with rice. Hinunangan has great potential for tourism because of its sand beaches. The town is also a producer of rattan and wood-based furnitures, abaca handicrafts items, pineapple, vegetables, other forest products and it has a potential for mineral water and root crops processing and copper mining. Hinunangan is also known as a gateway in Leyte because of its near proximity to Tacloban City. The opening of Abuyog–Silago Road cuts travel time from Tacloban by half from the previous 6 hours to less than 3 hours and it is also the place in Southern Leyte with the most immigrants from Europe and North America. It has a lot of places, such as Tahusan. There are also hotels, inns, a market and beach resorts. Hinunangan is home to the highest mountain in the province, Mount Nacolod, Hinunangan is politically subdivided into 40 barangays, two of which are island barangays located at the east of the town. The twin islands are accessible by motorized boats through Barangay Canipa-an, in 1521, Magellan recorded sighting Hunonganan during the voyage in Leyte Gulf. As far back in 1750, Hinunangan was a station of Boholanos trading in Eastern Leyte. They rested overnight at the mouth of Das-ay River where they moored their boats, a shelter was built for the crews and tenders known as hononganan or stopover. In 1822, a certain Boholano named Palonoy founded Hinunangan, at this time, Silago to the north and Hinundayan and Anahawan to the south were part of Hinunangan. In 1944, in the greatest naval battle in history the blocking warship of the Liberation waylaid the Japanese Fleet near Hinunangan, thus, the area in Southern Leyte is the natural frontier of historically significant events in Philippine history. On July 19,2007, an earthquake hit the town with magnitude 6 on Richter scale. The private infrastructure damaged included the Roman Catholic Bell tower - P100,000, Water tank of the Catholic convent - P40,000, Manalog barangay Chapel - P20,000, Sto. Nino barangay Chapel - P10,000, a number of houses - P400,000, broadcast transmission and studio is located in Hinunangan Commercial Complex
3.
Philippine Sea
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The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and northeast of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 5 million km². of the western part of the North Pacific Ocean. The sea has a complex and diverse undersea relief, the floor is formed into a structural basin by a series of geologic faults and fracture zones. Island arcs, which are actually extended ridges protruding above the surface due to plate tectonic activity in the area, enclose the Philippine Sea to the north, east. The Philippine archipelago, Ryukyu Islands, and the Marianas are examples, another prominent feature of the Philippine Sea is the presence of deep sea trenches, among them the Philippine Trench and the Mariana Trench, containing the deepest point on the planet. The Philippine Sea is by the Philippines and Taiwan to the west, Japan to the north, the International Hydrographic Organization defines the Philippine Sea as that area of the North Pacific Ocean off the Eastern coasts of the Philippine Islands, bounded as follows, On the West. By the Eastern limits of the East Indian Archipelago, South China Sea, by the Southeast coast of Kyushu, the Southern and Eastern limits of the Inland Sea and the South coast of Honshu Island. By the ridge joining Japan to the Bonin, Volcano and Ladrone Islands, by a line joining Guam, Yap, Pelew and Halmahera Islands. The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the Philippine Sea and it subducts under the Philippine Mobile Belt which carries most of the Philippine archipelago and eastern Taiwan. Between the two plates is the Philippine Trench, the Philippine Sea hosts an exotic marine ecosystem. About five hundred species of hard and soft corals occur in the waters and 20 per cent of the worldwide known shellfish species are found in Philippine waters. Sea turtles, sharks, moray eels, octopuses and sea snakes along with species of fish such as tuna can commonly be observed. Additionally, the Philippine Sea serves as spawning ground for Japanese eel, tuna, later it was discovered by other Spanish explorers from 1522 to 1565 and the site of the famous galleon trade route. Between June 19 and 20,1944, the Battle of the Philippine Sea took place in the eastern Philippine Sea, the aircraft carriers Taihō, Shōkaku, Junyō, Hiyō and Ryuho were bombed, torpedoed and sunk by American carrier-based planes and assaulted from other naval vessels. The aerial part of the Battle of the Philippine Sea was nicknamed the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot” due to losses of Japanese aircraft. The battle facilitated the Allied conquests of Saipan, Guam and Tinian in the Marianas, Palau in the Southwest, following an escalation of the Spratly Islands dispute in 2011, various Philippine government agencies started using the neologism West Philippine Sea to refer to the South China Sea. However, a PAGASA spokesperson said that the sea to the east of the Philippines will continue to be called the Philippine Sea, Philippine Trench Philippine Sea Plate Benham Rise Devils Sea
4.
