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NAS BARBERS PT
10 Miles West of Pearl Harbor, this
air station was commissioned April 15, 1942 and ultimately grew to become the
Navy's prime pre-combat training base for the Carrier Air Groups getting
ready to deploy to the war zone in the South Pacific. In later cold war
years, Barbers Point was the essential Pacific base for the Navy's anti
submarine forces and missile early warning aircraft.
Barbers Pt was decommissioned and
renamed with its old Hawaiian name "Kalaeloa" in 1999. The
airport itself was renamed John Rodgers Field. The Lockheed P-3
Orion patrol & reconnaissance squadrons moved to MCAS Kaneohe. The Navy
still owns and maintains some facilities and housing. The State of Hawaii was
ceded the remaining lands. The airport itself was renamed as the John Rodgers Airport under FAA control and
local air traffic is controlled by the HANG. It is utilized primarily for
general aviation training and the University of Hawaii/University of North
Dakota flight training programs.
HAPS in conjunction with the State
Airports Division and the NAS Barbers Pt Air Museum have started a
beautification and renovation project in the Tower
Building (Bldg 4)
In the years following the decommissioning, the
state of Hawaii has failed to utilize the full potential of the land and
facilities they were given, much of the property has fallen into disrepair
and has become a vast refuse dumping grounds for local residents.
Most of the valuable buildings have been broken into and vandalized by ripping
out all of the copper wiring for resale. Graffiti covers virtually all of
the old Navy buildings and fires are set by arsonists practically every
week. Until the state government takes steps to protect and develop
this historic and valuable part of Hawaii's military aviation history, the
decline at the former NAS Barbers Point will continue.
Rumors abound about the possibility
of a Navy carrier air group being returned to Barbers Pt. if the often mentioned basing
of an aircraft carrier in Hawaii comes to fruition, and thus there would be hope
for the restoration of at least part of the base to its former condition
The text material in the photo gallery is reprinted with permission, from
UNITED STATES NAVY AIR STATIONS OF WORLD WAR II by M. L. Shettle and is available online at:
http://www.airbasebooks.com/default.htm
Welcome Aboard NAS Barbers Point, a post war brochure for new enlisted arrivals
Acrobat Reader Required
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ML Shettle excerpt
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ML Shettle excerpt
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Aerial Overhead Sept 1944 (National Archives)
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Aerial Oblique looking toward the North East 1946 (courtesy of FAPL)
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1950 Aerial of Barbers Pt and Ewa MCAS (courtesy FAPL)
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Aerial Overhead Oct 1946 (courtesy FAPL)
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NE Oblique BPNAS-Ewa MCAS 10-14-53, FAPL Photo
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Barbers Pt vertical 9-10-57. FAPL Photo
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BPNAS and Ewa MCAS vertical 11-20-59, FAPL Photo
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BPNAS Vertical 3-19-64, FAPL Photo
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FJ-1 and Steerman in front of the tower in 1961 (courtesy FAPL)
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F8U over Barbers Pt in 1962 (courtesy FAPL)
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AD-5s on the ramp at Barbers Pt 1962 (courtesy FAPL)
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P-2 and P-3 on the ramp in 1964 (courtesy FAPL)
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Aerial Oblique looking North in Oct 1965 (courtesy FAPL)
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BPNAS vertical May 67, FAPL Photo
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Overhead Aerial in May 2000, Photo bt NOAA
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Overhead aerial in May 2000 showing remnants of Ewa MCAS to the NE. Photo by NOAA
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