Luzon Strait

The Luzon Strait is a strait connecting the Philippine Sea (western Pacific Ocean) to the South China Sea, between the southern end of the island of Taiwan and the northern end of the island of Luzon in the Philippines.

The strait is some 250 km wide. It contains a number of small islands and island groups, including the Batan Islands and Babuyan Islands.

Luzon Strait was part of the Japanese invasion route in December 1942. On December 8 (the same day as the Pearl Harbor attack, because of the date line), they landed on Batan Island. On December 10, they occupied Camiguin Island in the Babuyans in order to establish a seaplane base, and on the same day landed at Aparri on Luzon.

Subsequently, many US submarines hunted Japanese convoys passing through the strait on their way from the East Indies to Japan.