View source for Ernest Harmon Air Force Base

{{Short description|Former Air Force base in Canada}}
{{For|the World War II airfield on Guam|Harmon Air Force Base}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name= Ernest Harmon Air Force Base
|ensign=[[File:Roundel of the USAF.svg|80px]] 
|location= [[Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador]]
| pushpin_map = Canada Newfoundland 
| pushpin_map_alt = Ernest Harmon AFB
| pushpin_map_caption = Location on Newfoundland 
|coordinates={{Coord|48|32|38|N|058|33|12|W|type:airport_region:CA-NL|display=inline,title}}
|image= Stephenville2.jpg
|image_size= 300px
| image2 = [[File:US Army Air Corps Hap Arnold Wings.svg|60px]] [[File:Shield Strategic Air Command.png|60px]] [[File:USAF - Aerospace Defense Command.png|60px]]
|caption= Stephenville Airport, formerly Ernest Harmon AFB
|type= Air Force Base
|code=
|ownership = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]
|operator = {{air force|USA}}
|site_other_label = Civilian operator
|site_other = Stephenville Airport Corporation
|built = 1941
|builder = {{air force|USA}}
|used = {{Start date|1941}} – 1966
|materials=
|height=
|garrison=[[United States Air Force]]<br>[[United States Army Air Corps]]<br>[[Aerospace Defense Command]]<br>[[Strategic Air Command]]<br>[[Newfoundland Base Command]]<br>[[Military Air Transport Service#Record of the ATC|Air Transport Command]]<br>[[Northeast Air Command]]
| fate = 
* Transferred to [[Government of Canada]] to become Stephenville International Airport 
|demolished=
|condition=
|commanders=
|occupants= [[4081st Strategic Wing]]<br>[[4731st Air Defense Group]]<br>[[6602d Air Base Group]]<br>[[61st Fighter Squadron]]<br> [[Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers|347th Engineer Aviation Battalion]]
| elevation = {{convert|80|ft|abbr=on}}
<!-- begin airfield information  -->
| IATA = YJT
| ICAO = CYJT
| FAA = 
| TC = 
| LID = 
| GPS = 
| WMO = 
| r1-number = 09/27
| r1-length = {{Convert|10,000|ft|abbr=on}}
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete]]
| r2-number = 02/20
| r2-length = {{Convert|5,000|ft|abbr=on}}
| r2-surface = Asphalt concrete
| r3-number = 14/32
| r3-length = {{Convert|5000|ft|abbr=on}}
| r3-surface = Asphalt concrete
| website = 
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Ernest Harmon Air Force Base''' is a former [[United States Air Force]] base located in [[Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador]]. The base was built by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] in 1941 under the [[Destroyers for Bases Agreement]] with the [[United Kingdom]].

From its establishment in 1941 until March 31, 1949, the base was located in the [[Dominion of Newfoundland]]. On March 31, 1949, the Dominion of Newfoundland was admitted to [[Canadian Confederation]] and became the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|10th province of Canada]]. The agreement enabling the base's existence, from 1941 until closure in 1966, enabled it to function as a ''[[de facto]]'' [[Enclave and exclave#Enclave|enclave]] of [[United States territory]] within, first the Dominion of Newfoundland and later [[Canada]], making [[United States]] military personnel stationed at the base subject to the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]].

March 3, 1960, while returning home from his army stint, [[Elvis Presley]] landed on Ernest Harmon Air Force Base for a refueling en route from [[Frankfurt]], Germany and [[Glasgow_Prestwick_Airport#Elvis_Presley_stopover|Glasgow Prestwick Airport]], Prestwick, Scotland to [[McGuire Airforce Base]] in [[Fort Dix]], New Jersey, US.
Apart from 2 concerts in 1957 Elvis never returned to [[Canada]] during his lifetime.

Following its closure in 1966, the base property was relinquished by the [[Federal government of the United States|Government of the United States]] to the [[Government of Canada]], under the terms of the original deal. The [[Government of Canada]] subsequently transferred the base property to the [[Government of Newfoundland and Labrador]], which established the Harmon Corporation to oversee the disposition and use of the base property and facilities.

The airfield is now operated as [[Stephenville International Airport]] while many of the base's support buildings and housing have been incorporated into the town of Stephenville.

==Construction and operation==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}
During 1940, [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] was threatening the majority of Europe, as well as North America, through its successful air, land and sea campaigns. The destructiveness of the [[Luftwaffe]] and [[Kriegsmarine]] in the [[Battle of Britain]] and [[Battle of the Atlantic]] alarmed military planners in the United States who theorized that the Nazis could in future establish a [[beachhead]] on [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] and the adjacent [[France|French]] islands of [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] and use it for launching air attacks and eventually land and sea attacks on the industrial heartland of North America.

