U.S. Naval Air Station Whiddy Island Ireland
NAS Whiddy Island | |
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![]() WW1 US NAS Whiddy Island Ireland | |
Summary | |
Airport type | Military |
Owner | Admiralty |
Operator | United States Navy |
Location | Whiddy Island, Bantry Bay, County Cork, Ireland |
Built | 1918 |
In use | 1918-1919 |
Elevation AMSL | 3 ft 3 in ft / 1 m |
Coordinates | 51°41′22″N 9°30′01″W / 51.68941°N 9.50029°WCoordinates: 51°41′22″N 9°30′01″W / 51.68941°N 9.50029°W |
Map | |
![]() ![]() NAS Whiddy Island Location in Ireland |
U.S. Naval Air Station Whiddy Island was a US naval air station operated during the last year of World War I and commissioned 4 July 1918.[1] Located on Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay, County Cork, Ireland, it was also known as Bantry Bay Station. The base was used for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) patrols by Curtiss H-16 seaplanes.
History[]
At the start of United States of America's involvement in the First World War five sites in Ireland; Queenstown, Wexford, Lough Foyle, Whiddy Island and Berehaven[2] were identified to be operated by the United States Navy in support of allied operations against enemy submarines.[citation needed]
Operations[]
The Whiddy Island station was located on the eastern side of the island in Bantry Bay. Patrols and convoys for the waters to the southwest of Ireland were furnished by this station.[2]
In all, five Curtiss Model H planes were based in Whiddy Island during 1918: BUNO *A1072, A1078, A1084, A3466, A4047, A4048.[citation needed] These were "pusher" type of aircraft with the engine and propeller behind the pilot.[citation needed]
The H-16 Large America, were equipped with four Lewis machine guns, a bomb load of four 230 pound bombs and a crew of five - a pilot, two observers, a mechanic and a wireless operator.[3]
Accident[]
An aircrew crashed on 22 October 1918. Walford A. Anderson (USNRF, AE2, Springfield, MO) was killed in the crash.[4]
End of hostilities and closure[]
While the base operated under wartime conditions for only seven weeks, patrols continued for some months after the armistice, and it was eventually closed on 29 January 1919.[1]
See also[]
- U.S. Naval Air Station Wexford Ireland
- U.S. Naval Air Station Queenstown Ireland
- U.S. Naval Air Station Lough Foyle Ireland
- U.S. Naval Air Station Berehaven Ireland
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "World War I Era Naval Aviation Stations". Bluejacket.com. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Sitz, W.H. (1930). A History of U.S. Naval Aviation (PDF). Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 27.
- ^ "Whiddy Island Airbase". Shipwrecks of Cork Harbour. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011 – via www.iol.ie.
- ^ "Cork Island Unveils Memorial to US Airman". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. 30 June 2014.
- United States Naval Air Stations
- Aviation history of Ireland
- Ireland in World War I
- History of County Cork
- 1918 establishments in Ireland
- 1919 disestablishments in Ireland
- Military installations of the United States in Ireland
- Military installations closed in 1919
- Closed installations of the United States Navy