Vernam Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
Vernam Field is a former World War II
United States Army Air Forces
airfield located in Clarendon Parish, 34.3 miles (55.2 km) west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica
. The airfield was renamed Vernam Air Force Base by the newly formed United States Air Force
in 1948, but was closed in 1949.
. Vernam was shot down behind German lines on October 30, 1918. After the Armistice he was found by American forces in a hospital in Longwey, France, with another wounded aviator, Lt. Arthur C. Dineen. Vernam died of his wounds on December 1. He is buried in the American cemetery at St. Mihiel in Thiaucourt, France. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (United States).
between Great Britain and the United States. For material support in the allied war effort, Britain agreed to lease as potential naval and air bases to the United States at several locations in the Americas.
The development of Vernam Field was viewed initially by the Army Air Corps as a staging field for training and for the operations of Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico. It was given its designation on 14 June 1941, and a force of 200 officers and enlisted men (known as "Force Tuna") embarked from New York and arrived on 17 November as a survey party to establish the airfield.
The design of the airfield was upgraded to that of a bomber airfield, and consisted of three runways: a 6000-foot concrete runway and two shorter asphalt runways to accommodate crosswind landings. When officially activated on 21 November 1941, the station was assigned to the 24th Composite Wing, Sixth Air Force, which controlled (in addition to this base) Atkinson, Beane, Coolidge, Ramey and Waller Fields in the Antilles Air Command
. Constructions of airfield runways and a support station was ongoing throughout 1942, and the first operational unit did not arrive until September.
With the United States entry into the war in December, the primary mission of Vernam Field was antisubmarine patrols in the Northern Caribbean. In addition, the Florida
-based Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics would send student groups to Vernam for advanced base operations training in combat tactics, returning to Florida after completion. By 1944, the airfield had fallen into "backwater" status, as the anti-submarine war in the Caribbean had moved much further south towards South America and Panama. After the departure of the 35th Bomb Squadron, the remaining units assigned to the field were a detachment of the 10588th Ordnance Company and the 305th Signal Company, along with a medical detachment. On 30 June 1944, Eleanor Roosevelt
visited the station.
In early 1945, Vernam Field became the destination for many B-29 Superfortress
aircraft from Second Air Force
training flights originating from training bases in Kansas
and Nebraska
(approximately 2,000 miles distant). The B-29s would fly on cross-country training flights to Vernam and land at the airfield, be refueled and have turnaround maintenance performed if necessary before returning to the Midwest. It was, unfortunately, the site of several B-29 crashes.
, Headquartered at Borinquen AFB, Puerto Rico
. The airfield became a training destination for early jet aircraft cross country flights, with P-80 Shooting Star
s, F-84 Thunderjet
s and early F-86A Sabres using its long wartime bomber runways.
The airfield was redesignated Vernam Air Force Base on March 26, 1948, by Department of the Air Force General Order Number 10. The mission of the base was primarily weather reporting, with a detachment of the Military Air Transport Service
(MATS) 6th Weather Squadron (Regional) being the primary unit on the base. It also became a destination for long-range Strategic Air Command
fighter escort aircraft, with F-82 Twin Mustang
s flying to Vernam from Kearney AFB, Nebraska
then returning on cross-country training flights. President Harry S. Truman
visited Vernam AFB on 30 June 1948 during a tour of the Caribbean. Vernam AFB closed on 28 May 1949 due to budgetary cutbacks.
After closure, the base was essentially abandoned and all structures were removed or torn down. The facility has been derelict for decades. The only use of the former airfield area has been an automobile racetrack known as Vernamfield which uses some of the old runways and taxiways.
(JDF), was to be moved to Vernam Field from its historic city centre site at Up Park Camp in Kingston. By June 2009 the JDF had secured the site and it was reported that the Vernam Airfield Development Project was to build an initial 10,000-11,000 foot runway and adjoining taxi ways capable of handling the largest contemporary aircraft including the Antonov An-124
, Antonov An-225
and the Airbus A380
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
airfield located in Clarendon Parish, 34.3 miles (55.2 km) west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
. The airfield was renamed Vernam Air Force Base by the newly formed United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in 1948, but was closed in 1949.
History
The base was named in honor of First Lieutenant Remington de Bremont Vernam (March 24, 1896 - December 1, 1918) was an American pilot who entered the French air service during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Vernam was shot down behind German lines on October 30, 1918. After the Armistice he was found by American forces in a hospital in Longwey, France, with another wounded aviator, Lt. Arthur C. Dineen. Vernam died of his wounds on December 1. He is buried in the American cemetery at St. Mihiel in Thiaucourt, France. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (United States).
World War II
The airfield has its origin in the 1940 Destroyers for Bases AgreementDestroyers for Bases Agreement
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions...
between Great Britain and the United States. For material support in the allied war effort, Britain agreed to lease as potential naval and air bases to the United States at several locations in the Americas.
The development of Vernam Field was viewed initially by the Army Air Corps as a staging field for training and for the operations of Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico. It was given its designation on 14 June 1941, and a force of 200 officers and enlisted men (known as "Force Tuna") embarked from New York and arrived on 17 November as a survey party to establish the airfield.
The design of the airfield was upgraded to that of a bomber airfield, and consisted of three runways: a 6000-foot concrete runway and two shorter asphalt runways to accommodate crosswind landings. When officially activated on 21 November 1941, the station was assigned to the 24th Composite Wing, Sixth Air Force, which controlled (in addition to this base) Atkinson, Beane, Coolidge, Ramey and Waller Fields in the Antilles Air Command
Antilles Air Command
The Antilles Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico...