In 1940, the United States entered into the Destroyers for Bases deal with the government of the United Kingdom, allowing the [[United States Armed Forces|US military]] to establish facilities in [[British Overseas Territories]] in the Western Hemisphere. The primary focus for North American defence from Nazi aggression was Newfoundland, which the United States sought to arm as a geographic buffer much as it was doing with its [[Alaska|Alaska territory]] to defend North America against [[Empire of Japan|Imperial Japan]] in the northwest.

The United States established an administrative army air force and coast defense base named [[Pepperrell Air Force Base|Fort Pepperrell]] in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]], along with a deepwater naval base and naval aviation field at [[Naval Station Argentia|Argentia]] on the [[Avalon Peninsula]]. The northeast coast of Newfoundland and the strategically important [[Strait of Belle Isle]] were left exposed, therefore military planners sought to establish an army air force base on {{Convert|8159|acre|km2}} of land at the northeast end of [[St. George's Bay (Newfoundland and Labrador)|Bay St. George]] near the coastal hamlet of Stephenville. The [[76th United States Congress|76th Congress]] approved the 99-year lease and in April 1941, construction began on a deepwater port and adjacent air field.

During the war a battery of two [[155 mm gun M1918|155 mm coast defense guns]] was at the base, due to its coastal location. It was called Battery T8503 and was operated by [[Coast Artillery Corps]] troops of the [[Harbor Defenses of Argentia and St. John's]].<ref>Fort McAndrew at FortWiki.com</ref><ref>[http://cdsg.org/defenses-in-newfoundland-canada/ Defenses in Newfoundland at CDSG.org]</ref>

The air force base was originally referred to as '''Stephenville Air Base'''. On September 1, 1943, the [[Newfoundland Base Command]] transferred control of the Stephenville Air Base to the North Atlantic Wing, Air Transport Command. The base was actively used throughout the war and was one of the largest U.S. military airfields located outside of the continental United States; it was capable of landing the largest cargo aircraft in the world at that time and the base became a frequent stopping and refueling point for USAAF aircraft crossing the Atlantic. Stephenville Air Base was renamed "Ernest Harmon Air Force Base" on June 23, 1948, in honor of Captain [[Ernest Emery Harmon]]. Capt Harmon was a [[United States Army Air Corps|U.S. Army Air Corps]] pilot who was killed in an air crash in 1933. The deepwater port which supported the base was named Port Harmon at this time.

Ernest Harmon AFB was transferred to [[Northeast Air Command]] in October 1950. The 6605th Air Base Wing served as the host unit at the base. In April 1957, with the rising threat of [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]], the [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) assumed control of the base for use as a forward refuelling point. The 6605th Wing was superseded by the [[4081st Strategic Wing]]. Ernest Harmon AFB became home to a fleet of [[KC-97 Stratofreighter]] air [[Aerial refueling|refueling aircraft]], which were kept on alert in order to meet and refuel nuclear armed [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52 Stratofortress]] bombers in the skies over western Newfoundland. The base also saw use as a refueling stop for [[transatlantic flight|transatlantic]] military flights and the base supported three [[Aerospace Defense Command]] (ADC) units. In 1957, the [[Transport Canada|Canadian Department of Transport]] constructed an airport terminal to accommodate [[Trans-Canada Air Lines]] (now [[Air Canada]]) commercial flights; Ernest Harmon AFB being the only air field in western Newfoundland.

===Aerodrome===
[[File:Landing_Fields_-_Newfoundland_-_Newfoundland_-_NARA_-_68160094.jpg|thumb|Aerial photograph circa 1945]]

In 1942 the aerodrome was listed as '''USAAF Aerodrome – Stephenville, Newfoundland''' at {{coord|48|32|N|58|33|W|region:CA-NL}} with a variation of 30 degrees west and elevation of {{Convert|40|ft|abbr=on}}. The field was listed as "all hard surfaced" and had three runways listed as follows:<ref name=Handbook>Staff Writer c. 1942, p. 9</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Runway name
! Length
! Width
! Surface
|-
| 7/25
| {{Convert|5000|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{Convert|150|ft|abbr=on}}
| Hard surfaced
|-
| 12/30
| {{Convert|5200|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{Convert|150|ft|abbr=on}}
| Hard surfaced
|-
| 14/32
| {{Convert|5000|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{Convert|150|ft|abbr=on}}
| Hard surfaced
|}

==Cold War expansion and road construction==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}
The [[Cold War]] expansion of the base in the early 1950s coincided with the [[Korean War]] and the rise in nuclear tensions with the [[Soviet Union]]. The USAF sought to build more roads in the area to serve the base and nearby [[Pinetree Line]] early warning radar site and to patrol the immediate area for security; the roads would also act as a means of dispersing personnel in an emergency. One of the more important projects was a bypass road around the base, known as the [[Newfoundland and Labrador Route 460|Hansen Memorial Highway]].

