Majuro Airfield

Majuro Airfield
Delap, Marshall Islands
SBDs of VMSB-231 taxiing on Majuro Airfield in 1944
Coordinates	7°05′25″N 171°22′53″E / 7.09028°N 171.38139°E / 7.09028; 171.38139
Type	Military Airfield
Site information
Controlled by	United States Navy
Condition	abandoned
Site history
Built	1942
Built by	Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service/Seebees
In use	1942-72
Materials	Coral

Majuro Airfield or Naval Air Facility Majuro (NAF Majuro) is a former World War II airfield on the island of Delap in the Marshall Islands.

Majuro Airfield was originally established by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in 1942 . The island was captured on 31 January 1944 during Battle of Kwajalein by the V Amphibious Corps' Marine Reconnaissance Company and the 2nd Battalion, 106th Infantry Regiment who found it to be unoccupied. The 100th Naval Construction Battalion began to improve the airfield creating a coral-surfaced 5,800 feet (1,800 m) by 445 feet (136 m) runway covering most of Delap Island. By mid-March the airfield was in limited operation and by 15 April the airfield, taxiways, aprons, housing, shops, and piers were fully operational. The Seebees also constructed roads and causeways linking Delap to the adjacent islands. The carrier replacement plane pool was subsequently located at Majuro and a new 4,000 feet (1,200 m) by 175 feet (53 m) runway was built on Uliga Island and a two-lane causeway connecting Uliga and Delap was constructed. An 800 feet (240 m) by 150 feet (46 m) apron was cleared and paved adjacent to the main runway to facilitate transport operations.

Fourth Marine Air Wing headquarters and Marine Air Group 13 (MAG-13) relocated to Majuro Atoll in mid-March 1944. Units stationed at Majuro included VF-39 operating the F6F Hellcat, VMF-155 and VMF-224 operating F4Us and VMSB-231 operating SBDs.