Matagorda Island AFB
Encyclopedia
Matagorda Island AFB is an abandoned airfield located northeast of Corpus Christi, Texas
.
. It was deactivated after World War II
and reactivated for the Strategic Air Command
from 1949 until 1975.
The Matagorda Island Bombing Range was controlled at one time or another various Air Force bases in Texas and Louisiana as a satellite base. It had up to five active runways at one time or another and was used for various deployments. However, after 1975, the property was turned over to the Department of the Interior as a federal wildlife refuge, and the airfield is now completely abandoned.
Today, the runways and taxiways, although infested with vegetation, are in very good condition. There are several structures, hangars, and buildings of various types in various stages of deterioration. Also there is a usable dock and a small port facility.
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
.
History
In 1943 a bombing and gunnery range was constructed on the north end of Matagorda IslandMatagorda Island
Matagorda Island, Spanish for "thick brush," is a 38 mile long barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast, about seven miles south of Port O'Connor, in the southernmost part of Calhoun County. The island is oriented generally northeast-southwest, with the Gulf of Mexico on the east and south, and...
. It was deactivated after World War II
World 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...
and reactivated for the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
from 1949 until 1975.
The Matagorda Island Bombing Range was controlled at one time or another various Air Force bases in Texas and Louisiana as a satellite base. It had up to five active runways at one time or another and was used for various deployments. However, after 1975, the property was turned over to the Department of the Interior as a federal wildlife refuge, and the airfield is now completely abandoned.
Today, the runways and taxiways, although infested with vegetation, are in very good condition. There are several structures, hangars, and buildings of various types in various stages of deterioration. Also there is a usable dock and a small port facility.
See also
- 1st Combat Evaluation Group1st Combat Evaluation GroupThe 1st Combat Evaluation Group , Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, was the military simulation evaluation and standardization unit of the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command .-History:...
(SAC) - Texas World War II Army AirfieldsTexas World War II Army AirfieldsIn today's United States Air Force, many personnel have spent some of their military service being trained in Texas during World War II. Be it basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, technical training, officer training, or flight training at other facilities across the state...