. Constructions of airfield runways and a support station was ongoing throughout 1942, and the first operational unit did not arrive until September.
With the United States entry into the war in December, the primary mission of Vernam Field was antisubmarine patrols in the Northern Caribbean. In addition, the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
-based Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics would send student groups to Vernam for advanced base operations training in combat tactics, returning to Florida after completion. By 1944, the airfield had fallen into "backwater" status, as the anti-submarine war in the Caribbean had moved much further south towards South America and Panama. After the departure of the 35th Bomb Squadron, the remaining units assigned to the field were a detachment of the 10588th Ordnance Company and the 305th Signal Company, along with a medical detachment. On 30 June 1944, Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
visited the station.
In early 1945, Vernam Field became the destination for many B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
aircraft from Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
training flights originating from training bases in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
(approximately 2,000 miles distant). The B-29s would fly on cross-country training flights to Vernam and land at the airfield, be refueled and have turnaround maintenance performed if necessary before returning to the Midwest. It was, unfortunately, the site of several B-29 crashes.
Postwar use
With the end of the war, Vernam Field was reduced in scope to a skeleton staff. By the end of 1946 only two aircraft, a C-45 and a C-47 were assigned to the station with both aircraft being down for parts and minimal maintenance being undertaken. It was placed under the command of the 24th Composite Wing24th Wing
The 24th Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Twelfth Air Force, stationed at Howard Air Force Base, Panama...
, Headquartered at Borinquen AFB, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The airfield became a training destination for early jet aircraft cross country flights, with P-80 Shooting Star
P-80 Shooting Star
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. Designed in 1943 as a response to the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter, and delivered in just 143 days from the start of the design process, production models were flying but...
s, F-84 Thunderjet
F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
s and early F-86A Sabres using its long wartime bomber runways.
The airfield was redesignated Vernam Air Force Base on March 26, 1948, by Department of the Air Force General Order Number 10. The mission of the base was primarily weather reporting, with a detachment of the Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
(MATS) 6th Weather Squadron (Regional) being the primary unit on the base. It also became a destination for long-range Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
fighter escort aircraft, with F-82 Twin Mustang
F-82 Twin Mustang
The North American F-82 Twin Mustang was the last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter in World War II; however, the war ended well before the first...
s flying to Vernam from Kearney AFB, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
then returning on cross-country training flights. President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
visited Vernam AFB on 30 June 1948 during a tour of the Caribbean. Vernam AFB closed on 28 May 1949 due to budgetary cutbacks.
After closure, the base was essentially abandoned and all structures were removed or torn down. The facility has been derelict for decades. The only use of the former airfield area has been an automobile racetrack known as Vernamfield which uses some of the old runways and taxiways.
Units assigned
- 4th Antisubmarine Squadron4th Antisubmarine SquadronThe 4th Antisubmarine Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 479th Antisubmarine Group, based at RAF Podington, England...
, Caribbean Sea Frontier (United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
) (B-18 Bolo)
- 14 September-6 October 1942, 16 October-5 November 1942
- 35th Bombardment Squadron35th Bombardment SquadronThe 35th Bombardment Squadron a United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 322d Bombardment Group, based at Phillips Field, Beltsville, Maryland...
, 25th Bombardment Group25th Tactical Reconnaissance WingThe 25th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force wing. Its last duty assignment was at Chambley-Bussieres Air Base, France.-History:...
(B-25 Mitchell)
- 35th Bombardment Squadron
- 7 October 1943-7 February 1944
- 417th Bombardment Squadron417th Bombardment SquadronThe 417th Bombardment Squadron a United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 25th Bombardment Group, based at Alamogordo Army Airfield, Alamogordo, New Mexico...
, 25th Bombardment Group25th Tactical Reconnaissance WingThe 25th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force wing. Its last duty assignment was at Chambley-Bussieres Air Base, France.-History:...
, 24 September 1942-29 May 1943 (B-18 Bolo)
- 417th Bombardment Squadron
Current development plans
During the first decade of the 21st century, the Government of Jamaica made several proposals to develop Vernam Field as the island's fourth international airport. In September 2008 it was announced that as part of this development Jamaica's military, the Jamaica Defence ForceJamaica Defence Force
The Jamaica Defence Force is the combined military forces of Jamaica, consisting of an Army, Air Wing and Coast Guard. The JDF is based upon the British military model with organisation, training, weapons and traditions closely aligned with Commonwealth Realm countries...
(JDF), was to be moved to Vernam Field from its historic city centre site at Up Park Camp in Kingston. By June 2009 the JDF had secured the site and it was reported that the Vernam Airfield Development Project was to build an initial 10,000-11,000 foot runway and adjoining taxi ways capable of handling the largest contemporary aircraft including the Antonov An-124
Antonov An-124
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is a strategic airlift jet aircraft. It was designed by the Ukrainian SSR's Antonov design bureau, then part of the Soviet Union. It is the world's largest ever serially-manufactured cargo airplane and world's second largest operating cargo aircraft...
, Antonov An-225
Antonov An-225
The Antonov An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft, designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s. It is the world's heaviest aircraft. The design, built in order to transport the Buran orbiter, was an enlargement of the successful An-124 Ruslan...
and the Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
.