View source for Emirau Airport

{{Short description|Airport in Emirau Island, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea}}
{{Infobox airport
| name         = Emirau Airport
| nativename   = 
| image        = 
| IATA         = EMI
| ICAO         = AYEE
| pushpin_map            = Papua New Guinea
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location of airport in Papua New Guinea
| pushpin_label          = EMI
| pushpin_label_position = right
| type         = 
| owner        = 
| operator     = 
| city-served  = 
| location     = [[Emirau Island]], [[Papua New Guinea]]
| elevation-f  = 100
| elevation-m  = 30
| coordinates  = {{coord|1|38.5|S|149|58.5|E|region:PG_type:airport}}
| website      = 
| metric-rwy   = y
| r1-number    = 12/30
| r1-length-m  = 1455
| r1-length-f  = 4773
| r1-surface   = 
| footnotes    = Source: PNG Airstrip Guide<ref name="PNG Airstrip Guide">[http://www.pngbd.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-14283.html PNG Airstrip Guide]. August 2005.</ref>
}}

'''Emirau Airport''' is an [[airfield]] in [[Emirau Island]], [[Papua New Guinea]].<ref name="PNG Airstrip Guide" />

==History==

===World War II===
{{Infobox military installation
|name=Emirau Airfield
|partof =
|location=[[Emirau Island]]
|coordinates={{Coord|01|38.5|S|149|58.5|E}}
|image=U.S. Marine Corps Vought F4U-1 Corsairs on Emirau, circa in the summer of 1944.jpg
|image_size=300px
|caption=F4Us on Emirau
|type=Military Airfield
|code=
|built=1944
|builder=Seabees
|materials=Coral
|height=
|used= 1944-present
|demolished=
|condition=
|ownership=
|controlledby=[[United States Marine Corps]]<br />[[Royal New Zealand Air Force]]
|garrison=
|commanders=
|occupants=
|battles=
|events=
}}

[[Landing on Emirau|Emirau was seized unopposed]] by two Battalions of the [[4th Marine Regiment (United States)|4th Marine Regiment]] on 20 March 1944.<ref name=Bases>{{Cite book|title=Building the Navy's Bases in World War II History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946| publisher=US Government Printing Office|year=1947|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/building-the-navys-bases.html|page=303}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> [[Seebee|Naval Construction Battalions]] arrived shortly after the landings and began construction of two coral-surfaced {{convert|7000|ft}} by {{convert|150|ft}} airfields on the island. '''Inshore Airfield''' had 35 double hardstands capable of parking 210 fighter or light-bomber planes, while '''North Cape Airfield''' had 42 hardstands with space for parking 84 heavy bombers. Both were fully equipped with towers, lighting, and a dispensary. The aviation tank farm consisted of three {{bbl to t|1000|lk=on}} tanks and nineteen {{bbl to t|1000}} together with the appropriate filling and distribution points. A reserve of {{bbl to t|40000}} was stored in drums.<ref name=Bases/>{{rp|304}} Emirau was the staging point for attacks on the Japanese strongholds at [[Rabaul]] and [[Kavieng]].

US Marine Corps units based here included:

*[[VMSB-243]] operating [[Douglas SBD Dauntless|SBDs]] from June–December 1944
*[[VMB-413]] operating [[North American B-25 Mitchell|PBJs]]<ref>[http://www.vmb413.com/ http://www.vmb413.com/]</ref>
*[[VMB-433]] operating PBJs<ref>[http://www.vmb433.com/ http://www.vmb433.com/]</ref>
*[[VMB-443]] operating PBJs<ref>[http://www.vmb443.com/ http://www.vmb443.com/]</ref>
*[[VMB-611]] operating PBJs<ref>[http://www.vmb611.com/ http://www.vmb611.com/]</ref>

[[Royal New Zealand Air Force]] units based here included:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz//tm/scholarly/tei-WH2AirF-c19-8.html|title=Royal New Zealand Air Force Operations from Emirau|access-date=12 June 2013}}</ref>
*[[No. 1 Squadron RNZAF|No. 1 Squadron]] operating [[Lockheed Ventura|PV-1s]] from May–June 1945
*[[No. 3 Squadron RNZAF|No. 3 Squadron]] operating PV-1s 
*[[No. 4 Squadron RNZAF|No. 4 Squadron]] operating PV-1s from November 1944-February 1945 and June–July 1945
*[[No. 8 Squadron RNZAF|No. 8 Squadron]] operating PV-1s from February–March 1945
*[[No. 9 Squadron RNZAF|No. 9 Squadron]] operating PV-1s from March–May 1945
*[[No. 14 Squadron RNZAF|No. 14 Squadron]] operating [[Vought F4U Corsair|F4Us]] from July–August 1945
*[[No. 19 Squadron RNZAF|No. 19 Squadron]] operating F4Us from November 1944-January 1945
*[[No. 22 Squadron RNZAF|No. 22 Squadron]] operating F4Us from January–March 1945
*[[No. 23 Squadron RNZAF|No. 23 Squadron]] from March–May 1945
*[[No. 25 Squadron RNZAF|No. 25 Squadron]] operating F4Us from May–July 1945

There was also one Australian unit located on the island - the 474 Heavy Anti-aircraft Troop.

Base roll-up commenced in December 1944 and was completed by May 1945.<ref name=Bases/>{{rp|304}}

===Postwar===
The runways remain usable.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{ASN|EMI}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Airports in Papua New Guinea]]
[[Category:New Ireland Province]]