In 1953, the 347th (Engineer Aviation) battalion was assigned the immense task (along with 2,502 contractor personnel) of completing the 62 line construction projects at Ernest Harmon AFB. These consisted of:
* completion of major runways of up to {{convert|222000|yd2|abbr=on}}
* taxiway and [[Airport ramp|apron]]s of up to {{convert|421000|yd2|abbr=on}}
* aprons of heavy duty pavement up to {{convert|351,000|yd2|abbr=on}}
* construct a runway complex that was so large that the existing harbor facilities at Port Harmon had to be demolished to give proper clearance for [[aircraft]]
* construction of [[fighter aircraft]] [[hangar]]s
* construction of three wharves and dredging of the existing harbour at Port Harmon, which, when completed was {{convert|8000|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|200|ft|abbr=on}} wide, and {{Convert|35|ft|abbr=on}} deep
* construction of a flight [[control tower]] in September 1953
* construction of four petroleum tanks with a capacity of {{Convert|25000|to|125000|oilbbl|abbr=on|lk=in}} of [[aviation fuel]]

[[File:EHAFBconstructioneqpt.jpg|thumb|Rock crushing operations along the Hansen Highway 1960]]

By June 1953 the 347th Engineers had deployed 444 engineers. They were joined by an additional 750 engineers who departed [[Florida]] and arrived at Harmon on June 23 to construct three of the line construction projects:
* a bypass road Hanson Memorial Highway to prevent civilian access through the base (in progress since April, 1943)
* a base salvage yard
* a [[trailer park]] for Harmon personnel
* removal of a granite hill the north end of the Frobisher Bay AFB runway

The 347th Engineers was made up of four companies; three line companies and one Headquarters and Service (H&S) company. Company A was responsible for construction of the salvage yard and Company B and C were responsible for the construction of the bypass road with a budget of [[United States dollar|$]]583,000.

The salvage yard, which was situated near Noels Pond on {{convert|30|acre|m2}}, was finished to partial occupancy by the fall of 1954 and completed in 1955. Thirty Butler Buildings (prefabricated steel) were located on the property. The machinery which constructed the bypass road was buried at the end of the property when it became over used and obsolete in 1959–1960, under the supervision of [[Warrant Officer (United States)|Warrant Officer]] Ebb Higdon, Company A. They were later dug up to be sold for scrap but were found to be useless and reburied. This equipment had come up from Florida in [[Liberty ship]]s, with the battalion in 1953. In 1986, when this information was made available to the town of Stephenville via a series of articles in the ''Georgian'' newspaper, several doubters and curiosity seekers, armed with [[metal detector]]s, swarmed over the site and located the buried equipment.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928192925/http://www.thegeorgian.ca/index.cfm?iid=2691&stid=24 ''Georgian'']</ref>

Company B and C began work on the bypass road by working towards each other. Company C, under the command of [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]] Claxton Ray began at the Stephenville side and worked towards Company B which began construction near Cormiers Village and worked in two directions towards Long Gull Pond and towards Stephenville. It was necessary to begin construction of the road at Cormiers Village and work back towards Stephenville pending the finalizing of property agreements. Company B was under the command of Captain Gomez. The H&S Company split operations equipment and men between the three Companies.

The {{convert|11|mi|abbr=on}} long construction began with a line of [[corduroy road]]s comprising one half of the road and when [[Long Gull Pond]] was reached in the fall of 1954, the other half was constructed. The road followed the existing rail road line. It was necessary to build three access roads approximately {{convert|2|mi|abbr=on}} in length in order to facilitate construction of the bypass road. These roads were built to the same specifications as the bypass road as they were used constantly for heavy hauling. The concrete bridge over Cold Creek was built in 1954 and the {{convert|60|ft|abbr=on}} concrete bridge over Warm Creek was programmed for completion in 1956. Not counting equipment, {{convert|90000|yd3|abbr=on}} of fill. {{convert|30000|yd3|abbr=on}} of crushed rock and {{convert|15000|yd3|abbr=on}} of earth were used before the final {{convert|19|in|abbr=on}} of paving was laid down. Equipment and material were stored at the Gull Pond site. The bypass road was officially opened to the public in October 1957 and named the Hanson Memorial Highway. The third construction operation was cancelled.

