| Luganville Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands | |
| Coordinates | 15°30′17″N 167°07′12″E / 15.50472°N 167.12000°E |
| Type | Military Airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Condition | abandoned |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1943 |
| Built by | Seebees |
| In use | 1943-4 |
| Materials | Coral |
Luganville Airfield or Bomber Field #3 is a former World War II airfield on the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides Islands.
The 40th Naval Construction Battalion arrived on Santo on 3 February 1943 and were tasked with building a third bomber field in dense jungle to the west of Luganville. Within 120 days the batallion had completed a 6,800 ft by 300 ft coral runway, with 27,000 ft of taxiway and 75 hardstands. Additional facilities constructed included a tank farm of six 1,000-barrel steel tanks, two truck-loading stations, two repair areas, fifteen 40-by-10-foot arch-rib warehouses, one 100-by-90-foot hangar, eighteen 20-by-48-foot quonset huts for living quarters, six mess halls, and all necessary utilities. Fifteen miles of two-lane access and supply roads, were cut through dense jungle.[1]
VP-44 operating PBY-5s operated from Luganville from 11 March 1944 until 15 June 1944 when it moved to Green Island.[2]
VMF-323 was based at Luganville from 29 October 1944 until 23 February 1945 when it moved to Okinawa.
NOB Espiritu Santo disestablished on 12 June 1946.[3] The airfield is largely overgrown with vegetation.