Qingshui Dayang 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, the U.S. military stationed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in Taiwan to meet operational needs for northern Vietnam, using Ching Chuan Kang Airport as a logistics base. In 1966, seven oil depots were built in Yangcuo Village, Qingshui District, near the base to supply fuel for U.S. fighter jets and B52 bombers. With the end of the Vietnam War and the severing of diplomatic relations, this site gradually lost its important military status, and the Danyang Oil Depot remains the only historical structure that witnesses the cultural background of the Vietnam War, standing like a giant on the Dadushan Plateau. The seven large oil depots cover an area of about 16 hectares, with each depot surrounded by a spill containment wall approximately 78 meters long and 1.5 meters high; the depot body has a diameter of about 28.4 meters and a height of about 16 meters, with a 66-step external staircase and steel plate thickness of 0.9 to 1.5 centimeters. However, in 2000, the military outsourced a contract to dismantle the oil tanks for scrap metal. Fortunately, through the efforts of local organizations and government coordination, the last oil depot was rescued from the contractor, preserving the historical and cultural assets of the Vietnam War. The transportation of fuel involved U.S. military tankers docking in the Gaomei Sea area, which transferred fuel through underground pipelines along the Dajia River to a pressurization station in Gaobei Village, and then sent the fuel eastward to the seven oil depots in Yangcuo Village. In 2014, the Danyang Oil Depot Rest Park was completed north of Danyang Elementary School, with the Danyang Oil Depot being the most unique sight in the park. The depots are generally not open for internal visits, with firewalls, gates, and surrounding forests for separation. Starting April 1, 2022, it is open for free visits every Saturday from 10 AM to 12 PM. During open hours, please contact the Danyang Oil Depot Educational Promotion Unit, Mr. Zeng Wenjun of the Yangcuo Community Development Association, for assistance in access. Contact number: 0921-787803.