The 347th (changed to the 823rd in 1954) Engineer Aviation Battalion was disbanded in 1957 and most of the men went back to the US. The two battalion commanders at the time were, [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Germain and [[Major (United States)|Major]] Truet. The medical officer was V.H. Berry and the ground safety officer was [[First Lieutenant|1st Lieutenant]] Arthur Everitt. The general construction on the base (buildings, roads and runways) was done under the base supervision of Colonel Koski and Colonel Bailey. [[J.A. Jones Construction|J.A. Jones]] held the construction contract from 1954 to 1959. From 1956 to 1959, Major Ray was the superintendent for the asphalt, rock crushing and concrete operations for J.A. Jones and was responsible for the construction of 200 on base houses, two seven-story barracks for 1,500 airmen, additional runways and the Central Heating (steam) Plant. One of the barracks is used as residences for the [[College of the North Atlantic]] as well as a hotel during the summer tourist season. The other barrack was converted into a six-story apartment complex known as the Stephenville Manor.

==Base facilities==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}
===Base schools===
The first educational institution at Ernest Harmon AFB was an elementary school established in 1948 using a small clap-board building that housed 28 children and 3 teachers. The first high school graduating class (1957) matriculated in 1953 with all of the students beginning their educations at St. Stephens High School in Stephenville. A new elementary school was built near the base entrance in 1955. The school was formally opened in May 1956 by former base commander, Colonel Richard Fellows and the school principal. In 1956, there were 19 teachers and 62 children.

On September 4, 1956, the base high school officially opened in building number T-394, the old elementary school building. In 1958, Harmon High established its own newspaper, ''The Harmon Highlight''. 

The base's civilian dependent population continued to grow during the early 1960s and the schools expanded along with them. A new high school was opened and in 1962–63, the high school teaching staff increased to 25 while the elementary-middle school staff of teachers jumped to 42.

By 1965–66, the last year of military operations at Ernest Harmon AFB, the total school population had grown to over 1,000 elementary students and 38 teachers and the high school had a population of 171 junior high and 235 high school students with 28 teachers. When the base closed in 1966, so did the school system; the system had 1,175 elementary students and 43 teachers, as well as 405 junior and high school students and 26 teachers, upon closure.

===Recreation===
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}
Stephenville Air Base and later Ernest Harmon AFB were located in the protection of the [[Long Range Mountains]] and harbour of the St. Georges Bay area, virtually cut off from rest of the island, except for a few roads and boat and plane traffic. But during the 1940s and 1950s, when roads were virtually non-existent and surface travel was limited to the slow narrow-gauge passenger trains of the [[Newfoundland Railway]] which linked to small coastal steamships or ferries to the mainland at [[North Sydney, Nova Scotia]]. In addition, the airfield's location at the head of Bay St. George was one of the more geographically isolated parts of the island, being surrounded by the Long Range Mountains and the coastline of the island's west coast being dotted with [[Newfoundland outport|outports]]. In addition to USAAF/USAF aircraft, the only other option for travel was the railway and ferries/coasters, or exploring the limited local road network which stretched along the coast and into the uninhabited interior of the island.

The base also precipitated an economic boom of sorts on Newfoundland's southwest coast during the 1940s. Corner Brook was the major population centre for the region, given its industrial base, harbour, and nearby recreational opportunities in the [[Humber Valley]]. With the investment of the USAAF in Stephenville, the St. George's Bay area began to flourish and grew rapidly. The village of Stephenville grew from a hamlet of several hundred people with no paved streets, side walks, water or sewage system in 1941 into a modern town of over 5,000 by the mid-1950s. By the time Ernest Harmon AFB closed in the mid-1960s, the town had more than doubled in size, partly as a result of the provincial government's forced resettlement policy toward residents of outports.

Recognizing the link between geographic and social isolation, the base command incorporated a number of recreational facilities into their programs and building projects, making Ernest Harmon AFB a leader of sorts among USAF facilities. By the mid-1950s, thousands of service men and their families were making use of these activities monthly. In the area of Hobby Shops there was space available for leather craft, ceramics, [[amateur radio]], [[lapidary]], woodworking, automotive shops, model airplanes and photo labs. Sports facilities and groups were set for softball, baseball, bowling, golf, picnicking, archery and guns. The Stephenville area was located near good hunting and fishing grounds, thus the base established a fishing lodge at Camp 33 with eight large cabins, a 40-man bunk house, along with a mess hall and kitchen. Camp 33 was owned by the [[Bowater|Bowater Pulp and Paper Company]] which had a mill in Corner Brook, although the camp was leased to the base during the spring and summer months.

