Brief timeline

• 10 Jun 1898 : U.S. occupation.
• 23 Feb 1903 : U.S. leases naval base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. The agreement also gave the U.S. the right to establish another base at Bahía Honda, this area was however returned to Cuba in 1912, in exchange for larger facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
• 10 Dec 1903 : Guantanamo Bay Naval Station leased to U.S.
• 10 Dec 1913 : Naval Station officially opens.
• 31 May 1934 : Treaty affirms perpetual U.S. sovereignty (only mutual agreement or U.S. abandonment of the area can terminate the lease), treaty is reaffirmed again in 1963.
• 1 Apr 1941 : Renamed Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Operating Base.
• 18 Jun 1952 : Renamed Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base.

Commandants

• 10 Dec 1903 - May 1904 : William H. Allen
• 17 May 1904 - Sep 1906 : Charles C. Rogers
• 8 Sep 1906 - Jul 1907 : Albert A. Ackerman
• Aug 1907 - May 1908 : Clark D. Stearns (acting)
• May 1908 - April 1909 : Charles H. Harlow
• May 1909 - Nov 1909 : Myles Joyce (acting)
• Nov 1909 - Jan 1912 : Walter Ball
• 18 Jan 1912 - Jun 1913 : George W. Kline
• Jun 1913 - Jan 1914 : Merritt S. Corning (acting)
• Jan 1914 - Oct 1914 : Hilary Williams
• Dec 1914 - May 1916 : John M. Luby
• 4 May 1916 - Sep 1917 : Dudley Wright Knox
  Dudley Wright Knox
  Commodore Dudley Wright Knox was an officer in the United States Navy during the Spanish-American War and World War I...
  
  
• Sep 1917 - Nov 1918 : E.E. Wright
• Dec 1918 - Sep 1920 : Guy Whitlock
• Sep 1920 - Jun 1921 : John J. Hannigan
• Jun 1921 - May 1923 : Robert T. Menner
• May 1923 - Jun 1924 : Ward K. Wortman
• Jun 1924 - Jun 1926 : Charles M. Tozer
• Jun 1926 - Aug 1928 : Charles C. Soule, Jr.
• Aug 1928 - Jun 1930 : Charles S. McWhorter
• Aug 1930 - Feb 1931 : Alfred Hart Miles
• Feb 1931 - May 1933 : Thomas L. Johnson
• Jun 1933 - Jun 1934 : Edward C. Raguet
• Jun 1934 - Apr 1936 : Charles "Savvy" M. Cooke Jr.
• May 1936 - Jun 1938 : Mark L. Hersey, Jr.
• Jun 1938 - Aug 1940 : Worral Reed Carter
• Sep 1940 - Mar 1944 : George L. Weyler

Commanders

• Apr 1944 - Oct 1944 : F.A. Braisted
• Oct 1944 - Dec 1945 : J.J. Mahoney
• Jan 1946 - May 1948 : C.E. Battle, Jr.
• Jun 1948 - Jun 1950 : W.K. Phillips
• Jun 1950 - Dec 1950 : A.M. Bledsoe
• Dec 1950 - Jan 1953 : M.E. Murphy
• Jan 1953 - Dec 1953 : C.L.C. Atkeson
• Feb 1954 - Sep 1955 : E.B. Taylor
• Sep 1955 - Oct 1956 : W.G. Cooper
• Dec 1956 - Nov 1958 : R.B. Ellis
• Nov 1958 - Oct 1960 : F.W. Fenno
• Nov 1958 - Oct 1960 : E.J. O'Donnell
• Dec 1962 - Dec 1963 : J.W. Davis
• Dec 1963 - Jun 1966 : John Duncan Bulkeley
  John D. Bulkeley
  John Duncan Bulkeley was a Vice Admiral in United States Navy and was one of the most decorated naval officers. Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II...
  
  
• Jun 1966 - Jul 1968 : E.R. Crawford
• Jul 1968 - Jun 1970 : James B. Hildreth
• Jun 1970 - Aug 1972 : B. McCauley
• Aug 1972 - Jun 1973 : Leo B. McCuddin
• Jun 1973 - Jul 1975 : Ralph M. Ghormley
• Jul 1975 - Jun 1977 : J.H. McConnell
• Jun 1977 - Feb 1979 : D.W. DeCook
• Feb 1979 - Mar 1981 : John H. Fetterman, Jr.
• Mar 1981 - Oct 1983 : M.D. Fitzgerald
• Oct 1983 - Oct 1985 : R.A. Allen
• Oct 1985 - Apr 1988 : John R. Condon
• Apr 1988 - Jun 1990 : John S. Boyd
• Jun 1990 - Aug 1992 : W.C. McCamy, Jr.
• Aug 1992 - Sep 1994 : W.M. DeSpain
• Sep 1994 - Sep 1995 : James F. Boland, Jr.
• Sep 1995 - Apr 1997 : Jim Cannon
• Apr 1997 - 12 May 2000 : Larry E. Larson
• 12 May 2000 - 27 Mar 2003 : Robert A. Buehn
• 27 Mar 2003 - 9 Jul 2005 : Leslie J. McCoy
• 9 Jul 2005 - 19 Sep 2005: Lawrence S. Cotton, Jr.
• 19 Sep 2005 - Present: Mark M. Leary