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    Kamakaiwi Airfield Minor Outlying Island United States
Location
Kamakaiwi Airfield is located on Howland Island one of the the Minor Outlying Islands (Unincorporated Unorganized Territory) of the United States of America (USA). Also known as Kamakaiwi Field, Howland Airport or WPA Howland Airport.

Construction
In the middle of the 1930s, the U.S. government under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) issued $12,000 in funding to the Bureau of Air Commerce to construct three unpaved runways on the island for aircraft. Named Kamakaiwi Field after James Kamakaiwi, one of the first colonists on Howland Island. Also known as Kamakaiwi Field, WPA Howland Airport.

On July 2, 1937 the Model 10 Electra 1055 piloted by Amelia Earhart with navigator Fred Noonan that took off from Lae Airfield at 10:00am was bound for Kamakaiwi Airfield but never arrived and went missing in the vicinity.

Wartime History
Attcked by Japanese bombers on December 8, 1941 and bombarded by I-22 submarine on December 10, 1941. A single Japanese bomber attacked the island twice more, bombing the Itascatown area. Between September 1943 until May 1944 known as Naval Air Station (NAS) Howland for the small U.S. Navy (USN) garrison.

Japanese missions against Howland
December 8 - ?, 1941

Today
No airplane is ever known to have landed at this airfield. The traces of the original 1930s runways have disappeared.

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Last Updated
July 31, 2025

 

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