Guiuan, Eastern Samar
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Guiuan is a first-class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. As of the 2015 census, it had a population of 52,991 people, Guiuan played a significant part in Philippine history. In the 16th century, when Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines and it is probably because of this that the majority of the population of the town are Catholics. The towns church, the Church of the Immaculate Conception, is one of the oldest in the country, during the Second World War, Guiuan served as one of the Alliances bases. Now all that is left of the American occupation are concrete slabs which once served as the foundations of a vast supply depot, and an air strip, as well as a rich historical background, Guiuan has many scenic spots. Being a coastal town on the Pacific side, the town has many beaches that are suitable for swimming and surfing. The municipality of Guiuan is located at the southernmost tip of Samar Island and it is bounded on the north by the municipality of Mercedes, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Surigao Strait, and on the west by the Leyte Gulf. Clustered around the municipality are numerous islands and islets such as Manicani, Calicoan, Sulangan, Candulo, Homonhon, Suluan and they are protected as part of the marine reserve known as the Guiuan Protected Landscape and Seascape. Guiuan is 109 kilometres south of Borongan and 154 kilometres from Tacloban and it has a total land area of 175.49 square kilometres. It is composed of sixty barangays and the town in the province with biggest number of island barangays. Guiuan is politically subdivided into 60 barangays, Guiuan is widely known for two significant events in history 423 years apart. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, first European to set foot on Philippine soil, landed in Homonhon, now part of Guiuan. In 1944, the American Forces landed on the island of Suluan where they fought their first battle in the Philippine territory three days before Gen. Mac Arthur stormed the beaches of Leyte, the name of the town originated from its geographical location. The first settlers named the town “Guibang” when they discovered a break in the mountain range which screens the town from the Pacific Ocean in the East. Subsequently, settlers modified its name to Guiuan, the occurrence of World War II shook the town and people moved to the mountains to find comfort. On June 28,1943, several Japanese soldiers set foot on Guiuan soil, not as fearful and brutal as they were thought of by the local populace, a cordial relation soon existed between the conquered and the conquerors. Evacuees came down from the mountains and resumed a normal urban life, except for a few killings of suspected traitors by both Japanese, Filipino soldiers and local guerillas, not a drop of blood was shed needlessly. This made Guiuan one of the few places in the islands where World War II did not leave so many tragic memories, the first sign of liberation of the town came on November 27,1944, when a US Navy submarine chaser steamed the harbor for reconnaissance duty
5.
Javier, Leyte
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Javier is a 4th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 25,379 people, a rural town approximately 73 kilometres south of Tacloban City, it is located between the boundaries of Baybay on the west side and MacArthur and Abuyog towns, along the Leyte Gulf. It has a very narrow coastlines and coastal plains facing the Pacific, Javier is subdivided politically into 28 barangays as per RA3422 - An Act Creating the Municipality of Bugho as an independent municipality in the Province of Leyte, enacted on June 18,1961. The municipality of Javier, Leyte was formerly barrio Bugho of the municipality of Abuyog, Bugho is a contraction of the dialect term Binogho, meaning a small clearing within a forest area. Settlers at about the turn of the century cultivated this small patch of land. Among the earliest known settlers was Macario Cultura, a native of Burauen, Leyte who is believed to have led his friends and relatives to farm the fertile soil of the area, then a virgin forest. Later, as the settlement grew, it became a sitio of barrio Pinocawan, at that time he just came from Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte where he started extensive farming activities since 1908 after his resignation as principal at the Cebu Normal School. A malaria plague in Cabadbaran, however, inflicted a death toll among his people so that he had to explore other suitable areas until he came upon Bugho. Impressed by the fertility of the soil, he started staking out his claims in Bugho, subsequently, Daniel married Dolores Mercado Veloso, also of Consolacion, Sogod, Southern Leyte, and settled in Bugho naming his settlement as Camalig. He initiated projects in the community where he was accepted as the teacher. He opened a school in 1918 on land donated by Pedro Abordo with Leona Valles as the first teacher and he also prevailed upon the people to accept the modern and progressive ways of agriculture. The community rapidly progressed as people from Cebu particularly from Argao and Bohol came in droves at the invitation, Javier who helped them legally acquire land-holdings. The people from Argao led by Pedro Gacera of Barrio Talaytay of that town settled at the west side of what is now Barrio Binulho. A bigger school had to be built because of the size of the community and so Mano Daniel invited Mr. Waters, the people through the Bayanihan system furnished most lumber requirements. Corn, abaca & coconut were the products of the community. Mano Daniel introduced irrigation utilizing the abundant water resources and it became a progressive community and was the center of trade among the neighboring barrios. In the 1939s it was among the contenders for township with barrios Palale, since Mano Daniels leadership was recognized by the provincial and district politicians, he used this influence to bring community improvements. Bugho was not only among the centers of resistance activities but also as evacuation centers during the Second World War, food and other resources continued to be readily available and the local people supported the guerrilla movement
6.
