Camp Dunlap

Last updated
Camp Dunlap
Imperial County, California
Near Niland in  United States
Welcome to Slab City.jpg
A former security checkpoint of the abandoned military grounds, now a part of Slab City known as the First Guardshack
USA California location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Camp Dunlap
Coordinates 33°15′29.6″N115°27′53.8″W / 33.258222°N 115.464944°W / 33.258222; -115.464944
Area11,342 acres (4,590 ha)
Site information
OwnerUS Naval Jack.svg  United States Navy
OperatorFlag of the United States Marine Corps.svg  U.S. Marine Corps
Controlled by Fleet Marine Force
ConditionAbandoned
Site history
Built1942 (1942)
FateDisbanded in 1961

Camp Dunlap was a United States Marine Corps base in Imperial County, California. [1] The camp was named for Brigadier General Robert H. Dunlap. [2] The 250,000 acre camp was used to train artillery and anti-aircraft units of the Fleet Marine Force. [2] [3] The base was located at the present-day location of Slab City.

Construction of the camp was done by Vinson & Pringle and Del E. Webb Construction Company out of Phoenix, Arizona. The same company contracted to build Marine Corps Air Station El Centro and Marine Corps Air Station Mojave. [4] Camp Dunlap opened on October 15, 1942, to serve as a training facility during World War II. The facility contained five different tent camps within its boundaries and eight different artillery ranges. During the war, the 10th, 11th, and 13th Marine Regiments trained there before departing overseas. The facility was also used as a bombing range for planes flying from nearby Marine Corps Air Station El Centro. The Marine Corps began dismantling the camp in December 1945 and finally closed it in March 1946. The base was turned over to the Naval Real Estate Board at that time. [3] On August 29, 1951, the California State Lands Commission approved the sale of the 11,342 acres (4,590 ha) to the Navy at US$1.20 per acre, with the state retaining the mineral rights, and with the understanding that the land would revert to state ownership once the Navy had abandoned it. [5] In October 1961, the United States Department of Defense conveyed the land on which Camp Dunlap was situated back to the State of California. [1]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Hailey 2008, pp. 181.
  2. 1 2 Hailey 2008, pp. 182.
  3. 1 2 "Camp Dunlap To Be Closed As Marine Corps Activity". The Pendleton Scout. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. 4 July 1946. p. 1,8. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  4. "O.K.". Imperial Valley Press. El Centro, CA. 1943-03-10. p. 3.
  5. Associated Press, “Army, Navy Get Desert Tracts”, ‘’The San Bernardino Daily Sun’’, San Bernardino, California, Thursday 30 August 1951, Volume LVII, Number 312, p. 2.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms</span> United States Marine Corps base in California

The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), also known as 29 Palms, is the largest United States Marine Corps base. The base covers a total area of 1,102 square miles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Base Hawaii</span> US Marine Corps base near Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States

Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), formerly Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay and originally Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, is a U.S. Marine Corps facility and air station located on the Mokapu Peninsula of windward O'ahu in the City & County of Honolulu. Marine Corps Base Hawaii is home to Marines, Sailors, their family members, and civilian employees. The United States Marine Corps operates a 7,800-foot (2,400 m) runway at the base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton</span> US Marine Corps base in California

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oceanside to the south, San Clemente in Orange County to the north, Riverside County to the northeast, and Fallbrook to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Air Station Miramar</span> USMC installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, a community of San Diego, California, about 14 miles (23 km) north of downtown San Diego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miramar Air Show</span> San Diego air show

The Miramar Air Show is an annual air show in San Diego, California, held at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The three-day event is the largest military air show in the United States, with total annual attendance estimated at 700,000. In 2007, it was voted the "World's Best Military Air Show" by the International Council of Air Shows, the first time the award was given to a Marine Corps air station since 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HMLA-367</span> Military unit

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367 (HMLA-367) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. Originally commissioned during World War II, the squadron participated in combat operations on Peleliu and Okinawa. Reactivated during the Vietnam War, the squadron has served during numerous conflicts since. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton in California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillespie Field</span> Airport in El Cajon, California

Gillespie Field is a county-owned public airport in El Cajon, California. It is located 11.5 miles northwest of downtown San Diego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Battalion, 11th Marines</span> Military unit

2nd Battalion, 11th Marines (2/11) is an artillery battalion comprising four firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The battalion is stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Its primary weapon system is the M777 lightweight howitzer. The battalion was the first in the Marine Corps to fully transition from the M198 Howitzer. They fall under the command of the 11th Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Facility El Centro</span> Census-designated place in California, United States

