Boaz Island, Bermuda
Encyclopedia
Boaz Island, formerly known as Gate's Island or Yates Island, is one of the six main islands of Bermuda
. It is part of a chain of islands in the west of the country that make up Sandys Parish
, lying between the larger Ireland Island
and Somerset Island
, and is connected to both by bridges. Its east coast forms part of the edge of the Great Sound
. Boaz Island was part of the Royal Naval base, which included the HM Dockyard on Ireland Island. From 1939, Boaz Island was used as a Royal Naval Air Station. Its primary role was the servicing, repair and replacement of spotter floatplanes and flying boats belonging to naval vessels. Early in the Second World War, with no other units to fill the role, aeroplanes from Boaz Island were used to maintain anti-submarine air patrols, using whatever aircrew were on hand, including pilots from the Bermuda Flying School on Darrell's Island. All that remains of the Fleet Air Arm facility today is a hangar on runway road, and two slips.
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. It is part of a chain of islands in the west of the country that make up Sandys Parish
Sandys Parish, Bermuda
Sandys Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for English aristocrat Sir Edwin Sandys , and hence there is no apostrophe in the name, which is pronounced "Sands"....
, lying between the larger Ireland Island
Ireland Island, Bermuda
Ireland Island is the northwesternmost island in the chain which comprises Bermuda. It forms a long finger of land pointing northeastwards from the main island, the last link in a chain which also includes Boaz Island and Somerset Island. It lies within Sandys Parish, and forms the northwestern...
and Somerset Island
Somerset Island, Bermuda
Somerset Island is one of the main islands of the chain that makes up Bermuda. It lies in the far west of the territory, and covers 2.84 square kilometres. It comprises about half of the parish of Sandys, and is the largest of a chain of islands which extend along the northwestern coast of the...
, and is connected to both by bridges. Its east coast forms part of the edge of the Great Sound
Great Sound, Bermuda
The Great Sound is a body of water shaped by the islands of Bermuda. It dominates the southwest of the island chain, and forms a natural harbour. It is surrounded on all sides by the islands, except for the northeast, where it is open to the Atlantic Ocean....
. Boaz Island was part of the Royal Naval base, which included the HM Dockyard on Ireland Island. From 1939, Boaz Island was used as a Royal Naval Air Station. Its primary role was the servicing, repair and replacement of spotter floatplanes and flying boats belonging to naval vessels. Early in the Second World War, with no other units to fill the role, aeroplanes from Boaz Island were used to maintain anti-submarine air patrols, using whatever aircrew were on hand, including pilots from the Bermuda Flying School on Darrell's Island. All that remains of the Fleet Air Arm facility today is a hangar on runway road, and two slips.