Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue
Encyclopedia
Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue , also known as Bogue Field, is an 875 acres (3.5 km²) landing field located on Bogue Sound
that serves as the Marine Corps’ only East Coast
site for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP). By performing many of these landings at night, pilots
simulate landing on an aircraft carrier
or an amphibious assault ship
, which provides the force with the means to forward deploy
its aviation
assets in order to have a more readily accessible aviation punch for the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commander on the battlefield.
Marines who are assigned to the remote airfield have been nicknamed "Bogue Rats". This nickname is reflected in their unofficial logo.
purchased 573 acres (2.3 km²) of land in 1942 for an auxiliary airfield, three 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) runways were built for the use of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point
, North Carolina
. Facilities were also constructed to support two squadrons with a combined total of 45 aircraft and accommodations for 1,050 personnel.
, Bogue was used almost exclusively by the United States Marine Corps
for VMSB dive-bomber
squadron training. Equipped with the SBD Dauntless
, the first squadron, VMSB-331, moved to Bogue from MCAS New River
in 1943 followed by Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) later that year.
Specialized training facilities were established in the surrounding area to support the training of the resident dive-bombing squadrons. Dive-bombing circle targets were constructed on nearby islands, and vertical targets were built for low-level bombing practice. A maneuvering target boat was also used on the Neuse River
to practice attacks on shipping.
MAG-33 transferred to MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake
, Texas
in 1944, and MAG-93
was commissioned at Oak Grove in the same year. By that point, Marine Corps dive-bombing squadrons were transitioning to the SB2C Helldiver
.
A J2F Duck amphibian was assigned to Bogue for the rescue of downed flyers, but proved unsuitable for open-sea landings.
The Marines' first Short Airfield for Tactical Support (SATS) system was installed at Bogue in 1958. It was a deployable catapult & arresting system
, intended to permit jet aircraft to operate from short expeditionary airfields.
s from MCAS New River & MCAS Cherry Point due to the Vietnam War
.
amphibious assault ship
, used for carrier landing practice.
MCALF Bogue Field is the primary location for AV-8B Harrier practice operations. It is also used by other locally based USMC aircraft. It supports about 3500 FCLPs (Field Carrier Landing Practice) per training year. Training squadron
aircraft take priority over normal traffic while exercises take priority over all other users, including training.
Bogue Field consists of a runway
constructed of aluminum panels which can be disassembled and reconstructed anywhere in the world in a matter of days by a specialty construction battalion
. The remains of two other runways still exist. The Airport Facility Directory includes the remark, "Runway 18 utilized for catapults only."
Although Bogue Field has no aircraft permanently assigned, it serves as a training facility primarily for AV-8 Harriers from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
. However, it is also used for practice approaches by KC-130 Hercules transports from MCAS Cherry Point, F/A-18 Hornet
fighters from MCAS Beaufort
, South Carolina and helicopters from MCAS New River, North Carolina.
, Swansboro, Cape Carteret, Bogue and Morehead City that have concerns about safety issues of the Harrier noise, quality of life, and accident potential zones, have formed the Bogue Field Committee in an effort to have the federal government properly fund the AV-8 Harrier program so that safety is no longer an issue for the pilots. Since most committee members feel that this is not likely, their goals are now to have the USMC to stop flying the plane over highly populated areas.
Bogue Sound
Bogue Sound is a medium-sized geographic sound in the state of North Carolina. It separates the Bogue Banks from mainland Carteret County. Morehead City's port is accessed via the Bogue Sound. Two bridges cross the sound: NC 58 on the B...
that serves as the Marine Corps’ only East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
site for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP). By performing many of these landings at night, pilots
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
simulate landing on an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
or an amphibious assault ship
Amphibious assault ship
An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault...
, which provides the force with the means to forward deploy
Military deployment
Military deployment is the movement of armed forces and their logistical support infrastructure around the world.-United States:The United States Military defines the term as follows:...
its aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
assets in order to have a more readily accessible aviation punch for the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commander on the battlefield.
Marines who are assigned to the remote airfield have been nicknamed "Bogue Rats". This nickname is reflected in their unofficial logo.
History
When the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
purchased 573 acres (2.3 km²) of land in 1942 for an auxiliary airfield, three 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) runways were built for the use of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, USA, in the eastern part of the state...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Facilities were also constructed to support two squadrons with a combined total of 45 aircraft and accommodations for 1,050 personnel.
World War II
During 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...
, Bogue was used almost exclusively by the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
for VMSB dive-bomber
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
squadron training. Equipped with the SBD Dauntless
SBD Dauntless
The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a naval dive bomber made by Douglas during World War II. The SBD was the United States Navy's main dive bomber from mid-1940 until late 1943, when it was largely replaced by the SB2C Helldiver...
