Photograph, aerial. View of military and cargo ships anchored near the shore of the harbor of Manila. Official Caption: “Rome 8/20/45 Manila Harbor in the summer of 1945. This is an airview of the harbor area of Manila, capital of the Philippines as it appeared in the summer of 1945. Before the capital was liberated on Feb. 23, 1945, the Japanese had razed large parts of the city and damaged its port facilities. However, even before Manila was cleared of the enemy, U.S. Army Engineers and U.S. Navy Seabees (construction battalions) moved in to repair the extensive destruction. By July, 1945, all of Manila's pre-war piers had been cleared of rubble and repaired, and new ones had been built. An average of 50 ships anchored in Manila Harbor excluding the slin[not a word] warships of the U.S. 7th fleet which stood guard over the newly-liberated Philippine waters. More than 20 American Liberty Ships daily discharged at Manila’s piers vast quantities of supplies and equipment which were amassed in the area as the tempo of the war against Japan rose hour by hour. Photo serviced through U. S. I. S. Rome 43312-PME. Approved by appropriate U.S. authority (D List out).” Manila, Philippines. 20 August 1945