Camp Davis

Marine Corps Outlying Field (MCOLF) Camp Davis, also known as Greater Sandy Run Training Area, is a United States Marine Corps facility used for training by Marines based at nearby Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River. It is located in the town of Holly Ridge, North Carolina, and is administered as a satellite facility of MCAS New River.

History

In late December 1940, a new military facility was built by the United States Army as an anti-aircraft artillery training facility. It was named Camp Davis, and was manned by about 20,000 officers and men. Camp Davis was attached to the First Army, Fourth Corps Area. It was an expansive facility consisting of more than 3,000 buildings on convert|45538|acre|km2|0 with access provided by newly-built railroad spurs leading into the camp.

Two 5,000' paved runways were built by the Army at Camp Davis at some point between 1942-43. This section was named Camp Davis Army Air Field (AAF). Part of the runway for the airfield was built through one of the old Civil War fort's walls.

Camp Davis AAF's Runway 5/23 was wider, and was intended for use by transports, while Runway 19/01 was narrower and intended for use by single-engine aircraft. Most of the aircraft operated from Camp Davis runways were single-engine aircraft used to tow targets for the anti-aircraft artillery units.

In 1944 the anti-aircraft training facility was transferred to another base and Camp Davis was closed.

In 1945, a portion of the Camp Davis area formerly used by the Army as the Coastal Artillery Anti-Aircraft Firing Range (and is the location of the present-day town of Surf City) was transferred to the US Navy. The site was used by the Navy for the development and testing of early surface-to-air missiles under the name "Operation Bumblebee".

In 1948, the Navy closed down operations. Camp Davis was declared surplus and was dismantled in the late 1940’s for salvage and sale. At that time the Navy apparently gave up the leases on the land and it was returned to the original landowners.

In 1954, the U.S. Marine Corps took out a new lease for approximately 955 acres on the former Camp Davis airfields & surrounding land from International Paper Company. In recent years, the Marine Corps have used Camp Davis AAF as as a satellite airfield for helicopter units based at nearby New River MCAS. Runway 18/36 was resurfaced with concrete in 1997, possibly for use by New River V-22 Ospreys.

References

* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/camp-davis.htm GlobalSecurity.org facility record]
* [http://www.skylighters.org/places/campdavis.html History of the 225^th AAA Searchlight Battalion] , one of the units trained at Camp Davis during World War II
* [http://www.airfields-freeman.com/NC/Airfields_NC_SE.htm#campdavis Abandoned & Little Known Airfields: Camp Davis Army Airfield / Camp Davis Marine Corps Outer Landing Field (14NC), Holly Ridge, NC]

US Marine Corps navbox]