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Finschhafen Airport

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Finschhafen Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
LocationFinschhafen, Papua New Guinea
Elevation AMSL33 ft / 10 m
Coordinates06°37′20.25″S 147°51′14.81″E / 6.6222917°S 147.8541139°E / -6.6222917; 147.8541139
Map
Finschhafen Airport is located in Papua New Guinea
Finschhafen Airport
Finschhafen Airport
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
03/21 5,200 1,585 Asphalt
Source: World Aero Data [1]

Finschhafen Airport is a general aviation airport in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. (IATA: FIN, ICAO: AYFI). It is located on the south-east tip of Huon Peninsula at Finschafen. A half mile inland, parallel to Schneider Harbor, with Dregerhaffen to the south-east. It has no scheduled commercial airline service.[2]

History

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The airport was built during World War II in late 1943 by the United States Army 807th and 808th Aviation Engineer Battalions along with the 60th Naval Construction Battalion constructed a 6,000' x 100' coral and steel matting single runway running NNW to SSE. The tower was code named 'Harvest'. In mid-November 1943, the Seabees performed rough grading on the northern end of the strip, and crushed coral for the entire area. On 5 January the 808th departed, and the 60th CB completed the airfield, building fighter and medium bomber hardstands, mostly located to the north, with more to the east and a few on the southern side of the runway. Many aircraft shipped from the United States were assembled at Finschhafen and then flown to other airfields for operations.[3][4]

Allied units assigned to Finschhafen

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Headquarters, 35th, 36th Fighter Squadrons, P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt
Headquarters, 7th Fighter Squadron, P-40 Warhawk
Headquarters, 340th, 341st, 342d Fighter Squadrons, P-47 Thunderbolt
Headquarters, 319th Troop Carrier Squadron, C-47 Skytrain

At the war's end, millions of dollars of equipment both new and used was bulldozed into huge holes in the area and abandoned.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ world-airport-codes.com, Finschhafen Airport
  2. ^ flightradar24.com Finschhafen Airport
  3. ^ "Building the Navy's Bases, vol. 2 (part III, chapter 26)". US Navy.
  4. ^ "Pacific Wrecks". pacificwrecks.com.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  • Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.