| Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marion E. Carl Field | |||||||
| Part ofMarine Corps Base Hawaii | |||||||
| NearKaneohe,Hawaii in theUnited States | |||||||
 An aerial view of MCAS Kaneohe Bay during an airshow in 2010. | |||||||
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| Site information | |||||||
| Type | Marine Corps Air Station | ||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||
| Operator | US Marine Corps | ||||||
| Controlled by | Marine Corps Installations – Pacific | ||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||
| Website | www.mcbhawaii.marines.mil | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
  MCAS Kaneohe Bay Location in Hawaii | |||||||
| Coordinates | 21°26′45″N157°46′11″W / 21.44583°N 157.76972°W /21.44583; -157.76972 | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1939 (1939) | ||||||
| In use | 1939 – 1949 (US Navy) 1952 – present (US Marine Corps) | ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Current commander | Lieutenant Colonel Tyler J. Holland | ||||||
| Garrison | Marine Aircraft Group 24 | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: NGF,ICAO: PHNG,FAA LID: NGF,WMO: 911760 | ||||||
| Elevation | 7 metres (23 ft)AMSL | ||||||
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| Source: Airnav.com[1] | |||||||
| Official name | Kaneohe Naval Air Station | ||||||
| Designated | 28 May 1987 | ||||||
| Reference no. | 87001299[2] | ||||||
| Period | 1900– | ||||||
| Area of significance | Military | ||||||
Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay orMCAS Kaneohe Bay (IATA:NGF,ICAO:PHNG,FAALID:NGF) is aUnited States Marine Corps (USMC) airfield located within theMarine Corps Base Hawaii complex, formerly known asMarine Corps Air Facility (MCAF) Kaneohe Bay orNaval Air Station (NAS) Kaneohe Bay.[3] It is located two miles (3km) northeast of thecentral business district ofKaneohe, inHonolulu County,Hawaii, United States. The airfield has onerunway (4/22) with a 7,771 x 200 ft (2,369 x 61 m)asphalt surface.[4]
TheUnited States Army acquired 322 acres (1.30 km2) of the peninsula when PresidentWoodrow Wilson signed executive order 2900 establishing the Kuwaaohe Military Reservation. Little is known about the operations of the fort, however, at the end ofWorld War I, the military property was leased for ranching. In 1939, Kuwaaohe was reactivated, subjected to many name changes to include Camp Ulupa’u, and eventually namedFort Hase.
Prior to and duringWorld War II, Fort Hase grew from a humble beginning as a defense battalion to a major unit of the Windward Coastal Artillery Command.U.S. Navy planners began to eye thepeninsula in 1939 as the home of a strategicseaplane base. They liked the isolated location, the flat plains for an airfield and the probability of flights into prevailing trade winds. In 1939, theNavy acquired 464 acres (1.88 km2) of the peninsula for use of thePBY Catalina patrol seaplanes for long-range reconnaissance flights. One year later, the Navy owned all of the Mokapu Peninsula except for Fort Hase. In 1939 the Navy awarded a base construction contract to the Pacific Naval Air Base Contractors consortituim (PNABC).[5] Most of the original contract work at Kaneohe had been completed when the Navy transferred what was undone to theSeabees of the 56th Naval Construction Battalion on 1 April 1943.[5] The 112th CB was tasked with adding a second runway 400' x 5,000' to the airfield. That was completed by the men of the 74th CB.[5]
7 December 1941, theImperial Japanese Navy attacked the air station minutes prior to theattack on Pearl Harbor. Of the 36 Catalinas stationed here, 27 were destroyed and six others were damaged, along with 18 sailors who perished in the attack. The first Japanese aircraft destroyed in action were shot down at Kaneohe, along with Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Petty OfficerJohn William Finn becoming one of the firstMedal of Honor recipients of World War II for valor on that day.
During the war, the air station was a major training base in thePacific Theater. The Fleet Gunnery School trained thousands of Navy gunners. There was a school for celestial navigation, sonar, aircraft recognition, and turret operations. Flight instructors also trained Navy and Marine Corpsaviators in flight operations prior to being sent to a forward combat area. Following the war, Fort Hase had become a skeleton outpost and the air station consisted of limited air operations, a small security detachment, and a federal communications center.
In November 1958 the first of the PacificMissile Impact Location System for the Navy'sPacific Missile Range (PMR) was operational at the station to monitorIntermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) test impacts northeast of Hawaii.[6][7]
In 1949, the Navy decommissioned the air station. On 15 January 1952, the U.S. Marine Corps recommissioned the idle airfieldMarine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, making it an ideal training site for acombined air/ground team.[8] Station Operations and Headquarters Squadron supported flight operations until 30 June 1972, when Station Operations and Maintenance Squadron (SOMS) was commissioned in its place. SOMS served until it was disbanded on 30 July 1994. Marine Corps Air Facility Kaneohe Bay was formed on that date and continues today to serve the operational needs of the aviation community.
On 28 May 1987, the station was listed as ahistoric district on theNational Register of Historic Places and aNational Historic Landmark, in recognition of its role in World War II.[9][10][11]
Following the 1993Base Realignment and Closure Commission decision to closeNaval Air Station Barbers Point, the base acquired four NavyP-3 Orion patrol squadrons and oneSH-60 Seahawkanti-submarine squadron in 1999. By 2020 the Navy had transitioned to the P-8 and the P-3C squadrons were retired at Kaneohe. Today there are almost 10,000 active duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel there, directed byMarine Aircraft Group 24.
The installation was re-designated as an Air Station (vice an Air Facility) in May 2009.[12] At the same time, the airfield was named forMajor generalMarion Eugene Carl, and the USMC announced that new squadrons would be stationed there.
Flying and notable non-flying units based at MCAS Kaneohe Bay.[13]
Marine Corps Installations – Pacific
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