Most people know Guantanamo Bay as the US military prison located in Cuba, but few know the American presence in this bay goes back to 1898.
Guantanamo Bay is a 45 square mile area located on the eastern end of Cuba. Christopher Columbus described the bay as "a broad bay with dark water, of unsuspected dimensions," during his second voyage to the new world. Spanish settlers later took control of the area from the native people, and the British would later seize control in 1741.
During the Spanish-American war in1898, a US fleet took shelter in the Bay from summer hurricane weather. After the Spanish-American war, the US government signed a perpetual lease with the first president of Cuba in 1903. It left Cuba with sovereignty of the land, but gave the US "complete jurisdiction and control" of the area. This lease was reaffirmed in a 1934 treaty. The authenticity of the lease is still debated today.
The United States used the bay as coal refueling station and a harbor for its military. During WWII it served as a strategic base for escorting cargo ships to the Panama Canal. Over the years the Bay went through many transformations and redesigns, including dry docks, airfields, and eventually the construction of the today's military prisons. Guantanamo Bay is known today for "War on Terror" prisons, but has been an important military location for a great portion US history.
Please view the additional resources reporting on the story below:
The History of Gitmo Bay 1494-1964 - Navy.mil
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base History - National Geographic