Palo, Leyte
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Palo is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 70,052 people, the municipality is the seat of most government departments, bureaus and regional offices of Region VIII, although some are situated at the neighboring city of Tacloban. The municipality is located in the part of the province of Leyte,8 miles from the capital city of Tacloban. Palo is politically subdivided into 33 barangays, the discovery of the advancing communities of Palo dates back to the early 16th century A. D. along the banks of Bangon River. However, local historians believe that the settlement of Palo started as early as the 10th to 13th century A. D. The first known settlement were the kingdom of Takuranga, first name of Palo under King Guban, and the Kingdom of Kaluugan, the other settlements were Kasangitan, Binangalan, Kasuguran, Bunga, Bangon and Guindapunan. The settlers of Bunga played a role in the history of Palo. Palo formally became a town in 1768 with Kapitan Balasabas as its first administration, accordingly, the early settlers of Palo were the clans of Panganuron, Kadampog, Manlangit, Kumago, Kawaring, Kabalhin, Kumagong, Maglain, Bilyu and Dilyu. Palo is considered to be one of the most historical towns of Leyte and it is well known as the site of Gen. Douglas MacArthurs return to the Philippines together with Philippine and American military forces after a period of exile in 1944. Hill 522, a located near the town center, was the site of fierce fighting between Allied and Japanese forces during the Second World War. The metropolitan cathedral of the archdiocese, located right across Palos municipal hall, was used as a hospital for wounded Filipino, a memorial now stands at the beach site where MacArthur and his troops landed, locally known as the MacArthurs Park. The first Gabaldon Building is also situated in Brgy and it was inaugurated by President Sergio Osmeña. Palo was also once the capital of Leyte, the towns Purissima Bridge was the first steel bridge built in the province. In 1957, sitio Campitic was converted into a barrio, while barrio Baras-Candahug was divided two, Baras and Candahug. Barrio Malirong was renamed as Libertad, on November 8,2013, Palo was severely struck by Typhoon Haiyan, which destroyed a large portion of Eastern Visayas and killed a number of residents in the town. On January 17,2015, Pope Francis visited the town as part of his visit to the Philippines to meet with the surviving victims of the typhoon. He also blessed the Pope Francis Center for the Poor and met with priests, seminarians, other religious figures, literacy rate in Palo is 99. 5%. The towns native language is Waray-Waray, the language and lingua franca in the Eastern Visayas region
7.
