Nissan Island Airport

Nissan Island Airport
IATA: IIS – ICAO: AYIA Nissan Island Location of airport in Papua New Guinea
Summary
Location		Nissan Island, Papua New Guinea
Elevation AMSL		100 ft / 30 m
Coordinates		4°30′00″S 154°13′35.76″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
14/32	1,200	3,937
Source: PNG Airstrip Guide

Nissan Island Airport (IATA: IIS, ICAO: AYIA) is an airfield serving Nissan Island, in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. It resides at an elevation of 100 feet (30 m) above mean sea level and has a 1,200-metre (3,937 ft) runway designated 14/32.

History

World War II

Lagoon Airfield Ocean Airfield
Nissan Island
Coordinates	04°30′10.8″S 154°13′30″E
Type	Military Airfield
Site information
Controlled by	Royal New Zealand Air Force United States Marine Corps
Condition	abandoned
Site history
Built	1944
Built by	Seebees
In use	1944-5
Materials	Coral
Battles/wars	Bougainville Campaign Operation Cartwheel

The New Zealand 3rd Division landed on Nissan Island on 15 February 1944 as part of the Solomon Islands campaign. The U.S. Navy 22nd Construction Regiment landed with the New Zealanders and began building support facilities. Work on a fighter airstrip began on 20 February and by 5 March a coral-surfaced 5,000 feet (1,500 m) by 150 feet (46 m) fighter runway known as Lagoon Airfield was ready for use and aircraft carried out the first attack on Kavieng. In late March a parallel 6,000 feet (1,800 m) by 150 feet (46 m) bomber runway known as Ocean Airfield was ready for use, it was later lengthened to 7,300 feet (2,200 m). Additional airfield facilities such as road and taxiways and a tank farm were also constructed. Construction had been extremely difficuly with dense foliage and large trees needing to be removed, rock blasting was necessary, and all coral used for filling had to be quarried at distant locations.

US Navy units based at Nissan Island included:

• Special Task Air Group One (STAG-1) operating TDR drones
• VMTB-341 operating SBDs from July–December 1944

F4U-1A Corsair of VF-17 on Green Island in 1944

USMC units based at Nissan Island included:

• VMB-423 operating PBJs from July–August 1944
• VMB-433 operating PBJs from July–August 1944
• VMF-218 operating F4Us from April–November 1944
• VMF-222 operating F4Us
• VMF-223 operating F4Us

Royal New Zealand Air Force units based at Nissan Island included:

An F4U of 16 Squadron being serviced in December 1944

RNZAF Venturas in December 1944

• 1 Squadron operating Lockheed Venturas from October 1944-January 1945
• 2 Squadron operating Venturas from January–March 1945
• 3 Squadron operating Venturas from March–June 1945
• 14 Squadron operating F4Us from December 1944-January 1945
• 15 Squadron operating F4Us from February–April 1945
• 16 Squadron operating F4Us from December 1944-February 1945
• 17 Squadron operating F4Us from January–March 1945
• 18 Squadron operating F4Us from November–December 1944
• 20 Squadron operating F4Us from October–November 1944
• 21 Squadron operating F4Us from April–May 1945
• 24 Squadron operating F4Us from March–May 1945

In late 1944 airfield roll-up activities were commenced and were completed by August 1945.

Postwar

Lagoon Airfield was abandoned after the war, while Ocean Airfield remained in use as a civilian airfield.

Airlines and destinations

No known scheduled services.

References

• Ross, John (1993) [1955]. Royal New Zealand Air Force. Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45. Nashville: Battery Press. ISBN 0898391873. http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2AirF.html. 

External links

• Accident history for IIS at Aviation Safety Network