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The 505th Quartermaster Battalion is a battalion of the United States Army with a mission to provide strategic bulk fuels support to all Department of Defense Activities on Okinawa and to maintain U.S. Pacific Command War Reserve Objectives. On order, the Battalion can deploy as a headquarters to provide expeditionary command and control fuels support to U.S. and coalition forces.

Operations
The 505th Quartermaster Battalion is responsible for providing support of bulk petroleum products to all Department of Defense agencies on Okinawa. It operates and maintains a 100-mile petroleum pipeline system that reaches from Futenma Marine Corps Air Station in the south of the island, through Kadena Air Base, to Chimu Wan and Tengan near Camp Courtney.

The battalion receives, stores, and issues, all aviation fuel (JP-8/JP-5), automotive gasoline (MOGAS), and diesel fuel (F76) used by the United States Forces on Okinawa. Additionally, it operates an area laboratory capable of providing quality surveillance support for all bulk fuels and lubricants handled by all services on Okinawa.

The Battalion maintains and operates the following:

* 2 offshore tanker mooring systems * Pierside load/off-load facility * 6 hardened tank farms with computerized monitoring * Fire suppression systems and closed TV monitors * Over 100 miles of 8-inch underground welded steel pipeline with cathodic protection * 2 booster pump stations * 4 tank farm pump stations * 6 truck fill stands * 2 pipeline maintenance shops * Watercraft and dive shop * A petroleum testing laboratory

The number of oceangoing  petroleum tankers received per year is approximately 90, about 50% of which comes from the Japanese Self Defense Force. With the exception of rail transportation, the 505th Quartermaster Battalion encompasses every phase of military petroleum operations.

History
Okinawa's petroleum system traces back to the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945. In September 1980, the system was designated as Petroleum Distribution System, Okinawa, under operational control of United States Army Japan. On February 18, 1986, it was redesignated as the 266th Quartermaster Battalion (Provisional). The 266th Quartermaster Battalion dropped its provisional status on October 16, 1987 and was redesignated as the 505th Quartermaster Battalion.

Pictured on the left is the first tank farm on Okinawa. These are 1000 oilbbl aviation gasoline storage tanks near the mouth of the Hija River. They were filled from oil tankers by means of pumping barges. From these storage tanks, the gasoline was then pumped to storage tanks at the Yomitan and Kadena airfields through a four-inch victaulic pipeline. Construction on the first tank farm and pipeline on Okinawa commenced on April 8, 1945.