Pagan Airstrip

Last updated

Pagan Airstrip
Japanese airstrip on Pagan Island (204976663) (cropped).jpg
The airfield in World War II during bombing by U.S. forces
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCommonwealth Ports Authority
Location Pagan Island
Built1939–1944
1966–1970 (rebuilt)
Elevation  AMSL 34 ft / 10 m
Coordinates 18°07′23″N145°45′47″E / 18.12306°N 145.76306°E / 18.12306; 145.76306
Maps
Pagan-Airstrip-Diagram.png
FAA diagram of the airfield's layout
USA Northern Mariana Islands location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
TT01
Location of Pagan Airstrip within the Northern Mariana Islands
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
ftm
11/291,500457Turf/gravel
Statistics (1980)
Aircraft operations240

Pagan Airstrip( FAA LID : TT01) is a closed airfield located on Pagan Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, near the village of Shomu-Shon. The airport is owned by the Commonwealth Ports Authority. [1]

Contents

History

The airfield was originally built as a Japanese fighter airstrip and was called Shomushan Field. [2] Construction took place between 1939 and 1944, with 200 workers from Japan and Korea building the 1,000 feet (300 m) runway and other defenses on the island. [3]

On June 22, 1944, the airfield was attacked by U.S. carrier aircraft, with the attack destroying four Japanese aircraft on the ground, as well as damaging buildings and runways. [4] It was subject to further bombing on September 26–27, 1944, with P-47 Thunderbolts and B-24 Liberators of the Seventh Air Force conducting attacks. [5] The airfield was once attacked again on November 25–26, 1944, with U.S. Army Air Forces P-47 Thunderbolts and U.S. Navy F4U Corsairs bombed and strafed the island, in addition to downing two Japanese aircraft. [6] In total, U.S. Army P-47 Thunderbolts and P-61 Black Widows flew 1,578 missions against the airfield between August 1944 and May 1945, with the Japanese continuously repairing the runway. [3]

Japanese forces on Pagan surrendered in September 1945. [7]

Initial efforts to put the airfield back into service began in autumn of 1966, with US$7,000 in funding from the Mariana Islands District Legislature leading to a usable runway. In February 1967, Emmet Kay, president of Micronesia Airlines, was the first pilot to land at the airfield since World War II. A formal dedication was held on April 3, 1967. [8]

From May to October 1970, the airfield was further rebuilt by thirteen members of a U.S. Air Force Civic Action Team. [2]

During a 12-month period ending September 26, 1980, the airport had 240 aircraft operations: 79% air taxi and 21% general aviation. [1]

On May 15, 1981, Mount Pagan erupted, [9] with lava flows covering about one-third of the airfield. [10] Attempts by a civilian aircraft and a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion to land at the airstrip on the day of the eruption were unsuccessful, in part due to the volcano's ash cloud obscuring the airfield. [9]

As of 2023, the airfield is listed as "closed indefinitely" in the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport/Facility Directory. [11] It has not been inspected by the FAA since September 1980. [1] A major issue with habitation and operations on the island has been the activity of the volcano, which has erupted periodically since the 1980s, the latest being in 2021. [12]

Related Research Articles

Dillingham Airfield is a public and military use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) west of the central business district of Mokulēʻia, in Honolulu County on the North Shore of Oʻahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is operated by the Hawaii Department of Transportation under a 25-year lease from the United States Army. The airport is primarily used for gliding and sky diving operations, and also houses Civil Air Patrol (CAP) glider aircraft. Military operations consist largely of night operations for night vision device training and orientation flights for the United States Air Force Auxiliary (CAP). This airport is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a basic general aviation facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pagan (island)</span> Island of the Northern Mariana Islands

Pagan is a volcanic island in the Marianas archipelago in the northwest Pacific Ocean, under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It lies midway between Alamagan to the south and Agrihan to the north. The island has been largely uninhabited ever since most of its 50 residents were evacuated due to volcanic eruptions in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saipan International Airport</span> Airport in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, United States

Saipan International Airport, also known as Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport, is a public airport located on Saipan Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The airport is owned by Commonwealth Ports Authority. Its airfield was previously known as Aslito and Isely Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinian International Airport</span> Airport in Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S.

Tinian International Airport, also known as West Tinian Airport, is a public airport located on Tinian Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This airport is owned by Commonwealth Ports Authority.

