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Originally
a municipal airport in Androscoggin County, Maine, opened in
1935. the airfield was under the control of the United
States Navy From late 1942 for use as a base for
anti-submarine patrols by Squadron VS-31. on 15 April 1943
It was commissioned as Naval Auxiliary Air Facility
Lewiston, a support filed for Naval Air Station Brunswick.
RN use of the airfield
From August
1st 1943 both Brunswick and Lewiston were loaned to the
Royal Navy to train British and commonwealth aircrews. No.
738 Pilot Training Squadron arrived from USNAS Quonset Point
the day before to begin operations to teach advanced carrier
landing techniques to pilots who had received their
preliminary flight training at various US Navy flight
schools. These pilots had to learn the British methods and
procedures before they could join active front-line units;
training included navigation exercises, Aerodrome Dummy Deck
landings, night flying, anti-submarine bombing and patrol
techniques, formation flying and other skills in use by the
Fleet Air Arm. On completion of the courses aircrew were
assigned to new squadrons forming in the U.S.; Torpedo,
Bomber and Reconnaissance squadron aircrew were trained as
complete crews. The squadron operated a selection of the
American aircraft types including Avenger, Corsair, Wildcat,
Harvard and a single Grumman Gosse.
Returned to USN Control
738 moved
to USNAS Brunswick on February 14th 1945 and Lewiston was
returned tot USN custody.
One USN Squadron - Torpedo
Squadron 153 (VT-153) was established at NAAF Lewiston on
March 26th 1945, transferring to Naval Air Station Oceana,
Virginia, on June 1st 1945. NAAF Lewiston was redesignated a
Naval Auxiliary Air Station in August 1945, but was closed
on December 1st 1945. The site was declared surplus in 1946.
It was handed back to the cities of Auburn and Lewiston in
1947/8 returning to civilian use.
Click here for a list of
Primary sources
Additional sources:
"Patrol
Squadron Shore Establishments". United States Navy.
Acrobat document. Retrieved 14-07-2014.
www.airfieldsdatabase.com
http://www.airfieldsdatabase.com/ww2/WW2%20R27e%20ID-NH.htm
Accessed 14-07-2014.
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