Shaw Air Force Base

Shaw Air Force Base
Part of Air Combat Command (ACC)
Located near: Sumter, South Carolina
20th Fighter Wing F-16CJ Block 50, 00-220
Coordinates	33°58′23″N 080°28′22″W / 33.97306°N 80.47278°W / 33.97306; -80.47278 (Shaw Air Force Base)
Type	Air Force Base
Site information
Controlled by	United States Air Force
Site history
Built	1941
In use	1941-Present
Garrison information
Garrison	20th Fighter Wing

Airfield information
IATA: SSC ICAO: KSSC FAA LID: SSC
Summary
Elevation AMSL	242 ft / 74 m
Coordinates	33°58′23″N 080°28′22″W / 33.97306°N 80.47278°W / 33.97306; -80.47278Coordinates: 33°58′23″N 080°28′22″W / 33.97306°N 80.47278°W / 33.97306; -80.47278
Website	www.shaw.af.mil
Map
KSSC Location of Shaw Air Force Base
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 4L/22R 10,016 3,053 Concrete 4R/22L 8,001 2,439 Concrete
Sources: official web site and FAA

Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) (IATA: SSC, ICAO: KSSC, FAA LID: SSC) is a United States Air Force base located approximately 8.4 miles (13.5 km) west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). The United States Air Force 20th Fighter Wing (20th FW) is the host unit.

It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is one of only two air bases in CONUS with an active railroad line. (Beale AFB, CA, operates a lone GE 80-ton locomotive over the base railway. In Alaska, Eielson AFB and Clear Air Force Station have base railways with their own motive power.) The Shaw line was constructed in 1941 to bring in materials for base development, and has two GE 80-ton locomotives, 1644 and 1671.

The base is named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lieutenant Ervin David Shaw. Lieutenant Shaw was one of the first Americans to fly combat missions in World War I. Shaw, a Sumter County native, was assigned to the Royal Air Force 48 Squadron, as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Service. Shaw died after three enemy aircraft attacked his Bristol F.2B while he was returning from a reconnaissance mission on 9 July 1918. Lt. Shaw downed one of his attackers before he was killed.

Shaw Field was activated on 30 August 1941 and placed under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps Southeast Air Corps Training Center. The mission of the new airfield was a basic (Phase II) flying school to instruct air cadets in flying, and the Air Corps Basic Flying School was activated at the field on 26 June to operate the school. The airfield consisted of three 4,500-foot (1,400 m) runways and several auxiliary airfields.