Baltimore Municipal Airport
Encyclopedia
Baltimore Municipal Airport (also known as Harbor Field) is a former airport and United States Air Force
military airfield located about 6 miles southeast of Baltimore, Maryland on an artificial peninsula. Construction began in 1929 and was completed in 1941. It was closed on 30 December 1960. The western half of the airport was located within the city of Baltimore, whereas the eastern half was in Dundalk
, in Baltimore County
.
Today, the former airfield is the site of the Dundalk Marine Terminal, a multi-use shipping facility.
. Problems with the harbor silt led to lengthy delays and the facilities for land-based aircraft weren't ready for use until 1941.
All normal civilian traffic was suspended in 1942 when the United States Army Air Force took over the airfield. The Air Force used Baltimore Army Airfield as a I Fighter Command
training airfield. Units assigned to the airfield were the 324th Fighter Group
(6 July-28 October 1942); 353rd Fighter Group (26 October 1942-27 May 1943), and the 358th Fighter Group
(28 April-28 May 1943). Beginning in 1943, it was transferred to the Air Technical Service Command as a repair and maintenance sub-depot for the Middletown Air Depot, located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
departed from Baltimore Municipal Airport on a 1942 British Overseas Airways Company (BOAC) flight. BOAC continued to use Harbor Field as its main U.S. Operating base during the war. BOAC flying boat service to Baltimore Municipal Airport ended in 1948.
Civilian airline service returned to Baltimore Municipal Airport after the war in 1946. However, the airport's runways were not long enough for the postwar jet airliners. The airport's use was limited to smaller, lower-capacity planes. When Friendship Airport (later later renamed Baltimore-Washington International Airport) opened in 1950, major airline operations almost immediately moved to the new airport. Baltimore Municipal Airport was officially renamed Harbor Field in 1950. During the 1950s Baltimore Harbor Field continued to serve private pilots and business aviation.
It was also used as a Maryland Air National Guard
(MDANG) base after the war. Beginning in 1946, the MDANG based its 104th Fighter Squadron
at the airport. The squadron was originally equipped with piston-powered P-47 Thunderbolt
aircraft, later replaced by F-51 Mustangs, but eventually the unit converted to the jet-powered F-86 Sabre
. In 1957, the 104th relocated to the Glenn L. Martin Company Airport
, whose longer runway was necessary to support jet operations. In addition, the Maryland Air National Guard's 135th Air Commando Group
was based at Harbor Field from 1955 until 1960, when it too relocated to the Martin Company Airport. That unit flew twin-engine C-46 Commando and SA-16 Albatross aircraft.
In 1958, the airport was purchased by the Maryland Port Authority for conversion into a marine terminal, ending the use of the facility as an airport. The airfield was officially closed on 30 December 1960, following the departure of the last Air National Guard unit. Construction throughout the 1960s removed the runways and other airport structures, and by 1971 almost all physical evidence of the former airport were gone. A 1990 historic site survey reported on 4 major structures from the airport era which were still extant, the Pan American terminal, the Air Station, Hangar #1, and the Air Guard Building. The Maryland Historical Trust subsequently found these buildings to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, based on their innovative design features & their association with local transportation history. In 2005 the former control tower building, which had become derelict, was torn down.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
military airfield located about 6 miles southeast of Baltimore, Maryland on an artificial peninsula. Construction began in 1929 and was completed in 1941. It was closed on 30 December 1960. The western half of the airport was located within the city of Baltimore, whereas the eastern half was in Dundalk
Dundalk, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile . There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9 per square mile...
, in Baltimore County
Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...
.
Today, the former airfield is the site of the Dundalk Marine Terminal, a multi-use shipping facility.