Tacloban
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Tacloban is a 1st city income class highly urbanized city in the Philippines and the provincial capital of Leyte where it is geographically situated but governed administratively independent from it. It is 360 miles southeast from Manila, according to the 2015 census, it has a population of 242,089 and is the most populous city in the Eastern Visayas region. In the 2016 electoral roll, it had 124,777 registered voters and it is also the regional center of Eastern Visayas, being the main gateway by air to the region. Tacloban was briefly the capital of the Philippines, from 20 October 1944 to 27 February 1945, on 8 November 2013, the city was largely destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan, having previously suffered similar destruction and loss of life in 1897 and 1912. On 17 January 2015, Pope Francis visited Tacloban during his Papal Visit in the Philippines and held a mass at Barangay San Jose, Tacloban was first known as Kankabatok, an allusion to the first inhabitants – Kabatok. They established their dwellings in the vicinity of the present day Santo Niño Church, others who came later were Gumoda, Haraging and Huraw who erected their own settlements in nearby sites. Huraws domain is the hill where the city now sits. The combined settlements acquired the name Kankabatok, meaning Kabatoks property, by the end of the 16th century, Kankabatok was under the political administration of Palo and part of the parish of Basey, Samar. It was discovered in 1770, by the Augustinian Mission, who were superseded by the Franciscans in 1813, during this period, Kankabatok was renamed to Tacloban. The change of the name came about in this manner, Kankabatok was a haunt of fishermen. They would use a contraption called a taklub to catch crabs. When asked where they were going, the fishermen would answer, tarakluban, eventually, the name Tarakluban or Tacloban took prominence. It is not known when Tacloban became a municipality because records supporting this fact were destroyed during a typhoon and it is commonly believed that Tacloban was officially proclaimed a municipality in 1770. In 1768, Leyte and Samar were separated into two provinces, each constituting a politico-military province, due to its strategic location, Tacloban became a vital trading point between the two provinces. The capital of Leyte was transferred from one town to another with Tacloban as the last on 26 February 1830, the decision to make Tacloban the capital was based on the following reasons, 1) ideal location of the port and 2) well-sheltered and adequate facilities. On 20 June 1952, Tacloban was proclaimed a city by virtue of Republic Act No.760. The arrival of Colonel Murray in 1901 made him the first military governor of Leyte and his first official act was the opening of Tacloban port to world commerce. Before World War II, Tacloban was the commercial, education, copra and abaca were exported in large quantities
8.
Philippines
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The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of about 7,641 islands that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions from north to south, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most populous city is Quezon City, both part of Metro Manila. The Philippines has an area of 300,000 square kilometers, and it is the eighth-most populated country in Asia and the 12th most populated country in the world. As of 2013, approximately 10 million additional Filipinos lived overseas, multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. In prehistoric times, Negritos were some of the archipelagos earliest inhabitants and they were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples. Exchanges with Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Islamic nations occurred, then, various competing maritime states were established under the rule of Datus, Rajahs, Sultans or Lakans. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in Homonhon, Eastern Samar in 1521 marked the beginning of Hispanic colonization, in 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of Philip II of Spain. With the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi from Mexico City, in 1565, the Philippines became part of the Spanish Empire for more than 300 years. This resulted in Roman Catholicism becoming the dominant religion, during this time, Manila became the western hub of the trans-Pacific trade connecting Asia with Acapulco in the Americas using Manila galleons. Aside from the period of Japanese occupation, the United States retained sovereignty over the islands until after World War II, since then, the Philippines has often had a tumultuous experience with democracy, which included the overthrow of a dictatorship by a non-violent revolution. It is a member of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. It also hosts the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank, the Philippines was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain. Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, during his expedition in 1542, named the islands of Leyte, eventually the name Las Islas Filipinas would be used to cover all the islands of the archipelago. Before that became commonplace, other such as Islas del Poniente. The official name of the Philippines has changed several times in the course of its history, during the Philippine Revolution, the Malolos Congress proclaimed the establishment of the República Filipina or the Philippine Republic. From the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the name Philippines began to appear, since the end of World War II, the official name of the country has been the Republic of the Philippines. The metatarsal of the Callao Man, reliably dated by uranium-series dating to 67,000 years ago is the oldest human remnant found in the archipelago to date and this distinction previously belonged to the Tabon Man of Palawan, carbon-dated to around 26,500 years ago. Negritos were also among the archipelagos earliest inhabitants, but their first settlement in the Philippines has not been reliably dated, there are several opposing theories regarding the origins of ancient Filipinos
9.
