U.S. Naval Air Station Queenstown Ireland Explained

NAS Queenstown
Type:Military
Operator:United States Navy
Location:Aghada, County Cork, Ireland
Used:1918-
Elevation-M:1
Elevation-F:1m (03feet)
Pushpin Map:Ireland
Pushpin Label:NAS Queenstown
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Ireland

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 (across the harbour from Queenstown/Cobh). NAS Queenstown was commissioned on 22 February 1918 with LCDR Paul J. Peyton, USNRF, Naval Aviator 47 in command.[1] [2]

History

At the start of America's involvement in the First World War, five sites in Ireland - Queenstown, Wexford, Lough Foyle, Whiddy Island and Berehaven - were identified to be operated by the United States Navy in support of allied operations against enemy submarines.[3] This station supplied patrols and convoys from Cape Clear on the west, south into the English Channel to the sector covered by the aerial patrols from the north coast of France, and southeast and east to the sectors covered by the stations in the southwest of Wexford and England.

On 14 February 1918, LCDR Frank R. McCrary, USN, Commanding Officer of U. S. Naval Aviation Detachment in Ireland, during World War 1,[4] was headquartered at the location throughout the war.

The Queenstown/Aghada base was built on lands commandeered under the Defence of the Realm Act 1914.

Operations

The base's six hangars and three slipways were operational by September 1918.[5] [6] It operated as a seaplane base, assembly and repair location for aircraft, and as a training station for pilots.[7]

The station's aircrews, using Curtiss H-16 flying boats would fly a total of 64 war patrols and record three bombing attacks against German submarines. By the end of World War I, the base had approximately 24 planes[8] and over 1000 personnel.[9]

End of hostilities and closure

With the end of the war, the U.S. Naval Air Station anti-submarine warfare patrols in Ireland were discontinued, with all aircraft grounded and disarmed. Armistice was on 11 November 1918, and NAS Queenstown closed 20 April 1919[10] - although some remnants of the slipway remain.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Flying Officers of the U.S.N. 1917-1919. 1919. Naval Aviation War Book Committee. Washington DC. 300. 22 January 2013.
  2. Book: Treadwell. Terry C. America's First Air War: The United States Army, Naval and Marine Air Services in the First World War. 2000. MBI Publishing Company. 9780760309865.
  3. Book: Sitz. W.H.. A History of U.S. Naval Aviation. 1930. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington DC. 27.
  4. Web site: Loomis. Steven. Together We Served McCRARY, Frank. Together We Served. 22 April 2018.
  5. Web site: Martin. Emily. Naval Air Station Queenstown, Ireland 1918. U.S. Naval Institute. U.S. Naval Institute. 22 April 2018.
  6. Book: Anti-Submarine Warfare in World War I: British Naval Aviation and the Defeat of the U-Boats . Routledge . John Abbatiello . 2006 . 1135989540 . 125 .
  7. Book: A History of the Royal Air Force and the United States Naval Air Service in Ireland 1913-1923 . Karl E. Hayes . 1988 . 0950823112.
  8. Book: Denby, Honorable Edwin. The American Naval Planning Section London. Washington Printing Office. 1923. 106.
  9. Web site: Abandoned, Forgotten & Little Known Airfields in Europe. Ronald V. 28 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141228095420/http://www.ronaldv.nl/abandoned/airfields/EI/southwest.html#queenstown.
  10. Web site: World War 1 Era Naval Air Stations. Bluejacket.com. 22 April 2018 .