Latitude 44°02'55"N Longitude 7017'03"W

   

ACQUISITION

 U.S. Naval Auxiliary Air Facility (NAAF) loaned to the Admiralty form August 1943

 

COMMISSIONED

 01 August 1943  'on Books Of SAKER'.

 

CLOSED

 

 

PAID OFF

late February 1945

   

O.I.C.

Not known.

   

FUNCTION

Pilot training for British and Commonwealth aircrew undertaken by 738 squadron.

 

ADDRESS

USNAAF, Lewiston

Androscoggin County,

Maine,

U.S.A.

 

LOCALITY

The airfield lies 4½ miles SW. of the cities of of Auburn and Lewiston.

 

LANDMARKS

 

ROAD AND RAIL ACCESS

 
   
   

CONTROL

Not known.

 

ELEVATION

288 ' above M.S.L.

 

RUNWAYS

Three, asphalt.


NNE/SSW QDM. ---° ----° .... 1500 x 33 yds. 

WNW/ESE QDM. ---° ----° .... 1940 x 33 yds. 

NNW/SSE QDM. ---° ----° .... 1133 x 33 yds. 

 

TRACKS

 

 

OBSTRUCTIONS

Navigation

Not known.

Circuit

Not known.

Approach

Not known.

   

APPROACH

Not known.

   

WIND INDICATOR

Not known.

   
   

HOMING - VISUAL

By day

Not known.

By night

Not known.

 

HOMING--RADIO

D/F

Not known.

Beacons

Not known.

 

APPROACH - VISUAL

By day

Not known.

By night

Not known.

 

APPROACH - RADIO

Not known.

COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT

M/F & H/F

Not known.

VH/F

Not known.

 

GROUND RADAR

None.

   

 

   

ACCOMMODATION

Capacity  - Not known.

 

Capacity:

Officers:

Unknown.

Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings:

Unknown.

W.R.N.S. Officers:

None.

W.R.N.S.  Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings;

None.

 

ARMOURIES

Not known.

 

COMPASS BASE

Not known.

 

DISPERSAL

Not known.

 

HANGARS

Hangars  - Not known.

 

Number /Type

Size

Door Height

Door Width

       
       

MEDICAL

Not known.

 

METEOROLOGICAL

Not known.

 

FUEL AND OIL

Aviation -

Not known.

M/T -

Not known.

Oil -

Not known.

   

TEST BASE

Not known.

 

TEST BUTT

Not known.

 

WORKSHOPS

Not known.

 

VISITORS

Not known.

 

EXPLOSIVES

Not known.

 

BOMBING AND FIRING RANGES

Not known.

 

List of first and second line squadrons, station flight and other flying units based at this location

 

738

 

Pilot Training Squadron.

Moved from USNAS Quonset Point 31.07.43.Moved to USNAS Brunswick 14.02.45.

Equipped with Avenger, Corsair, Wildcat, Harvard and  Grumman Gosse.


 

Originally a municipal airport in Androscoggin County, Maine, opened in 1935. the airfield was under the control of the United States Navy From late 1942 for use as a base for anti-submarine patrols by Squadron VS-31. on 15 April 1943 It was commissioned as Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Lewiston, a support filed for Naval Air Station Brunswick.


RN use of the airfield

From August 1st 1943 both Brunswick and Lewiston were loaned to the Royal Navy to train British and commonwealth aircrews. No. 738 Pilot Training Squadron arrived from USNAS Quonset Point the day before to begin operations to teach advanced carrier landing techniques to pilots who had received their preliminary flight training at various US Navy flight schools. These pilots had to learn the British methods and procedures before they could join active front-line units; training included navigation exercises, Aerodrome Dummy Deck landings, night flying, anti-submarine bombing and patrol techniques, formation flying and other skills in use by the Fleet Air Arm. On completion of the courses aircrew were assigned to new squadrons forming in the U.S.; Torpedo, Bomber and Reconnaissance squadron aircrew were trained as complete crews. The squadron operated a selection of the American aircraft types including Avenger, Corsair, Wildcat, Harvard and a single Grumman Gosse.


Returned to USN Control

738 moved to USNAS Brunswick on February 14th 1945 and Lewiston was returned tot USN custody.

 

One USN Squadron - Torpedo Squadron 153 (VT-153) was established at NAAF Lewiston on March 26th 1945, transferring to Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, on June 1st 1945. NAAF Lewiston was redesignated a Naval Auxiliary Air Station in August 1945, but was closed on December 1st 1945. The site was declared surplus in 1946. It was handed back to the cities of Auburn and Lewiston in 1947/8 returning to civilian use.

 


 

 

Click here for a list of Primary sources

Additional sources:

"Patrol Squadron Shore Establishments". United States Navy. Acrobat document. Retrieved 14-07-2014.

www.airfieldsdatabase.com

http://www.airfieldsdatabase.com/ww2/WW2%20R27e%20ID-NH.htm Accessed 14-07-2014.

 

 

 

 



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