History
It was originally founded as an airship base for the United States Navy in 1925. The airship program was cancelled after 3 of the 4 dirigibles located there crashed during the 1930s. The base's upgrade to an air station began in September 1940, and on February 3, 1941 it was commissioned Marine Corps Air Station Ewa.
By the onset of World War II, the air station had four runways and numerous hangars. On December 7, 1941, MCAS Ewa was the first installation hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor. All forty eight aircraft based there were destroyed.
In April 1944, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was relocated to MCAS Ewa where they stayed for the remainder of the war.
The start of the Korean War saw another surge in activity at MCAS Ewa, but because the runways were becoming more and more unsuitable for jet aircraft, the Marine Corps shifted its aviation assets to Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. Ewa was officially closed on June 18, 1952 and its property assumed by Naval Air Station Barbers Point.
In 2008, the US Navy announced they would be leasing 499 acres (2.02 km2) of the old air station to Ford Island Properties, who plan on building expensive homes and shopping centers to create an urban center for Kapolei. The Navy has said that 4 to 5 acres (20,000 m2) of the base near the center of the old runways qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places. While some local looking to preserve the field are trying to rally support to make it a National Cemetery, it seems the Navy and Ford Island Properties are expected to conclude their lease agreement in August.
Read more about this topic: Marine Corps Air Station Ewa
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