A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy.
A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteristics: floatplanes and flying boats; the latter are generally far larger and can carry far more. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are in a subclass called amphibious aircraft, or amphibians. Seaplanes were sometimes called hydroplanes, but currently this term applies instead to motor-powered watercraft that use the technique of hydrodynamic lift to skim the surface of water when running at speed.
Castletownbere is a town in County Cork in Ireland. It is located on the Beara Peninsula by Berehaven Harbour. It is also known as Castletown Berehaven.
Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle, is the estuary of the River Foyle, on the north coast of Ireland. It lies between County Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Sovereignty over the waters has been in dispute since the Partition of Ireland.
Bantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, Ireland. The bay runs approximately 35 km (22 mi) from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km wide at the head and 10 km (6.2 mi) wide at the entrance.
The first USS Patterson (DD-36) was a modified Paulding-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I and later in the United States Coast Guard, designated as CG-16. She was named for Daniel Patterson.
Following the establishment of the Irish Free State, three deep water Treaty Ports at Berehaven, Spike Island, and Lough Swilly were retained by the United Kingdom in accordance with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 6 December 1921.
Bere Island or Bear Island is an island in Bantry Bay off the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland. It spans roughly 10 km x 3 km, with an area of 17.68 km² and, as of the 2022 census, had a population of 218 people.
Whiddy Island is an island near the head of Bantry Bay in Ireland. It is approximately 5.6 km (3.5 mi) long and 2.4 km (1.5 mi) wide. The topography comprises gently-rolling glacial till, with relatively fertile soil. As late as 1880 the island had a resident population of around 450, mainly engaged in fishing and small-scale farming, but today the population has reduced to approximately 30 people. Previously home to Whiddy Island Naval Air Station, the island is noted for its oil terminal facilities – and the related Whiddy Island Disaster.
The Curtiss HS was a single-engined patrol flying boat built for the United States Navy during World War I. Large numbers were built from 1917 to 1919, with the type being used to carry out anti-submarine patrols from bases in France from June 1918. It remained in use with the US Navy until 1928, and was also widely used as a civil passenger and utility aircraft.
Coast Guard Air Station Salem was a United States Coast Guard air station located in Salem, Massachusetts from 1935 to 1970. Its area of coverage extended from New York City to the Canada–United States border.
Bantry is a barony in the west of County Cork in Ireland. Patrick Weston Joyce said the name Beanntraí means "descendants of Beann [Ban]", a son of Conchobar mac Nessa; similarly for the Wexford barony of Bantry. The barony borders the top end the southern shore of Bantry Bay. On the opposite shore is the barony of Bear. It is also bordered by Carbery West, and Muskerry West to the northeast. To the north is County Kerry.
U.S. Naval Air Station Wexford was a seaplane station at Ferrybank, Wexford, Ireland which was operated by the United States Navy (USN) and commissioned on 2 May 1918. Its mission was to operate Curtiss H-16 anti-submarine patrols (ASW) to counter German submarine attacks on shipping in the area east of Queenstown. The Commanding Officer LCDR Victor D. Herbster reported on station on 28 March 1918.
United States Naval Air Station Queenstown was the first US Naval Air Station established in Ireland. NAS Queenstown was close to the village of Aghada on the eastern side of Cork Harbour. NAS Queenstown was commissioned on 22 February 1918 with LCDR Paul J. Peyton, USNRF, Naval Aviator 47 in command.
VPB-11 was a Patrol Bombing Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Torpedo & Bombing Squadron 19-D14 (VT-19D14) on 7 February 1924, redesignated Torpedo & Bombing Squadron 6D14 (VT-6D14) on 1 July 1927, redesignated Patrol Squadron 6-B (VP-6B) on 1 April 1931, redesignated Patrol Squadron 6-F (VP-6F) on 17 July 1933, redesignated Patrol Squadron 6 (VP-6) on 1 October 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 23 (VP-23) on 1 July 1939, redesignated Patrol Squadron 11 (VP-11) on 1 August 1941, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 11 (VPB-11) on 1 October 1944 and disestablished on 20 June 1945.
U.S. Naval Air Station Lough Foyle was a seaplane station at Lough Foyle in Ireland, which was operated by the United States Navy (USN) and commissioned on July 1, 1918 with Commander Henry D. Cooke, USN as the commanding officer. Located near Quigley's Point in County Donegal, and approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Derry in County Londonderry, the station was disestablished in early 1919.
U.S. Naval Air Station Berehaven was a Lighter-than-Air (LTA) kite balloon station at Berehaven, County Cork, Ireland that the United States Navy (USN) operated in the First World War. It was commissioned on 29 April 1918 and decommissioned on 12 February 1919.
US Naval Advance Bases were built globally by the United States Navy during World War II to support and project U.S. naval operations worldwide. A few were built on Allied soil, but most were captured enemy facilities or completely new. Advance bases provided the fleet with support to keep ships tactically available with repair and supply depots of facilities, rather than return them to the continental United States. Before Japan declared war on the United States the U.S. Navy had a single fleet-sized advanced base in the Territory of Hawaii at Naval Station Pearl Harbor. During the war the U.S. Navy Seabees built over 400 advance bases categorized by size. Naval bases were either Lions or Cubs while airfields were either Oaks or Acorns. Lions and Oaks were major facilities while Cubs and Acorns were minor. PT Boats typically would get a Cub and airfields with single runways were Acorns. The larger bases could do refueling and overhaul; loading of troopship and cargo ships; and preparing amphibious assault ships. Some became major repair depots. The Seabees developed auxiliary floating drydocks were able to repair battle damage and do regular maintenance in the field saving ships trans-pacific trips for repair. A few bases also were developed to be R and R for all U.S. personnel. Most Advance Bases were built by the US Navy's Seabees in Naval Construction Battalions (CBs). At the start of the war civilian contractors were employed in construction. The Seabees in World War II built most of the airfields used by the United States Army Air Forces and United States Marine Corps, as they had the ships and cranes needed to transport the vast amount of equipment needed at the advance bases. The US Army and United States Coast Guard also operated out of many of these facilities. Seabees could build new or repair damaged runways, and with advancements in heavy bomber technology lengthen runways as needed. A few Naval Advance Bases were built for the Korean War and Vietnam War.
Carrier Aircraft Service Units (CASU) were United States Navy units formed during World War II for the Pacific War to support naval aircraft operations. From 1942 to 1946, 69 Carrier Aircraft Service Units were formed to repair and maintain aircraft. The first unit was deployed to Naval Station Pearl Harbor. The CASU-11, was deployed on January 22, 1943 at Naval Air Station San Diego. During the war the Navy lacked enough aircraft carriers to complete all the operational requirements.
