Qingshui Diyang Oil Depot Introduction
In the 1950s, Taiwan and the United States signed a Mutual Defense Treaty, which led to the expansion of the original Gongguan Airport. It was renamed "Ching Chuan Kang" Airport in honor of the anti-Japanese hero General Qiu Qingquan, becoming the largest air force base in the Far East at that time. When the Vietnam War broke out in 1962, U.S. military C-130 Hercules transport planes were stationed in Taiwan to support operations in North Vietnam, and Ching Chuan Kang Airport was used as a logistics base. In 1966, seven fuel depots were constructed in Yangcuo Village in the nearby Qingshui District to supply fuel for U.S. fighter jets and B-52 bombers. With the end of the Vietnam War and the severing of diplomatic relations, this site gradually lost its significant military status. The Great Yang Fuel Depot is the only remaining historical structure, witnessing the cultural backdrop of the Vietnam War, standing like a giant on the Dadu Mountain Plateau. The seven large fuel depots cover an area of about 16 hectares, with each depot surrounded by an anti-overflow embankment approximately 78 meters long and 1.5 meters high. The depots themselves have a diameter of about 28.4 meters and a height of about 16 meters, with 66 steps leading up to the outer stairs and steel plate thickness ranging from 0.9 to 1.5 centimeters. However, in 2000, the military contracted a company to dismantle the depots using scrap metal, but fortunately, through efforts by civilian organizations and local government, the last depot was rescued from the contractor, preserving this historical cultural asset from the Vietnam War. The fuel delivery system involved tankers operated by the U.S. military docking in the Gaomei Sea, with pipelines buried underground along the Dajia River transporting fuel to a pumping station in Gaobei Li, and then sending it eastward into the seven depots in Yangcuo Village. In 2014, the Dayang Fuel Depot Recreation Park was completed to the north of Dayang Elementary School. The Dayang Fuel Depot is the most unique sight within the park, though the interior is usually not open for public visits, surrounded by firewalls, gates, and forests. Starting from April 1, 2022, it will be open for free visits every Saturday from 10 AM to 12 PM. During open hours, please contact Mr. Zeng Wenjun of the Yangcuo Community Development Association, who assists in opening the entrance for tours. Contact number: 0921-787803.
