Naval Air Station Honolulu / Naval Air Transport Service
The attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 changed how aircraft would operate in the years to follow.
The establishment of the Naval Air Station, Keehi Lagoon, Territory of Hawaii, Oahu was approved by the Secretary of the Navy on June 10, 1943. The station was to serve as a terminal for Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and Pan American Airways. The initial operations of both land and seaplane was planned for December 1, 1943. Full scale operations commenced on about April 1, 1944.
Docked aircraft; PB2Y, Boeing 314 and PB2Y. Flying; PB2Y
Docked and moored; Martin JRM Mars NATS aircraft
seaplane lanes
PB2Y Coronado at Naval Air Station Kaneohe
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Lockheed Aircraft Services (LAS)
Lockheed Aircraft Services operated as a division of Lockheed Technology Services Group under Lockheed Aircraft Corporation and operated from1952 to 1998, while being headquartered in Ontario, California. LAS became the worlds largest aircraft modification and maintenance group of its time. LAS built facilities at Honolulu International airport to assist with the maintenance of aircraft flown by the airlines as well as the military. They built multiple maintenance "nose-docks" to meet the increasing demand.
Lockheed continued in Hawaii until the jet aircraft arrived and airlines took on their own maintenance. Lockheed continued in Hawaii but in a different capacity. Lockheed Air Terminal provided into-plane refueling and other services
until about 1998.
U.S. Navy Facility
Lockheed Aircraft Services
photos by Mike Willet
In 1982, the last of the Naval Air Station Honolulu buildings were being dismantled to make way for the new Lagoon Drive redevelopment project as well as before they fell down. The "nose-docks" remained until 1984.
1983
shows the above building gone with "nose-docks" in place.
The "nose-docks" continued to be utilized by various operators with DHL operating aircraft that actually fit its design. Other operators just took the space and used it for just about anything and everything including living quarters.
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more about these buildings and operators later...
established during WWII
My own seaplane/ flying boat days...
The photo above (left) is Antilles Air Boats' Short Brothers S-25 Sandringham (Sunderland) on its mooring in Keehi Lagoon in 1974. Honolulu was a fuel stop during its ferry from Sydney to the U.S. Virgin Islands. This was the last flying boat that landed in the seaplane lanes of Honolulu International Airport. This was the second aircraft to be ferried. You can see the old Navy buildings in the background. The previous S-25 landed in Pearl Harbor a few months before.
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After my arrival in Honolulu in 1982, when the FAA got various request from possible commercial seaplane operators, they sent them to me first. Usually after a lunch or dinner, I convinced them that operating a commercial seaplane airline would be financially difficult.
Even though I would love to see them fly once again.