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by
January 1942. The effort began on 3 November with a transport carrying 130 troops and civilian contractors and towing four barges of equipment departed Honolulu arriving at the island 14 November after losing two of the barges. By 28 December, despite considerable difficulties, the field was declared suitable to accommodate heavy bombers. On 31 January 1942 garrison forces for the island, then codenamed "HOLLY," sailed from
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skirting the mandated islands and capable of handling planes such as the B-17s. While a commercial firm was engaged for most of the island stops of the new route, the Canton airfield was under construction by a team of Army
Engineers and civilian contractors with a target opening of bomber capability
535:
operated four days a week. However, with the advent of long-range jet aircraft during the 1960s, the air carrier need for the island faded, and the final commercial service landed in
November 1965. The airport's facilities were gradually wound down and it was officially closed in January 1968. From
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310:. It has a single asphalt runway measuring 6,230 feet (1,900 m) in length. Once a major stop on commercial trans-Pacific airline routes, today the airport is available for emergency use only.
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is 4½ miles, narrowing to the east over a distance of just 9 miles (14 km). The airfield was built on the island's northwestern point between 1938 and 1939 by
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which caused serious concerns about its safety in 1941 even though the US Army had reinforced the
Philippines with a flight of
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1969 it saw occasional use in conjunction with subsequent U.S. government projects on the island (largely related to the
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511:). According to its June 1, 1956 worldwide system timetable, Pan American World Airways was serving the airport with
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334:. By 14 July 1940 the base was ready for the beginning of scheduled service by Pan American clippers en route to
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as an airfield for moving combat aircraft to forward combat units. The airfield saw various aircraft, including
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822:. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army.
805:. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army.
788:. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army.
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Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air
Transport Command in the Pacific Ocean Theater
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A low, narrow rim of land surrounding a large, shallow lagoon, at its widest to the west, the
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Canton Island airport continued to see use during the 1950s as a trans-Pacific stopover for
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Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in the
Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II
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The
Phoenix Islands Republic of Kiribati: An Annotated and Illustrated Chronology
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route well into the 1990s. It remains available as an emergency landing field.
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did not invade Canton, although the airfield was shelled on 1 November 1943 by
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transit the base. In
February 1943, the long-range B-24 bombers of the
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The War
Department: Strategic Planning For Coalition Warfare 1941-1942
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327:
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844:(reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
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approved a plan with orders effective 4 October 1941 to build an
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The War
Department — Global Logistics And Strategy 1940–1943
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https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pa/pa56/pa56-12.jpg
703:
https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pa/pa56/pa56-11.jpg
594:"Canton Island: Pan Am's Critical Stop-over in the Pacific"
455:. After the war, it was returned to civilian control.
356:
The Pan American central air route from Hawaii to the
274:
Location of the Phoenix Islands in the Pacific Ocean
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552:used it as an occasional refuelling stop on its
838:Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II
801:Leighton, Richard M; Coakley, Robert W (1995).
692:https://www.timetableimages.com/i-s/spal62i.jpg
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786:The Corps Of Engineers: The War Against Japan
8:
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920:Previously: Hawaiian Air Force (1940-1942)
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818:Matloff, Maurice; Snell, Edwin M. (1999).
755:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
20:
859:Canton Island Airfield at Pacific Wrecks
499:passenger service in 1962 operated with
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400:The airport was initially used by the
481:British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines
302:, a sparsely populated island in the
7:
778:Air Force Historical Research Agency
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501:Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation
380:bombers by way of Midway, Wake and
326:as a stopover on their route from
14:
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772: This article incorporates
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679:"South Pacific Air Lines - SPAL"
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444:were sent to the airfield. The
386:United States Department of War
992:USAAF in the Southwest Pacific
527:(previously known as Nandi in
515:propliners with a routings of
1:
1259:United States Army Air Forces
835:Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) .
523:- Honolulu - Canton Island -
987:USAAF in the Central Pacific
574:USAAF in the Central Pacific
350:Pacific & Adjacent areas
618:Leighton & Coakley 1995
374:Japanese controlled islands
298:) is an airport located on
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477:Pan American World Airways
352:key air ferry route (1942)
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725:Ellis-Jones, Ian (2018).
