the atoll through a gap in the anti-torpedo nets. British naval base The Royal Navy established a base ("Port T") – later RAF Gan from 1957 – on the island of Gan (Addu City) (pronounced “Gun”) in 1941, during World War II. During the Cold War it was used as an outpost. The original naval base was established as a fall-back for the British Eastern Fleet. Despite public pronouncements to the contrary, the official view was that the main base at Singapore would be untenable if the Japanese made serious headway in Malaya and Java – which, in the event, is what happened in 1942. The intention had been to operate from Trincomalee, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Upon inspection, however, the naval commander-in-chief, Admiral James Somerville found the port inadequate, vulnerable to a determined attack and open to spying. An isolated island base with a safe, deep anchorage in a suitably strategic position was required, and Addu City met the requirements. Once available, its facilities were used extensively by the Fleet. Royal Navy engineers landed in August 1941 from HMS Guardian to clear and construct airstrips on Gan for the Fleet Air Arm. In the interim, Catalina and Sunderland flying boats operated from jetties on the northern, sheltered side of Gan. Large oil tanks were built on Gan, and on Hitaddu Island on the western edge of the atoll; vital elements for a naval base. These were visible from a long distances at sea, but this was unavoidable, given the atoll's low profile. Ship's supplies for the fleet were provided from a pair of Australian refrigerated ships, Changte and Taiping that included Attu in a number of bases that they serviced regularly. Three times these ships replenished forty or more ships of the Eastern Fleet. Several large Second Australian Imperial Force troop convoys also refueled at Addu on their way from Aden to Fremantle, Western Australia. The six major islands were garrisoned by the 1st Royal Marine Coast Defense Regiment, manning shore batteries and anti-aircraft guns. To facilitate the defense, causeways were built connecting the western islands of Gan, Aboohéra, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo. And, much later in the war, they were linked by a light railway. Addu was an unpopular posting due to the hot, humid climate, lack of recreational facilities and lack of socializing with the local population. The Japanese remained unaware of the base's existence until their plans