#SP254 Ascension Island Base print
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. SP254 - Ascension Island Base.
Ascension Island Base, also known as Wideawake Airfield (named after a noisy colony of sooty terns nearby) or Ascension Island Auxiliary Field, is a military airfield and facility located on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, near the equator, strategically positioned approximately 4,000 miles from both the UK and the Falkland Islands. Built by the US military in 1942 by arrangement with the British government. The airfield was built using a US task force. The work was done by the USAAF 38th Engineer Combat Regiment and the airfield opened on 10 July 1942. The first aircraft to land on Ascension Island was a Fairey Swordfish from HMS Archer in June, 1942 and it went on to be used by more than 25,000 aircraft as a staging point during the Second World War. It was re-garrisoned by the RAF in 1982 and used extensively as a staging airfield during the Falklands War. A series of long-range bombing raids was carried out from the Ascension Island Base under the name Operation Black Buck in April 1982. At one stage, Wideawake became the busiest airport in the world for the number of aircraft movements. The airfield is now jointly operated by UKSTRATCOM and the United States Space Force (USSF). As a part of British Forces South Atlantic Islands, the Base serves as a staging post for flights between the UK and the Falklands with an approximate flight time of 8 hours. With a runway length of 10,500ft the airfield has the capability to support all types of aircraft and also supports regular flights between America and Africa. The facility is also home to a U.S. Space Force ground tracking station in support of the Eastern Range and rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.