Majuro Airfield: Difference between revisions
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
==History== |
==History== |
||
===World War II=== |
===World War II=== |
||
Majuro Airfield was originally established by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]] in 1942 . The island was captured on 31 January 1944 during [[Battle of Kwajalein]] by the [[United States Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion|V Amphibious Corps Marine Reconnaissance Company]] and the 2nd Battalion, [[106th Infantry Regiment (United States|106th Infantry Regiment]] who found it to be unoccuppied. The [[Seebee|100th Naval Construction Battalion]] began to improve the airfield creating a coral-surfaced 5,800ft by 445ft runway covering most of Delap Island. By mid-March the airfield was in limited operation and by 15 April the airfield, taxiways, aprons, housing, shops, and piers were fully operational. The Seebees also constructed roads and causeways linking Delap to the adjacent islands<ref>{{Cite book|last=|first= |title=Building the Navy's Bases in World War II History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946| publisher=US Governement Printing Office| year=1947| isbn=|page=318-320}}</ref> |
Majuro Airfield was originally established by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]] in 1942 . The island was captured on 31 January 1944 during [[Battle of Kwajalein]] by the [[United States Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion|V Amphibious Corps Marine Reconnaissance Company]] and the 2nd Battalion, [[106th Infantry Regiment (United States|106th Infantry Regiment]] who found it to be unoccuppied. The [[Seebee|100th Naval Construction Battalion]] began to improve the airfield creating a coral-surfaced 5,800ft by 445ft runway covering most of Delap Island. By mid-March the airfield was in limited operation and by 15 April the airfield, taxiways, aprons, housing, shops, and piers were fully operational. The Seebees also constructed roads and causeways linking Delap to the adjacent islands. The carrier replacement plane pool was subsequently located at Majuro and a new 4,000ft by 175ft runway was built on [[Uliga|Uliga Island]] and a two-lane causeway connecting Uliga and Delap was constructed. An 800ft by 150ft apron was cleared and paved adjacent to the main runway to facilitate transport operations<ref>{{Cite book|last=|first= |title=Building the Navy's Bases in World War II History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946| publisher=US Governement Printing Office| year=1947| isbn=|page=318-320}}</ref> |
||
[[4th Marine Aircraft Wing|Fourth Marine Air Wing]] headquarters and [[Marine Aircraft Group 13|Marine Air Group 13]] (MAG-13) relocated to Majuro Atoll in mid-March 1944. Units stationed at Majuro included [[VF-39]] operating the [[F6F Hellcat]], [[VMF-155]] and [[VMF-224]] operating [[Vought F4U Corsair|F4Us]] and [[VMSB-231]] operating [[Douglas SBD Dauntless|SBDs]]. |
[[4th Marine Aircraft Wing|Fourth Marine Air Wing]] headquarters and [[Marine Aircraft Group 13|Marine Air Group 13]] (MAG-13) relocated to Majuro Atoll in mid-March 1944. Units stationed at Majuro included [[VF-39]] operating the [[F6F Hellcat]], [[VMF-155]] and [[VMF-224]] operating [[Vought F4U Corsair|F4Us]] and [[VMSB-231]] operating [[Douglas SBD Dauntless|SBDs]]. |
||
Revision as of 12:49, 2 June 2013
| Majuro Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Delap, Marshall Islands | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 7°05′25″N 171°22′53″E / 7.09028°N 171.38139°E |
| Typ | Military Airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Navy |
| Condition | abandoned |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| Built by | Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service/Seebees |
| In use | 1942-72 |
| Materials | Coral |
Majuro Airfield or Naval Air Base Majuro (NAB Majuro) is a former World War II airfield on the island of Delap in the Marshall Islands.
History
World War II
Majuro Airfield was originally established by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in 1942 . The island was captured on 31 January 1944 during Battle of Kwajalein by the V Amphibious Corps Marine Reconnaissance Company and the 2nd Battalion, 106th Infantry Regiment who found it to be unoccuppied. The 100th Naval Construction Battalion began to improve the airfield creating a coral-surfaced 5,800ft by 445ft runway covering most of Delap Island. By mid-March the airfield was in limited operation and by 15 April the airfield, taxiways, aprons, housing, shops, and piers were fully operational. The Seebees also constructed roads and causeways linking Delap to the adjacent islands. The carrier replacement plane pool was subsequently located at Majuro and a new 4,000ft by 175ft runway was built on Uliga Island and a two-lane causeway connecting Uliga and Delap was constructed. An 800ft by 150ft apron was cleared and paved adjacent to the main runway to facilitate transport operations[1]
Fourth Marine Air Wing headquarters and Marine Air Group 13 (MAG-13) relocated to Majuro Atoll in mid-March 1944. Units stationed at Majuro included VF-39 operating the F6F Hellcat, VMF-155 and VMF-224 operating F4Us and VMSB-231 operating SBDs.
B-25s of the 41st Bombardment Group operating out of Bairiki (Mullinix) Airfield, Tarawa, staged through Majuro for bombing raids on Maloelap, Wotje Mili Atill and Jaluit during March and April 1944.
Postwar
In the postwar period the airfield continued to serve as the airport for Majuro, however by the mid-1960s the runway surface was deteriorating and it was becoming unsuitable for use by modern aircraft, so it was decided to relocate the airport to its current location west of Rairok and to utilize the area on Delap for industrial, commercial and residential development.[2]Marshall Islands International Airport opened in 1972 and Majuro Airfield ceased operation.
See also
References
- ^ Building the Navy's Bases in World War II History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946. US Governement Printing Office. 1947. p. 318-320.
- ^ "Non-traditional settlement patterns and typhoon hazard on contemporary Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands". Digital Micronesia. Retrieved 2 June 2013.