Pacific Ocean
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The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the Earths oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south and is bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, the Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres. Both the center of the Water Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere are in the Pacific Ocean, the oceans current name was coined by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish circumnavigation of the world in 1521, as he encountered favourable winds on reaching the ocean. He called it Mar Pacífico, which in both Portuguese and Spanish means peaceful sea, important human migrations occurred in the Pacific in prehistoric times. Long-distance trade developed all along the coast from Mozambique to Japan, trade, and therefore knowledge, extended to the Indonesian islands but apparently not Australia. By at least 878 when there was a significant Islamic settlement in Canton much of trade was controlled by Arabs or Muslims. In 219 BC Xu Fu sailed out into the Pacific searching for the elixir of immortality, from 1404 to 1433 Zheng He led expeditions into the Indian Ocean. The east side of the ocean was discovered by Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513 after his expedition crossed the Isthmus of Panama and he named it Mar del Sur because the ocean was to the south of the coast of the isthmus where he first observed the Pacific. Later, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed the Pacific East to West on a Castilian expedition of world circumnavigation starting in 1519, Magellan called the ocean Pacífico because, after sailing through the stormy seas off Cape Horn, the expedition found calm waters. The ocean was often called the Sea of Magellan in his honor until the eighteenth century, sailing around and east of the Moluccas, between 1525 and 1527, Portuguese expeditions discovered the Caroline Islands, the Aru Islands, and Papua New Guinea. In 1542–43 the Portuguese also reached Japan, in 1564, five Spanish ships consisting of 379 explorers crossed the ocean from Mexico led by Miguel López de Legazpi and sailed to the Philippines and Mariana Islands. The Manila galleons operated for two and a half centuries linking Manila and Acapulco, in one of the longest trade routes in history, Spanish expeditions also discovered Tuvalu, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands, the Solomon Islands, and the Admiralty Islands in the South Pacific. In the 16th and 17th century Spain considered the Pacific Ocean a Mare clausum—a sea closed to other naval powers, as the only known entrance from the Atlantic the Strait of Magellan was at times patrolled by fleets sent to prevent entrance of non-Spanish ships. On the western end of the Pacific Ocean the Dutch threatened the Spanish Philippines, Spain also sent expeditions to the Pacific Northwest reaching Vancouver Island in southern Canada, and Alaska. The French explored and settled Polynesia, and the British made three voyages with James Cook to the South Pacific and Australia, Hawaii, and the North American Pacific Northwest, one of the earliest voyages of scientific exploration was organized by Spain in the Malaspina Expedition of 1789–1794. It sailed vast areas of the Pacific, from Cape Horn to Alaska, Guam and the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific. Growing imperialism during the 19th century resulted in the occupation of much of Oceania by other European powers, and later, Japan, in Oceania, France got a leading position as imperial power after making Tahiti and New Caledonia protectorates in 1842 and 1853 respectively. After navy visits to Easter Island in 1875 and 1887, Chilean navy officer Policarpo Toro managed to negotiate an incorporation of the island into Chile with native Rapanui in 1888, by occupying Easter Island, Chile joined the imperial nations
10.
Typhoon Haiyan
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It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing at least 6,300 people in that country alone. Haiyan is also the strongest storm recorded at landfall, in January 2014, bodies were still being found. Tracking generally westward, environmental conditions favored tropical cyclogenesis and the system developed into a depression the following day. Haiyan is also the strongest tropical cyclone in the Eastern Hemisphere by wind speed, several hours later, the eye of the cyclone made its first landfall in the Philippines at Guiuan, Eastern Samar. Gradually weakening, the storm made five additional landfalls in the country before emerging over the South China Sea, turning northwestward, the typhoon eventually struck northern Vietnam as a severe tropical storm on November 10. Haiyan was last noted as a depression by the JMA the following day. The cyclone caused catastrophic destruction in the Visayas, particularly on Samar, according to UN officials, about 11 million people have been affected – many have been left homeless. On November 2, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center began monitoring a broad area about 425 kilometers east-southeast of Pohnpei. Moving through a region favoring tropical cyclogenesis, the Japan Meteorological Agency classified the system as a tropical depression early on November 3. Subsequent intensification resulted in the JMA upgrading the system to a tropical storm, by November 6, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration assigned the storm the local name Yolanda as it approached their area of responsibility. Later, the eye of the passed over the island of Kayangel in Palau. Around 1200 UTC on November 7, Haiyan attained ten-minute sustained winds of 230 km/h, six hours later, the JTWC estimated Haiyan to have attained one-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h and gusts up to 378 km/h, according to preliminary track data. The storm displayed some characteristics of a tropical cyclone, though a strong convective band remained present along the western side of the system. At 2040 UTC on November 7, Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in Guiuan, the JTWCs unofficial estimate of one-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h would, by that measure, make Haiyan the most powerful storm ever recorded to strike land. Interaction with land caused slight degradation of the structure, though it remained an exceptionally powerful storm when it struck Tolosa. The typhoon made four additional landfalls as it traversed the Visayas, Daanbantayan, Bantayan Island, Concepcion, a weakened Haiyan, with its core disrupted by interaction with the Philippines, emerged over the South China Sea late on November 8. Environmental conditions ahead of the storm became less favorable, as cool stable air began wrapping into the western side of the circulation. Rapid weakening ensued as Haiyan approached its final landfall in Vietnam, once onshore, the storm quickly diminished and was last noted as it dissipated over Guangxi Province, China during November 11
11.
