Momote Airport
Encyclopedia
Momote Airport is an airport on Los Negros Island
in the Admiralty Islands
, Papua New Guinea
. It also serves Manus Island
, which is connected to Los Negros by a bridge.
. Known as Hyane Airfield by the Japanese, as they called Los Negros, Hayne Island. The runway
was 4100 feet (1,249.7 m) long x 300 feet (91.4 m) wide with three taxiway
s and 12 revetments under construction.
Occupied on 2 March 1944 by the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division as part of the Battle of Los Negros, which was part of the Admiralty Islands campaign
.
of 12 feet (4 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 16/34 with an asphalt
surface measuring 1870 by 45 m (6,135.2 by 147.6 ).
Los Negros Island
Los Negros Island is the third largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is significant because it contains the main airport of Manus Province on its eastern coastline, at Momote. It is connected to Lorengau, the capital of the province, on Manus Island via a highway and bridge...
in the Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. It also serves Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, which is connected to Los Negros by a bridge.
Hayne Airfield
Built by the Imperial Japanese at Momote 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...
. Known as Hyane Airfield by the Japanese, as they called Los Negros, Hayne Island. The 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...
was 4100 feet (1,249.7 m) long x 300 feet (91.4 m) wide with three taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
s and 12 revetments under construction.
Occupied on 2 March 1944 by the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division as part of the Battle of Los Negros, which was part of the Admiralty Islands campaign
Admiralty Islands campaign
The Admiralty Islands campaign was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which the United States Army's 1st Cavalry Division occupied the Japanese-held Admiralty Islands....
.
Japanese Units based at Hayne Airfield
- 63rd Sentai, 3rd Chutai (Ki-43Nakajima Ki-43The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa was a single-engine land-based tactical fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II...
) - 14th Sentai (Ki-21Mitsubishi Ki-21The was a Japanese bomber during World War II. It began operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War participating in the Nomonhan Incident, and in the first stages of the Pacific War, including the Malayan, Burmese, Dutch East Indies and New Guinea Campaigns...
)
Momote Airfield
After liberating the airfield on 2 March 1944, the 40th Naval Construction Battalion repaired the airfield and the airfield became operational on 18 May 1944, although fighters were landing at the airfield only two days after occupation. The single runway was extended to 7800 feet (2,377.4 m) long x 130 feet (39.6 m) wide with 75 feet (22.9 m) foot shoulders, constructed with a coral base with marsden matting covering 1000 feet (304.8 m) at the ends of the runway. A 7,000 barrel fuel depot was set up at the airfield. The United States Navy established Aviation Repair and Overhaul Unit No.1 (AROU 1) in the spring of 1944 on Momote Airfield between Seeadler Harbor and the Bismarck Sea on Los Negros Island. AROU 1 conducted maintenance and testing of naval aircraft and supplied aircraft to naval forces for major assaults as far away as the Philippine Islands.Allied Units Based at Momote Airfield
- Headquarters, Thirteenth Air ForceThirteenth Air ForceThe Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
, (15 June-13 September 1944) - Headquarters, XIII Bomber CommandXIII Bomber CommandThe XIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Thirteenth Air Force, based at Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines. It was inactivated on 15 March 1946....
, (June-3 September 1944) - 5th Bomb Group5th Operations GroupThe 5th Operations Group is an operational component of the United States Air Force 5th Bomb Wing, stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota...
Headquarters- 23d Bomb Squadron23d Bomb SquadronThe 23d Bomb Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing. It is stationed at Minot AFB, North Dakota. The mission of the 23BS is to fly the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress long range bomber...
(B-24s) - 31st Bomb Squadron (B-24s)
- 72d Bomb Squadron (B-24B-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s) - 394th Bomb Squadron (B-24s)
- 23d Bomb Squadron
- 307th Bombardment Group307th Bombardment GroupThe 307th Air Refueling Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 47th Air Division, stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California...
, (13 AF) (29 April-24 August 1944) - 403d Troop Carrier Group, (13 AF) 30 August-4 October 1944
- Detachment, 419th Night Fighter Squadron419th Night Fighter SquadronThe 419th Night Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Thirteenth Air Force, being inactivated at Floridablanca, Luzon on February 20, 1947.-History:...
, (13 AF) (27 June-18 August 1944) - Aviation Repair and Overhaul Unit No.1 (AROU 1, USN) (est. late May 1944)
- No. 19 Squadron RNZAFNo. 19 Squadron RNZAFNo. 19 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed on 10 December 1941, during World War II at RNZAF Station Ohakea from members of No. 3 Squadron equipped with P-40 Kittyhawk and later with the Chance-Vought F4U-1 Corsair fighter bombers....
(F4UF4U CorsairThe Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
s) - No. 73 Wing RAAFNo. 73 Wing RAAFNo. 73 Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force wing of World War II. It was formed in February 1943 at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, as part of No. 9 Operational Group. The wing initially comprised three attack squadrons flying CAC Wirraways, Douglas Bostons, and Bristol Beaufighters, with...
- No. 76 Squadron RAAFNo. 76 Squadron RAAFNo. 76 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force flight training squadron. Established in 1942, the squadron operated P-40 Kittyhawk fighter aircraft and saw combat during World War II. Following the war it formed part of Australia's contribution to the occupation of Japan until it was...
(KittyhawkCurtiss P-40The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
s) - No. 77 Squadron RAAFNo. 77 Squadron RAAFNo. 77 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron. The Squadron was formed in 1942 and currently operates F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from RAAF Base Williamtown.-History:...
(KittyhawkCurtiss P-40The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
s) - No. 79 Squadron RAAFNo. 79 Squadron RAAFNo. 79 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force flight training unit which has been formed on four occasions since 1943. The squadron was established in May 1943 as a fighter unit equipped with Supermarine Spitfires, and subsequently saw combat in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II...
(SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s)
- No. 76 Squadron RAAF
- No. 27 Air Stores Park RAAF
- No. 114 (Mobile) Fighter Sector Headquarters RAAF
- No. 346 Radar Station RAAF
Facilities
The airport resides at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 12 feet (4 m) above mean sea level. It has one 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...
designated 16/34 with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface measuring 1870 by 45 m (6,135.2 by 147.6 ).
See also
- USAAF in the Southwest PacificUnited States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific TheatreDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the air, ground and naval forces of the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Theatre....