RAF Ascension Island
| Royal Air Force Station Ascension | |
|---|---|
 RAF Ascension crest |
|
| Active | 1942 - present |
| Country | British overseas territory of Ascension Island |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying station |
| Role | 1.) RAF/USAF: Staging Post 2.) NASA: Designated emergency landing site for Space Shuttle program |
| Part of | British Armed Forces |
| Based | Ascension Island |
| Nickname | "Ascension", "Wideawake" |
| Motto | Auxilium Transmare |
| Royal Air Force Ensign |  |
| March | Royal Air Force March Past |
| Commanders | |
| Station Commander | Wg Cdr L M Davidson |
| Operations Officer | Sqn Ldr N A West |
| Insignia | |
| Station badge | A frigatebird in flight |
| RAF Ascension Wideawake Airbase/Field |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: ASI – ICAO: FHAW | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) | ||
| Operator | Royal Air Force / Serco Group | ||
| Location | Georgetown, Ascension Island | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 278 ft / 85 m | ||
| Coordinates | 7°58′10″S 14°23′38″W / 7.96944°S 14.39389°WCoordinates: 7°58′10″S 14°23′38″W / 7.96944°S 14.39389°W | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 13/31 | 10,019 | 3,054 | Asphalt |
| No Instrument landing system (ILS) | |||
Royal Air Force Station Ascension, more commonly known as RAF Ascension Island, and sometimes known as Wideawake Airfield or Ascension Island Base, is a British military airbase on Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean, near the Equator.
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[edit] History
In 1939 Ascension became important as a HF/DF radio station covering trade routes. After the United States entered World War II, an airstrip was built using a US task force[1] to supply and augment extensive amphibious aircraft antisubmarine patrol operations ongoing from the early days of the war, it was known as "Wideawake",[2] after a nearby colony of Sooty Terns (locally called 'Wideawake' birds because of their loud, distinctive call, which would wake people early in the morning).
The first aircraft to land on Ascension Island was a Fairey Swordfish from HMS Archer in 1942. In 1943 the United States Army Air Force set up Wideawake Airfield, by arrangement with the British government. The airfield was abandoned at the end of the war, and fell into disuse. The Americans returned in 1956, and reopened the airfield in 1957. The runway was lengthened and widened in the mid 1960s to allow for larger aircraft. USAF then, and later NASA established missile tracking facilities based at Cat Hill. Although NASA usage ended in 1967, USAF continues its usage with several hundred personnel, mostly contractors.
RAF Ascension Island was re-garrisoned by the RAF in 1982 and used extensively as a staging base during the Falklands War. Operation Black Buck, the long range bombing raids, were carried out from there. The base continues this staging post role for the Falkland Islands, for both the RAF and the United States Air Force.
[edit] Current Organisation
This is under the overall jurisdiction of the Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands, an officer of one-star rank. Since December 2009, this has been Commodore Philip Thicknesse RN. The RAF base on Ascension Island is run on a day-to-day basis by around seventeen RAF personnel. The flight, including the Ops Officer, consists of five officers and around twelve non-commissioned service personnel.
The RAF presence on Ascension is backed up by United States Air Force personnel, who contribute a similar number of servicemen to ensure the effective running of the station, under the command of Captain Eduard Rodriguez, who is responsible to the RAF Station Commander.
RAF Ascension Island is also the refuelling point for the Ministry of Defence's South Atlantic Air Bridge flights to RAF Mount Pleasant, on the Falkland Islands, from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, in the UK.
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Royal Air Force |
- Royal Air Force station
- List of RAF stations
- List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
- Traveller's Hill
[edit] References
- ^ "Ascension Island - The Wide-Awake News". http://www.les-smith.com/Ascension-Island/WideAwakeNews.htm.
- ^ "Ascension History". mysterra.org. Mysterra Magazine. http://www.mysterra.org/webmag/ascension-island/history.html. Retrieved 03 January 2011.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
[edit] External links
- Royal Air Force: Overseas Stations (RAF.mod.uk)
- James Rogers and Luis Simón. The Status and Location of the Military Installations of the Member States of the European Union and Their Potential Role for the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). Brussels: European Parliament, 2009. 25 pp.
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