Official Names
- 1929-1941 Baltimore Municipal Airport
- 1942-1945 Baltimore Army Airfield
- 1946-1950 Baltimore Municipal Airport
- 1950-1960 Harbor Field
- 1960-present Dundalk Marine Terminal
History
Construction of Baltimore Municipal Airport began in 1929. The airport was planned as a replacement for Logan Field, which was located adjacent to the planned site of Baltimore Municipal Airport. It was constructed on an artificial peninsula built from dredged harbor silt. A seaplane facility was opened by Pan American Airlines in 1932, and by 1937 Imperial Airlines began operation out of the airport (seaplane use subsequently declined, and by the end of 1940s the seaplane facilities had fallen into disuse). Various commercial airliners and Pan Am seaplanes used the facility until World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Problems with the harbor silt led to lengthy delays and the facilities for land-based aircraft weren't ready for use until 1941.
All normal civilian traffic was suspended in 1942 when the United States Army Air Force took over the airfield. The Air Force used Baltimore Army Airfield as a I Fighter Command
I Fighter Command
The I Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based at Mitchel Army Airfield, New York...
training airfield. Units assigned to the airfield were the 324th Fighter Group
324th Fighter Group
The 324th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with XII Air Support Command, stationed at Fliegerhorst Stuttgart-Echterdingen , Germany. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
(6 July-28 October 1942); 353rd Fighter Group (26 October 1942-27 May 1943), and the 358th Fighter Group
358th Fighter Group
The 358th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Second Air Force stationed at La Junta Army Air Field , Colorado. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
(28 April-28 May 1943). Beginning in 1943, it was transferred to the Air Technical Service Command as a repair and maintenance sub-depot for the Middletown Air Depot, located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
departed from Baltimore Municipal Airport on a 1942 British Overseas Airways Company (BOAC) flight. BOAC continued to use Harbor Field as its main U.S. Operating base during the war. BOAC flying boat service to Baltimore Municipal Airport ended in 1948.
Civilian airline service returned to Baltimore Municipal Airport after the war in 1946. However, the airport's runways were not long enough for the postwar jet airliners. The airport's use was limited to smaller, lower-capacity planes. When Friendship Airport (later later renamed Baltimore-Washington International Airport) opened in 1950, major airline operations almost immediately moved to the new airport. Baltimore Municipal Airport was officially renamed Harbor Field in 1950. During the 1950s Baltimore Harbor Field continued to serve private pilots and business aviation.
It was also used as a Maryland Air National Guard
Maryland Air National Guard
The Maryland Air National Guard is the air force component of the militia of the U.S. state of Maryland. As a dual-status organization, it is also considered a reserve component of the United States Air Force.-Mission:...
(MDANG) base after the war. Beginning in 1946, the MDANG based its 104th Fighter Squadron
104th Fighter Squadron
The 104th Fighter Squadron is an attack squadron equipped with the A-10 Thunderbolt II. It is a unit of the Maryland Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 175th Wing.-Mission:...
at the airport. The squadron was originally equipped with piston-powered P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
aircraft, later replaced by F-51 Mustangs, but eventually the unit converted to the jet-powered F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
. In 1957, the 104th relocated to the Glenn L. Martin Company Airport
Martin State Airport
Martin State Airport is a public use airport located nine nautical miles east of the central business district of Baltimore, in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States...
, whose longer runway was necessary to support jet operations. In addition, the Maryland Air National Guard's 135th Air Commando Group
135th Airlift Group
The United States Air Force's 135th Airlift Group is an airlift unit located at Warfield Air National Guard Base on the north side of the Martin State Airport in Middle River, Maryland.-Mission:...
was based at Harbor Field from 1955 until 1960, when it too relocated to the Martin Company Airport. That unit flew twin-engine C-46 Commando and SA-16 Albatross aircraft.
In 1958, the airport was purchased by the Maryland Port Authority for conversion into a marine terminal, ending the use of the facility as an airport. The airfield was officially closed on 30 December 1960, following the departure of the last Air National Guard unit. Construction throughout the 1960s removed the runways and other airport structures, and by 1971 almost all physical evidence of the former airport were gone. A 1990 historic site survey reported on 4 major structures from the airport era which were still extant, the Pan American terminal, the Air Station, Hangar #1, and the Air Guard Building. The Maryland Historical Trust subsequently found these buildings to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, based on their innovative design features & their association with local transportation history. In 2005 the former control tower building, which had become derelict, was torn down.
See also
- Maryland World War II Army AirfieldsMaryland World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Maryland for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....