Airport type Military In use 1918-1919 (1919) Year built 14 February 1918 | Operator United States Navy Elevation AMSL 3 ft 3 in ft / 1 m Owner Admiralty | |
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Location Aghada, County Cork, Ireland | ||
United States Naval Air Station Queenstown was the first US Naval Air Station established in Ireland. The site, close to the village of Aghada on the eastern side of Cork Harbour (across the harbour from Queenstown/Cobh) was commandeered under the Defence of the Realm Act 1914. On 14 February 1918, Commander F. McCrary, USN, Commander of all United States Naval Air Stations in Ireland, was headquartered in this location. One of four US Navy anti-submarine seaplane installations in Ireland, the site's three slipways were operational by September 1918, and it operated as both a seaplane base, as an assembly location for planes, and training station for pilots. The aircraft at the site were Curtiss H16 flying boats, and by the end of World War I, the base had approximately 20 such planes and over 1000 personnel. The base closed in April 1919 - although some remnants of the slipway remain.