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United States Naval Air Station Queenstown was the first US Naval Air Station established in Ireland. NAS Queenstown was close to the village of
United States Naval Air Station Queenstown was the first US Naval Air Station established in Ireland. NAS Queenstown was close to the village of Aghada
Aghada () is a village in County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is situated on the eastern side of Cork Harbour, around 12 km by road south of Midleton.
Aghada is also the parish name for the area. The civil parishes in Ireland, civil ...
on the eastern side of Cork Harbour (across the harbour from Queenstown/Cobh). NAS Queenstown was commissioned on 22 February 1918 with LCDR Paul J. Peyton, USNRF, Naval Aviator 47 in command.
History
At the start of America's involvement in the First World War, five sites in Ireland - Queenstown, Wexford, Lough Foyle, Whiddy Island and Berehaven - were identified to be operated by the United States Navy in support of allied operations against enemy submarines. This station supplied patrols and convoys from Cape Clear on the west, south into the English Channel to the sector covered by the aerial patrols from the north coast of France, and southeast and east to the sectors covered by the stations in the southwest of Wexford and England. On 14 February 1918, LCDR Frank R. McCrary, USN, Commanding Officer of U. S. Naval Aviation Detachment in Ireland, during World War 1, was headquartered at the location throughout the war. The Queenstown/Aghada base was built on lands commandeered under theDefence of the Realm Act 1914
The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) was passed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 1914, four days after it entered the First World War and was added to as the war progressed. It gave the government wide-ranging powers during the war, such as the p ...
.
Operations
The base's six hangars and three slipways were operational by September 1918. It operated as a seaplane base, assembly and repair location for aircraft, and as a training station for pilots. The station's aircrews, using Curtiss H-16 flying boats would fly a total of 64 war patrols and record three bombing attacks against German submarines. By the end ofWorld War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the base had approximately 24 planes and over 1000 personnel.
End of hostilities and closure
With the end of the war, the U.S. Naval Air Stations Anti-submarine warfare patrols in Ireland were discontinued and all aircraft grounded and disarmed. Armistice was on 11 November 1918, and NAS Queenstown closed 20 April 1919 - although some remnants of the slipway remain.See also
*U.S. Naval Air Station Wexford Ireland
U.S. Naval Air Station Wexford was a seaplane station at Ferrybank, Wexford, Ireland which was operated by the United States Navy (USN) and commissioned on 2 May 1918. Its mission was to operate Curtiss H-16 anti-submarine patrols (ASW) to co ...
*U.S. Naval Air Station Whiddy Island Ireland
U.S. Naval Air Station Whiddy Island was a US naval air station operated during the last year of World War I and commissioned 4 July 1918. Located on Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay, County Cork, Ireland, it was also known as Bantry Bay Station. The ...
*U.S. Naval Air Station Lough Foyle Ireland
U.S. Naval Air Station Lough Foyle was a seaplane station at Lough Foyle in Ireland, which was operated by the United States Navy (USN) and commissioned on July 1, 1918 with Commander Henry D. Cooke, USN as the commanding officer. Located near Qu ...
* U.S. Naval Air Station Berehaven Ireland
References
External links
* {{Cork Harbour , state=collapsed 1918 establishments in Ireland Queenstown Ireland in World War I Queenstown History of County Cork Closed installations of the United States Navy Military installations closed in 1919 1919 disestablishments in Ireland