Rota International Airport, also known as Benjamin Taisacan Manglona International Airport, is a public airport located on Rota Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), near the village of Sinapalo. The airport is owned by the Commonwealth Ports Authority. During WWII the Japanese constructed a single runway which the U.S. bombed out of commission. After the Marines took control of the island 300 men from the 48th U.S.Naval Construction Battalion made the airfield operational during Sept-Oct 1945 and extended to 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The runway was then used as an emergency landing strip for Tinian and Saipan airfields. In modern times it used for short commuter flights to nearby Marianas Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pago Pago International Airport</span> Airport in American Samoa

Pago Pago International Airport, also known as Tafuna Airport, is a public airport located 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of the central business district of Pago Pago, in the village and plains of Tafuna on the island of Tutuila in American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Princesa International Airport</span> Commercial airport serving Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

Puerto Princesa International Airport is an airport serving the general area of Puerto Princesa, located in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is classified as an international airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Buka Airport is an airport serving Buka Island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Station Agana</span>

Naval Air Station Agana is a former United States Naval air station located on the island of Guam. It was opened by the Japanese Navy in 1943 and closed by the United States government in 1995. During and after its closure, it was operated alongside Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport.

Gusap Airport is a general aviation airport in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. located at the base of the Finisterre Range. It has no scheduled commercial airline service. It is currently in use, and maintained by Ramu Agri Industries Ltd. (RAIL) for Crop Dusting purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peleliu Airfield</span> Airport in Peleliu, Palau

Peleliu Airfield is a small airfield on Peleliu, one of the islands of Palau. It also served as an airfield during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Field (Saipan)</span>

East Field is a former World War II airfield on Saipan in the Mariana Islands, part of Naval Advance Base Saipan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Field (Tinian)</span> Former World War II airfield on Tinian in the Mariana Islands

North Field was a World War II airfield on Tinian in the Mariana Islands. Abandoned after the war, today North Field is a tourist attraction. Along with several adjacent beaches on which U.S. Marines landed during the Battle of Tinian, the airfield is the major component of the National Historic Landmark District Tinian Landing Beaches, Ushi Point Field, Tinian Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angaur Airstrip</span> Airport in Angaur, Palau

Angaur Airstrip is a small airstrip on Angaur, one of the islands of Palau. It also served as an airfield during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalhart Army Air Base</span> Airport

Dalhart Army Air Base is a former World War II military airfield complex near the city of Dalhart, Texas. It operated three training sites for the United States Army Air Forces from 1943 until 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Frigate Shoals Airport</span> Airport

French Frigate Shoals Airport is a private use airport on Tern Island in French Frigate Shoals, a coral atoll, in Hawaii, United States. It is owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, as part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Vernouillet Airport is a regional airport in France, close to the town of Vernouillet, Eure-et-Loir. It supports general aviation with no commercial airline service scheduled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese air attacks on the Mariana Islands</span> Raids which targeted United States bases

During World War II, a series of Japanese air attacks on the Mariana Islands took place between November 1944 and January 1945. These raids targeted United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) bases and sought to disrupt the bombing of Japan by Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers operating from the islands. The Japanese lost 37 aircraft during this operation, but destroyed 11 B-29s and damaged a further 43. Preparations were also made for commando raids on the bases in early and mid-1945 but these did not go ahead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulithi Airport</span> Airport in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia

Ulithi Civil Airfield is a public airport serving the island of Falalop, located in the Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands, Federated States of Micronesia. It was previously Falalop Airfield or Naval Air Base Ulithi, when used as a World War II airfield.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Form 5010 for TT01 PDF , retrieved August 24, 2023
  2. 1 2 "Airstrip completed on Pagan island". The Honolulu Advertiser . October 23, 1970. p. 10 via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 Dixon, Boyd; Lash, Erik; Schaefer, Richard (2018). "Pagan: the archaeology of a WWII battle never fought in the Northern Mariana Islands". Journal of Conflict Archaeology. 13 (1). Routledge: 37–58. doi:10.1080/15740773.2018.1533667.
  4. "Japs Lose 5 Ships and 72 War Planes". Fort Worth Star-Telegram . Associated Press. June 25, 1944. p. 1 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Haugland, Vern; Johnson, Mac R. (September 29, 1944). "Operation Will Protect Peleliu From Jap Shells". Hawaii Tribune-Herald . Associated Press, United Press. p. 1 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "American Bombers Hit Several Enemy Bases". The News & Observer (published November 30, 1944). United Press. November 29, 1944. p. 10 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "British Will Land Today In Singapore". The Fresno Bee . United Press. September 4, 1945. p. 1 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Smith, Marjorie (April 12, 1967). "Airstrip dedication draws Pagan closer to world". Honolulu Star-Bulletin . p. G-9 via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 "Volcano erupts on tiny island". The Tribune . May 15, 1981. p. B-3. Retrieved August 24, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Pagan Islanders survive blast". Morning Sentinel . Associated Press. May 30, 1981. p. 12 via Newspapers.com.
  11. United States Government Flight Information Publication – Chart Supplement Pacific (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 2023. p. 61. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 24, 2023.
  12. "Pagan". Global Volcanism Program . Smithsonian Institution . Retrieved October 12, 2023.