Naval Air Facility El Centro or NAF El Centro is a United States Navy Naval Air Facility located approximately six miles (10 km) northwest of El Centro, in Imperial County, California. NAF El Centro is under the jurisdiction of Navy Region Southwest and serves both as temporary homeport to military units conducting air-to-air and bombing training, and as the winter training home of the Blue Angels aerobatics display team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Outlying Field Camp Davis</span> Airport in near Holly Ridge, North Carolina

Marine Corps Outlying Field (MCOLF) Camp Davis is a military use airport northeast of the central business district of Holly Ridge, in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. It is used as a training facility by the United States Marines of Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Kearny</span> U.S. military base in California

Camp Kearny was a U.S. military base in San Diego County, California, on the site of the current Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. It operated from 1917 to 1946. The base was named in honor of Brigadier General Stephen W. Kearny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton</span> US military installation in California

Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton or MCAS Camp Pendleton is a United States Marine Corps airfield located within Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. It was commissioned in 1942 and is currently home to Marine Aircraft Group 39. The airfield is also known as Munn Field in honor of Lieutenant General John C. "Toby" Munn, the first Marine aviator to serve as the Commanding General of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Air Station Tustin</span> Former US Marine Corps Air base

Marine Corps Air Station Tustin is a former United States Navy and United States Marine Corps air station, located in Tustin, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VMO-2</span> Former observation squadron of the US Marine Corps

Marine Observation Squadron 2 (VMO-2) was an observation squadron of the United States Marine Corps which saw extensive action during World War II and the Vietnam War. They were based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan and Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California and saw their final combat in support of Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The squadron was decommissioned on 23 May 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilburt S. Brown</span> United States Marine Corps general

Wilburt Scott Brown was a United States Marine Corps general who was a combat veteran of World War I, the Nicaraguan campaign, World War II, and the Korean War. He served in the Marine Corps for thirty-five years, from 1918 to 1953.

Air Warning Squadron 6 (AWS-6) was a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control unit that provided aerial surveillance and early warning of enemy aircraft during World War II. The squadron was activated on 1 January 1944 and was one of five Marine Air Warning Squadrons that provided land based radar coverage during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. AWS-6 remained on Okinawa as part of the garrison force following the Surrender of Japan. The squadron departed Okinawa for the United States in February 1946 and was quickly decommissioned upon its arrival in California. To date, no other Marine Corps squadron has carried the lineage and honors of AWS-6 to include Marine Air Control Squadron 6 (MACS-6).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California during World War II</span>

California during World War II was a major contributor to the World War II effort. California's long Pacific Ocean coastline provided the support needed for the Pacific War. California also supported the war in Europe. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, most of California's manufacturing was shifted to the war effort. California became a major ship builder and aircraft manufacturer. Existing military installations were enlarged and many new ones were built. California trained many of the troops before their oversea deployment. Over 800,000 Californians served in the United States Armed Forces. California agriculture, ranches and farms were used to feed the troops around the world. California's long coastline also put the state in fear, as an attack on California seemed likely. California was used for the temporary and permanent internment camps for Japanese Americans. The population grew significantly, largely due to servicemen who were stationed at the new military bases/training facilities and the mass influx of workers from around the U.S. in the growing defense industries. With all the new economy activity, California was lifted out of the Great Depression. Over 500,000 people moved to California from other states to work in the growing economy. California expanded its oil and mineral production to keep up with the war demand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Air Control Squadron 3</span> Military unit

Marine Air Control Squadron 3 (MACS-3) was a former United States Marine Corps aviation command and control squadron. During its later years it also served as an operational test and evaluation squadron. Originally formed in World War II as Air Warning Squadron 12 (AWS-12), its original mission was to provide aerial surveillance and ground-controlled interception (GCI) for Marine Corps forces during amphibious operations. The squadron did not participate in combat operations during WWII however it did deploy and operate during the Korean War. In 1961, MACS-3 was transferred from the Fleet Marine Force to the administrative control of Air, Fleet Marine Forces Pacific in order to serve as the operational test and evaluation squadron for what was at the time, the largest research and development project in the Marine Corps - Marine Tactical Data System (MTDS). After MTDS testing was complete the Marine Corps recognized that it was not properly staffed to develop, test, and acquire new digital equipment. On 1 July 1970, MACS-3 was decommissioned and its structure and equipment were utilized to form Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA) at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Of note, MCTSSA does not carry MACS-3's lineage and honors.

Marine Aircraft Group 43 (MAG-43) was a fixed wing aviation group in the United States Marine Corps Reserve based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

References

Bibliobraphy