Majuro Airfield
Majuro Airfield | |
---|---|
VMSB-231 taxiing on Majuro Airfield in 1944 | |
Coordinates | 7°05′25″N 171°22′53″E / 7.09028°N 171.38139°E |
Type | Military Airfield |
Site information | |
Controlled by | United States Navy |
Condition | abandoned |
Site history | |
Built | 1942 |
Built by | Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service/Seabees |
In use | 1942-72 |
Materials | Coral |
Majuro Airfield or Naval Air Facility Majuro (NAF Majuro) is a former World War II airfield on the island of Delap in the Marshall Islands. The facility was supported by a large base, Naval Base Majuro.[1][2]
History
World War II
Majuro Airfield was originally established by the
Postwar
The airfield was reduced to inactive status on 1 January 1947 and disestablished on 1 June 1947.[4]
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.[5] Marshall Islands International Airport opened in 1972 and Majuro Airfield ceased operation.
References
- ^ "Marshall Islands -- Building the Navy's Bases -- Majuro Naval Base". marshall.csu.edu.au.
- ^ Majuro Atollpacificwrecks.com
- ^ 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 Government Printing Office. 1947. pp. 318–320. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons - Volume 2. Naval Historical Center. p. 762. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Non-traditional settlement patterns and typhoon hazard on contemporary Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands". Digital Micronesia. Retrieved 2 June 2013.