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Location
Located on the eastern edge of circular Nissan Island, located on the inner side of the lagoon.
Known as "Green Island Airfield, but was built on Nissan Island.
Construction
Built by US Navy construction battalion (Seabees). Two parallel runways were constructed
1,000 feet apar: Ocean Airdrome and Lagoon Airdrome.
Wartime History
The airfield was
initally planned to provide land based fighter support
for attacks on Rabaul and Kavieng. Ocean Airdrome was the bomber runway.
The strip was completed on March 29, 1944. That same
day, a B-24 Liberator
crash lands at the strip.
US Units based at Green
93rd NCB (Seabees) Feb 15 - Oct 25, 1944
15th NCB (Seabees) Feb 22 - April 3, 1944
33rd NCB (Seabees) March 44 - July & Aug 1944
VMSB 341 (SBD) April - May 1944, July 1 - ?
VMB 223 May 7, 1944 - ?
VBM 433 June - August 20, 1944
VMF-218 (Oct - Dec 1944)
VFM-223 (F4U) March 1944
MB 423 (ground echelon) May 1944
VMB 423 (PBJ/B-25) mid 1944 - June 45 to Emirau
VMB 413 (PBJ/B-25) mid 1944
MAG 24/14
VPB 53 (PBY) ? - July 45 Samar
STAG-1 (TDR) Oct 44
NZ Units based at Green
18 Squadron (Nov 44 - Dec 44)
20 Squadroon (Nov 44 - ?)
14 Squadron (Dec 44 - Jan 45)
16 Squadon (Dec 44 - Feb 45)
17 Squadron (Jan 45 - March 45)
15 Squadron (Feb 45 - April 45)
24 Squadron (March 45 - May 45)
21 Squadron (April - May 45)
Famous People On Green
From May 22 - June 10, 1944, Charles Lindbergh flew 13 combat mission,
escorting TBFs to Rabaul with a Marine F4U squadron
and strafing assigned ground targets while flying from
Green and Emirau islands. Bob
Hope preformed on the island on August 1-2, and Jack Benny
on August 15, 1944 for the troops.
In July 1945, the last troops leave
the island for Guiua, and everything left is destroyed,
and the island returned to Melanesian islanders.
Post War
After
the war a vast quantity of supplies were dumped
and thousands of drums of fuel were sold to locals for
US $0.13 a liter.
Today
Still in use as an airfield for regional flights only.
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Last Updated
October 28, 2009
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