Naval Air Station Port Lyautey: Difference between revisions

Naval Air Station Port Lyautey
Naval Air Station Port Lyautey
Located near Kenitra, Morocco
Coordinates	34°17′56.10″N 006°35′42.84″W / 34.2989167°N 6.5952333°W
Type	Naval Air Station
Site information
Controlled by	French Naval Air Station; United States Navy
Site history
Built	1919 (French)
In use	1942-1977

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 13:04, 21 July 2009

Naval Air Station Port Lyautey is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station in Morocco. The Naval Air Station was turned over to the Royal Air Force of Morocco and the last of US military personnel departed the base in 1977.

History

The faculty was established as an Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) shortly after the Operation Torch landing at the former Vichy France airfield at Mehdiya-Port Lyautey. The facility was captured by one American Destroyer and an Army Raider team. The Destroyer Dallas, DD199 came up the Sebou River, silenced the shore batteries with it's guns and landed the Raider team which in turn captured the airfield.

After being secured, the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force as a base of operations in the immediate months following the landings.

Later, the facility was used by the 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional), later being redesignated as the 480th Antisubmarine Group of Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command. The Air Force units used the airfield to patrol the Atlantic Ocean approaches to the Straits of Gibraltar for German U-Boats along with two United States Navy PBY Catalina squadrons. The units were assigned to the Northwest African Coastal Air Force for administration and placed under the operational control of the United States Navy Fleet Air Wing 15, which answered to the commander of the Moroccan Sea Frontier.

In addition, the airfield was used by Air Transport Command. It functioned as a stopover en-route to Tafarquay Airport, near Oran, Algeria or to Casablanca airport, on the North African Cairo-Dakar transport route for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel.^[1]

After the war, the airfield was expanded to a major US Naval Air Station in 1951.

References

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

Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0892010975

^ [1]

External links

[1] [1]

[1]

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 '''Naval Air Station Port Lyautey''' is a former [[United States Navy]] Naval Air Station in [[Morocco]].  The Naval Air Station was turned over to the Royal Air Force of Morocco and the last of US military personnel departed the base in 1977.
+==History==
-During [[World War II]], the facility was used by the 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional), later being redesignated as the [[480th Antisubmarine Group]] of [[Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command]].  The Air Force units used the  airfield to patrol the Atlantic Ocean approaches to the [[Straits of Gibraltar]] for [[Germany|German]] [[U-Boats]] along with two United States Navy [[PBY Catalina]] squadrons. The units were assigned to the Northwest African Coastal Air Force for administration and placed under the operational control of the United States Navy Fleet Air Wing 15, which answered to the commander of the Moroccan Sea Frontier.
+The faculty was established as an [[Advanced Landing Ground]] (ALG) shortly after the [[Operation Torch]] landing at the former Vichy France airfield at Mehdiya-[[Port Lyautey]].  The facility  was captured by one American Destroyer and an Army Raider team. The Destroyer Dallas, DD199 came up the Sebou River, silenced the shore batteries with it's guns and landed the Raider team which in turn captured the airfield.
+After being secured, the airfield was used by the [[United States Army Air Force]] [[Twelfth Air Force]] as a base of operations in the immediate months following the landings.
+Later, the facility was used by the 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional), later being redesignated as the [[480th Antisubmarine Group]] of [[Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command]].  The Air Force units used the  airfield to patrol the Atlantic Ocean approaches to the [[Straits of Gibraltar]] for [[Germany|German]] [[U-Boats]] along with two United States Navy [[PBY Catalina]] squadrons. The units were assigned to the Northwest African Coastal Air Force for administration and placed under the operational control of the United States Navy Fleet Air Wing 15, which answered to the commander of the Moroccan Sea Frontier.
 In addition, the airfield was used by [[Air Transport Command]]. It functioned as a stopover en-route to [[Tafarquay Airport]], near [[Oran, Algeria]] or to [[Casablanca airport]], on the North African [[Cairo]]-[[Dakar]] transport route for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Atcroutes-1sep1945.jpg]</ref>
+After the war, the airfield was expanded to a major US Naval Air Station in 1951.
 ==References==
 {{User:NDCompuGeek/templates/Template:AFHRA}}
+* Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
+* Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0892010975
 {{reflist}}
 ==External links==
+{{USAAF 12th Air Force World War II}}
 {{USAAF Antisubmarine Command}}