Yonabaru Airfield or NAB Yonabaru is a former World War II airfield on the Pacific coast of Okinawa. The base was disestablished on 30 June 1947.
| Yonabaru Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan | |
 Aerial view of Yonabaru airfield, Okinawa | |
| Coordinates | 26°12′26.33″N 127°45′46.41″E / 26.2073139°N 127.7628917°E |
| Type | Military Airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Navy |
| Site history | |
| Built | May–June 1945 |
| Built by | Seebees |
| In use | 1945-47 |
| Materials | Coral |
History
editWorld War II
editYonabaru Airfield was originally established by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. The airfield was captured on 15 May 1945 during Battle of Okinawa. The 145th Naval Construction Battalion (Seebees) began to improve the airfield for service as a patrol/bomber airstrip in June once the fighting had moved further south. On 15 August 1945 the base with its 6,500 feet (2,000 m) runway was ready for use by US Navy aircraft.[1]
VPB-124 operating PB-4Ys was based at Yonabaru from 10 August until 12 December 1945.
The base was severely damaged by Typhoon Louise on 9 October 1945.
Postwar
editOn 27 February 1957, the Deputy Governor announced that the Yonabaru airfield site would be used as a Marine helicopter installation.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Building the Navy's Bases in World War II History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946. US Government Printing Office. 1947. p. 410.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957 Volume XXIII, Part 1, Japan, Document 207". US Department of State Office of the Historian. 15 August 1957. Retrieved 30 May 2013.