, the first squadron, VMSB-331, moved to Bogue from MCAS New River
Marine Corps Air Station New River
Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for Brigadier General Keith B. McCutcheon, one of the fathers of Marine Corps helicopter aviation...
in 1943 followed by Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) later that year.
Specialized training facilities were established in the surrounding area to support the training of the resident dive-bombing squadrons. Dive-bombing circle targets were constructed on nearby islands, and vertical targets were built for low-level bombing practice. A maneuvering target boat was also used on the Neuse River
Neuse River
The Neuse River is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in North Carolina. The Trent River joins it at New Bern. Its drainage basin, measuring in area,...
to practice attacks on shipping.
MAG-33 transferred to MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake
Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake
Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located northwest of Fort Worth, Texas during World War II. Commissioned on December 1, 1942 the air station was originally supposed to be the home of the Marine Corps glider program...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in 1944, and MAG-93
Marine Aircraft Group 93
Marine Aircraft Group 93 was s United States Marine Corps aviation group established during World War II. MAG-93, a dive bombing training group, was commissioned on 1 April 1944 and was headquartered at Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Bogue, North Carolina. Their mission was to train pilots to fly...
was commissioned at Oak Grove in the same year. By that point, Marine Corps dive-bombing squadrons were transitioning to the SB2C Helldiver
SB2C Helldiver
The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber aircraft produced for the United States Navy during World War II. It replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless in US Navy service. Despite its size, the SB2C was much faster than the SBD it replaced...
.
A J2F Duck amphibian was assigned to Bogue for the rescue of downed flyers, but proved unsuitable for open-sea landings.
Post-war operation
Bogue was decommissioned at the end of World War II and became an Outlying Field of Cherry Point.The Marines' first Short Airfield for Tactical Support (SATS) system was installed at Bogue in 1958. It was a deployable catapult & arresting system
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
, intended to permit jet aircraft to operate from short expeditionary airfields.
Vietnam Era
The Marine Corps reopened Bogue (sometime between 1965 and 1976) as a satellite airfield for aircraft & helicopterHelicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s from MCAS New River & MCAS Cherry Point due to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Modern Operations
As of 2003, Bogue is still actively used as a satellite airfield with one runway is still being maintained, along with the painted outline of the deck of an LHALHA (hull classification symbol)
thumb|right|300px|USS Tarawa LHA, for Landing Helicopter Assault, is the US Navy hull classification symbol for the general purpose helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ships of the Tarawa and the future America classes. They are used to transport Fleet Marine Force personnel and equipment while...
amphibious assault ship
Amphibious assault ship
An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault...
, used for carrier landing practice.
MCALF Bogue Field is the primary location for AV-8B Harrier practice operations. It is also used by other locally based USMC aircraft. It supports about 3500 FCLPs (Field Carrier Landing Practice) per training year. Training squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
aircraft take priority over normal traffic while exercises take priority over all other users, including training.
Bogue Field consists of a runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
constructed of aluminum panels which can be disassembled and reconstructed anywhere in the world in a matter of days by a specialty construction battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
. The remains of two other runways still exist. The Airport Facility Directory includes the remark, "Runway 18 utilized for catapults only."
Although Bogue Field has no aircraft permanently assigned, it serves as a training facility primarily for AV-8 Harriers from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, USA, in the eastern part of the state...
. However, it is also used for practice approaches by KC-130 Hercules transports from MCAS Cherry Point, F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
fighters from MCAS Beaufort
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort or MCAS Beaufort is a United States Marine Corps air base located three miles northwest of the central business district of Beaufort, a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States...
, South Carolina and helicopters from MCAS New River, North Carolina.
Bogue Field Committee
MCAS Cherry Point has enjoyed a comfortable relationship with the nearby communities of Emerald Isle and Bogue, although area residents have formed a committee to evaluate the impact that MCALF Bogue has on their community. The obvious noise impact on the community is considered by some to be offensive to the citizens living too close to normal flight patters. In January, 2001, a group of residents from Emerald IsleEmerald Isle
Emerald Isle is the poetic name for Ireland due to its green countryside.Emerald Isle may also refer to:In places:* Emerald Isle , Canada* Emerald Isle, North Carolina, USA...
, Swansboro, Cape Carteret, Bogue and Morehead City that have concerns about safety issues of the Harrier noise, quality of life, and accident potential zones, have formed the Bogue Field Committee in an effort to have the federal government properly fund the AV-8 Harrier program so that safety is no longer an issue for the pilots. Since most committee members feel that this is not likely, their goals are now to have the USMC to stop flying the plane over highly populated areas.