- Vivigani Airfield
Infobox Airport
name = Vivigani Airport
IATA = VIV
ICAO =
type = Public
owner =
operator =
city-served =
location =Vivigani ,Goodenough Island ,Papua New Guinea
elevation-f =
elevation-m =
coordinates = coord|9|18|23|S|150|19|12|E|type:airport
website =
r1-number =
r1-length-f =
r1-length-m =
r1-surface =Asphalt
footnotes =Vivigani Airfield airport codes|VIV is an airport at
Vivigani onGoodenough Island , part of theD'Entrecasteaux Islands inPapua New Guinea .History
Constructed as a mission airstrip at Vivigani.
World War II
The
Australian 2/12th Battalion reached Vivigani on27 October 1942 after occupying the island after defeating theImperial Japanese troops marooned on the island, duringWorld War II .The
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) prepared the airfields, first building an emergency landing strip in April 1943. A road was built from the Vivigani docks to the airfield. The first use of the airfield was by 6Bristol Beaufort s ofNo. 100 Squadron RAAF , staging out of Gurney Airfield,Milne Bay for a strike on Gasmata,Papua New Guinea on17 May 1943 .No. 7 Mobile Works Squadron RAAF worked on the strip between June and September 1943. The airfield consisted of two parallel runways ft to m|6600 long and ft to m|150 wide.The airfield was used by both the
5th Air Force and the RAAF.Units Based at Vivigani during World War II
*
No. 6 Squadron RAAF (Bristol Beaufort s)
*No. 8 Squadron RAAF (Bristol Beauforts)
*No. 22 Squadron RAAF (Bostons)
*No. 30 Squadron RAAF (Bristol Beauforts)
*No. 77 Squadron RAAF (P-40 's)
*No. 79 Squadron RAAF (Spitfire)
*No. 100 Squadron RAAF (Bristol Beauforts)
*No. 108 Communication Unit RAAF (PBY Catalina s)
*No. 7 Mobile Works Squadron RAAF Post War
Was used as an general use airstrip until roughly 2006. This airstrip is now closed, and the only two air operations that regularly used it (MAF & JAARS) now refuse to attempt to land there. The entire area has been completely overgrown by native kunai grass.
References
* [http://gc.kls2.com/airport/VIV Airport information for Vivigani Airport (VIV)]
* [http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/png/vivigani/index.html Pacific Wreck website]External links
*ASN|VIV
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