Finschhafen Airport

Last updated

Finschhafen Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
LocationFinschhafen, Papua New Guinea
Elevation  AMSL 33 ft / 10 m
Coordinates 06°37′20.25″S147°51′14.81″E / 6.6222917°S 147.8541139°E / -6.6222917; 147.8541139
Map
Papua New Guinea location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
Finschhafen Airport
Finschhafen Airport
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
ftm
03/215,2001,585Asphalt
Source: World Aero Data [1]

Finschhafen Airport is a general aviation airport in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. ( IATA : FIN, ICAO : AYFI). It is located on the south-east tip of Huon Peninsula at Finschafen. A half mile inland, parallel to Schneider Harbor, with Dregerhaffen to the south-east. It has no scheduled commercial airline service. [2]

Contents

History

The airport was built during World War II in late 1943 by the United States Army 807th and 808th Aviation Engineer Battalions along with the 60th Naval Construction Battalion constructed a 6,000' x 100' coral and steel matting single runway running NNW to SSE. The tower was code named 'Harvest'. In mid-November 1943, the Seabees performed rough grading on the northern end of the strip, and crushed coral for the entire area. On 5 January the 808th departed, and the 60th CB completed the airfield, building fighter and medium bomber hardstands, mostly located to the north, with more to the east and a few on the southern side of the runway. Many aircraft shipped from the United States were assembled at Finschhafen and then flown to other airfields for operations. [3] [4]

Allied units assigned to Finschhafen

Headquarters, 35th, 36th Fighter Squadrons, P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt
Headquarters, 7th Fighter Squadron, P-40 Warhawk
Headquarters, 340th, 341st, 342d Fighter Squadrons, P-47 Thunderbolt
Headquarters, 319th Troop Carrier Squadron, C-47 Skytrain

At the war's end, millions of dollars of equipment both new and used was bulldozed into huge holes in the area and abandoned.[ citation needed ]

See also

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References

  1. world-airport-codes.com, Finschhafen Airport
  2. flightradar24.com Finschhafen Airport
  3. "Building the Navy's Bases, vol. 2 (part III, chapter 26)". US Navy.
  4. "Pacific Wrecks". pacificwrecks.com.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency