| Palikulo Bay Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Espiritu Santo,New Hebrides Islands | |
.jpg) | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Military Airfield |
| Controlled by | United States Navy Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Condition | abandoned |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 15°30′06″S167°14′45″E / 15.50167°S 167.24583°E /-15.50167; 167.24583 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| Built by | Seebees |
| In use | 1942-5 |
| Materials | Coral |
Palikulo Bay Airfield orBomber Field #1 is a formerWorld War II airfield on the island ofEspiritu Santo in theNew Hebrides Islands at theEspiritu Santo Naval Base.
The7th Naval Construction Battalion arrived on Santo on 11 August 1942 and began construction of more extensive air facilities to support theGuadalcanal Campaign. After completing a second fighter airfield atTurtle Bay they began constructing a bomber field at Palikulo Bay. The runway was 5,000 feet (1,500 m) by 150 feet (46 m) built ofPSP over a coral base. The 15th Naval Construction Battalion arrived on Santo on 13 October 1942 and added taxiways, revetments, and a 1,000 feet (300 m) extension to the runway for air transport operation.[1]
Units of the5th Bombardment Group based at Palikulo included the23d Bombardment Squadron operatingB-17Es and laterB-24s from 1 December 1942 until 3 January 1944, and the72d Bombardment Squadron and394th Bombardment Squadron both operating B-17s. On 13 August B-17E #41-2463 of the 394th Bombardment Squadron piloted byGene Roddenberry crashed on takeoff due to mechanical failure.
Navy and USMC units based at Palikulo included:
Following the sinking of theUSS Wasp (CV-7) on 15 September 1942,VF-71 operatingF4Fs was temporarily based at Palikulo.
On the nights of 15 and 23 October 1942 Palikulo was shelled by a Japanese submarine however no serious damage resulted.[2]
Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) units based at Palikulo included:
The RNZAF operated a base depot at Palikulo that assembled aircraft that arrived aboard US ships and were then assigned to RNZAF Squadrons.[3]: 277
NOB Espiritu Santo disestablished on 12 June 1946.[4] Part of the airfield forms part of the main road along Palikulo Bay, while the remainder together with all taxiways and base facilities is largely overgrown with vegetation.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.