Turtle Bay Airfield

Turtle Bay Airfield or Fighter Field #1 is a former World War II airfield on the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides Islands at the Espiritu Santo Naval Base.

Turtle Bay Airfield
Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands
An F4U of VMF-214 at Turtle Bay Airfield in November 1943
Coordinates15°22′41″S 167°10′45″E
TypeMilitary Airfield
Site information
Controlled byUnited States Army Air Forces
United States Navy
Conditionabandoned
Site history
Built1942
Built by3rd Naval Construction Detachment, 1st Naval Construction Battalion
In use1942-5
MaterialsCoral

History

World War II
F6F-3 Hellcats of VF-40 at Turtle Bay
A TBF-1C of No. 30 Squadron RNZAF at Turtle Bay, February 1944
VMF-214 at Turtle Bay in September 1943

The first bases on Espiritu Santo were established by the U.S. Navy as defensive bases to guard the existing facility at Efate and to support the Solomon Islands Campaign, however its strategic location led to its expansion into one of the largest advance bases in the South Pacific.[1] A group of Seebees from the 3rd Construction Battalion detachment (1st Naval Construction Battalion) with an anti-aircraft battery from the 4th Defense Battalion and a company of colored infantrymen arrived on Santo on 8 July 1942 to begin work on Turtle Bay airfield to bomb the airfield the Japanese were building on Guadalcanal.[2][3] The Seebees were given twenty days in which to construct the airfield, assisted by 295 infantrymen, 90 Marines and 50 natives. Working around the clock, a 6,000 feet (1,800 m) runway was cleared and surfaced with coral within the time given. On 28 July the first fighter squadron came in and was followed the next day by B-17s of the 26th Bombardment Squadron. The planes were fueled from drums and carried out their first attack on Japanese forces on Guadalcanal on 30 July.[4]

USAAF units based at Turtle Bay included:

  • 26th Bombardment Squadron with B-17s July–August 1942.

US Navy and USMC units based at Turtle Bay included:

  • RNZAF 3O Squadron

On 26 October 1944 PBJ-1D #35152 of VMB-611 crash-landed at Turtle Bay, the plane was written off[7]

Postwar

Fighter One was disestablished on 2 January 1945. NOB Espiritu Santo disestablished on 12 June 1946.[5]: 757  The airfield is largely overgrown with vegetation.

See also

References
  1. Stone, Peter (1997). The Lady and the President: The life and loss of the S.S. President Coolidge. Oceans Enterprises. p. 51. ISBN 9780958665728.
  2. "Seabee History: Formation of the Seabees and World War II". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 18 June 2020.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. Melson, Charles D. (1996). Marines in World War II Commemorative Series Condition Red: Marine Defense Battalions in World War II (PDF). Marine Corps Historical Center. p. 30. ISBN 978-1494464271.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. 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. p. 228.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons - Volume 2. Naval Historical Center. p. 90.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. Tillman, Barrett (2014). Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. Appendix 18.
  7. "Marine Bombing Squadron Six Eleven Loss of MB-13 at Turtle Bay, Espiritu Santo". Marine Bombing Squadron Six-Eleven Association. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
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