489:Canadian Pacific Airlines
442:392d Bombardment Squadron
390:alternate air ferry route
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666:Matloff & Snell 1999
513:Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
450:Japanese submarine
18:Airport in Canton Island
540:program, in particular
493:South Pacific Air Lines
774:public domain material
446:Imperial Japanese Army
402:40th Ferrying Squadron
360:and Asia, stopping at
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99:14 July 1940
784:Dod, Karl C. (1987).
372:, passed through the
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280:Canton Island Airport
177:2.76917°S 171.70528°W
25:Canton Island Airport
1362:Airports in Kiribati
324:Pan American Airways
308:Republic of Kiribati
271:class=notpageimage|
182:-2.76917; -171.70528
149:9 ft / 3 m
1238:549th Night Fighter
1233:548th Night Fighter
1212:316th Troop Carrier
1207:311th Troop Carrier
1181:41st Reconnaissance
1176:28th Reconnaissance
1149:419th Troop Carrier
503:propliners between
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1186:43d Reconnaissance
735:. pp. 87–88.
384:in September. The
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1202:9th Troop Carrier
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908:Seventh Air Force
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538:human spaceflight
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1123:21st Fighter
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1113:15th Fighter
912:World War II
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601:. Retrieved
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382:Port Moresby
362:Midway Atoll
355:
342:World War II
317:
314:Construction
295:
287:
279:
278:
78:Airport type
15:
1065:Bombardment
1049:7th Fighter
1033:VII Fighter
603:17 February
550:Air Tungaru
521:Los Angeles
366:Wake Island
358:Philippines
332:New Zealand
180: /
168:171°42′19″W
155:Coordinates
1356:Categories
1331:Fourteenth
1326:Thirteenth
1028:VII Bomber
580:References
558:Kiritimati
479:(Pan Am),
165:02°46′09″S
103:1940-07-14
1341:Twentieth
1336:Fifteenth
1195:Transport
1162:Squadrons
926:Airfields
751:cite book
598:PanAm.org
509:Pago Pago
497:flag stop
207:Direction
136:UTC+13:00
127:Time zone
1316:Eleventh
1021:Commands
966:Ie Shima
828:53061477
811:55-60001
794:66-60004
654:Dod 1987
642:Dod 1987
630:Dod 1987
568:See also
562:Honolulu
505:Honolulu
336:Auckland
236:Asphalt
214:Surface
86:Location
1321:Twelfth
1296:Seventh
1106:Fighter
980:Pacific
959:Okinawa
950:Wheeler
940:Bellows
306:of the
211:Length
195:Runways
118:1968-01
116: (
101: (
73:Summary
1301:Eighth
1281:Fourth
1271:Second
1058:Groups
971:Yontan
945:Hickam
933:Hawaii
848:
826:
809:
792:
739:
733:Sydney
554:Tarawa
533:Sydney
491:(with
485:Qantas
328:Hawaii
233:1,899
230:6,230
227:09/27
111:Closed
96:Opened
81:Public
1311:Tenth
1306:Ninth
1291:Sixth
1286:Fifth
1276:Third
1266:First
1042:Wings
1014:Units
905:USAAF
842:(PDF)
473:DC-7C
469:DC-6B
438:C-47s
434:C-46s
430:P-40s
426:P-38s
422:B-26s
418:B-25s
414:B-24s
410:B-17s
406:A-20s
320:atoll
846:ISBN
824:LCCN
807:LCCN
790:LCCN
757:link
737:ISBN
605:2021
544:and
531:) -
529:Fiji
525:Nadi
507:and
487:and
471:and
465:DC-4
452:I-36
436:and
378:B-17
370:Guam
368:and
296:PCIS
292:ICAO
284:IATA
145:AMSL
132:PHOT
63:PCIS
59:ICAO
48:IATA
910:in
519:or
330:to
288:CIS
219:ft
52:CIS
1358::
753:}}
749:{{
596:.
483:,
467:,
432:,
428:,
424:,
420:,
416:,
412:,
408:,
397:.
364:,
338:.
294::
290:,
286::
222:m
61::
50::
892:e
885:t
878:v
854:.
830:.
813:.
796:.
759:)
745:.
681:.
607:.
560:-
556:-
282:(
138:)
134:(
120:)
105:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