USS Leyte Gulf
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USS Leyte Gulf is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy. She was named in memory of the World War II Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Pacific. She is powered by four large gas-turbine engines, and she has a complement of guided missiles for air defense, attack of surface targets at sea and ashore. In addition, she carries two Seahawk LAMPS multi-purpose helicopters, whose mission is ASW. On 14 October 1996, Leyte Gulf collided with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the incident occurred as the carrier, without prior warning, reversed her engines while Leyte Gulf was behind her and slammed into the cruisers bow. There were no casualties or injuries reported. In 2002, she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet, in March 2003 Leyte Gulf was assigned to Carrier Group Eight. On 15 September 2007, there was a fire aboard Leyte Gulf as she underwent a modernization program in BAE Systems Shipyard in Norfolk. Initially the fire received national attention due to the possibility that it was a terrorist incident, however, five shipyard workers were injured in the incident, one seriously, but no naval personnel were involved. In February 2011, Leyte Gulf was involved in an incident with Somali pirates after they captured the United States flagged yacht Quest, the cruiser returned to Norfolk on 15 July 2011. During her deployment, she had participated in operations which had captured 75 Somali pirates and had missile strikes by her carrier strike group against the Libyan government, in January 2015, Leyte Gulf returned from a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. The ship served as flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 for much of the deployment, images Carrier Strike Group Two Leyte Gulf I - Ship Command Operations Reports. Official website USS Leyte Gulf on Facebook Ships Reunion Info, Deck Log, and Crew List Ship History - uscarriers. net USS Leyte Gulf webpage
12.
Eastern Visayas
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Eastern Visayas is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region VIII. It consists of three islands, Samar, Leyte and Biliran. The region has six provinces, one independent city and one highly urbanized city namely, Biliran, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Ormoc, the highly urbanized city of Tacloban is the Eastern Visayas Regional Center. These provinces and cities occupy the easternmost islands of the Visayas group of islands, Eastern Visayas faces the Philippine Sea to the east. The region is known for its famous landmark, the San Juanico Bridge, dubbed as the Most Beautifully Designed, as of 2015, the region has a population of 4,440,150 people. Eastern Visayas lies on the east central section of the Philippine archipelago and it consists of three main islands, Leyte, Samar, and Biliran which form the easternmost coast of the archipelago. It has a land area of 2,156,285 hectares or 7. 2% of the country’s total land area. 52% of its land area are classified as forestland and 48% as alienable and disposable land. There are two types of climate prevailing in the region under the Corona system of classification, Type II, Type II climate is characterized by having no dry season but a pronounced maximum rainfall from November to January. Samar Island and the part of Leyte Island fall under this type of climate. Type IV on the hand has an even distribution of rainfall the year round. This type of climate is well exhibited at the half of Leyte island. In November 2013, the region was hit with the highest death toll in the country by Typhoon Haiyan, the regions sea and inland waters are rich sources of salt and fresh water fish and other marine products. It is one of the fish exporting regions of the country, there are substantial forest reserves in the interiors of the islands. Its mineral deposits include chromite, uranium, gold, silver, manganese, magnesium, bronze, nickel, clay, coal, limestone, pyrite and sand and it has abundant geothermal energy and water resources to support the needs of medium and heavy industries. Waray-Waray is the lingua franca of the Eastern Visayas Region spoken on the island of Samar, Biliran, a Sama language, distantly related to the languages of the region, called Abaknon is spoken in the island of Capul in Northern Samar. Cebuano is spoken in western and southern parts of Leyte and in Southern Leyte, Eastern Visayas consists of 6 provinces,1 highly urbanized city,1 independent component city,5 component cities,136 municipalities and 4,390 barangays. Eastern Visayas is primarily an agricultural region with rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, primary sources of revenue are manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade and services
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