Along with outside activities a number of service clubs were built and the [[University of Maryland University College]] extension courses were set up for those wishing to continue their education while on the base. A local broadcasting station and commercial free radio station was in operation by the mid-1950s with as many as six live shows a week being broadcast as well as live theater and plays being made available and a movie theater. A large gymnasium was built in 1956 with a [[seating capacity]] of 500, two squash courts and four wall courts. The base chapel accommodated up to 1500 worshippers of many religions and faiths per week. The library was also one of the most frequently used facilities with an average book lending rate of 1000 books every month. The most popular recreational feature of the entire base was the Base Theater which ran a new movie every night except Sundays and Mondays. There were four shows a day and a matinee on Saturdays.

Given its size and importance, and the large number of personnel assigned during the height of the Cold War in the 1950s, the base managed to attract many celebrities to visit and/or perform, including [[Marilyn Monroe]], [[Elvis Presley]], [[Frank Sinatra]] and [[Bob Hope]]. In the early years of the base, recreational activities off base in the town of Stephenville were very limited and some were often restricted. In some of the pamphlets released by the base to its airmen, they went as far as giving the names of women and particular houses and taverns that no base personnel were to be in or near, as well as rules about fraternizing with the local girls.

==See also==

* [[Eastern Air Defense Force]] (Air Defense Command)

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
* Chambers, John Rutgers University 1989 Introduction to original manuscript
* {{cite book |author=Hastings |first=Greg |title=Interviews and correspondence |last2=Hastings |first2=Connie |year=1988}}
* {{cite book |author=Hillier |title=Newfoundland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries essays in interpretation |last2=Neary |first2=Feter |location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1980 |isbn=0-8020-5486-2 |first=James |url=https://archive.org/details/newfoundlandinni0000hill}}
* {{cite book |author=Lengle |first=Emile |title=Interviews and correspondence |last2=Lengle |first2=Jaila |year=1988}}
* {{cite book |editor=Lumsden |editor-first=Ian |title=Close the 49th parallel etc.: the Americanization of Canada |location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1970 |isbn=0-8020-1696-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/close49thparalle0000unse}}
* {{cite book |author=MacKenzie |title=Inside the Atlantic triangle: Canada and the entrance of Newfoundland into Confederation, 1939–1949 |location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1986 |isbn=0-8020-2587-0 |url-access=registration |first=David Clark |url=https://archive.org/details/insideatlantictr0000mack}}
* {{cite book |author=MacLeod |first=Malcolm |title=Peace of the continent: The impact of Second World War Canadian and American bases in Newfoundland. |publisher=St. John's, Nfld.: Harry Cuff Publications |year=1986 |isbn=0-919095-96-8}}
* {{cite book |author=Mulvena Sr. |first=Francis X. |title=Interviews and correspondence |year=1988}}
* {{cite book |author=Ray |first=Lt. Col. Claxton |title=Interviews, correspondence, military records and diaries |year=1988}}
* {{cite book |author=Ray |first=Gay |title=Interviews and correspondence |year=1988}}
* {{cite book |author=Raymond |first=Edith |title=Interviews and correspondence |year=1988}}
* {{cite book |author=Roberts (Rep. D-Alabama) |first=Kenneth |title=Correspondence with Lt. Col. Ray |year=1988}}
* {{cite book |author=Stacey |first=C.P. |title=Mackenzie King and the Atlantic triangle |location=Toronto |publisher=Macmillan of Canada |year=1976 |isbn=0-7705-1486-3}}
* {{cite book |author= |title=Topics of the day: Bases boon to Newfoundland |publisher=St. John's Telegram |date=April 16, 1948}}
* {{cite book |author= |title=Topics of the day: 0,5. Signal Corps |publisher=St. John's Telegram |date=April 17, 1940}}
* {{cite book|author=The Western Star|title=Interviews and correspondence}}
* {{cite book|author=Town of Stephenville|title=Interviews and correspondence}}
* {{cite book|author=United States Army Air Force|title=6602nd Air Base Wing EHAFB Information Pamphlet|date=January 19, 1941}}
* {{cite book|editor=Zeidler|title=Interviews and correspondence|year=1988}}
*{{cite book |author=Staff writer|title= Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 1|publisher= Royal Canadian Air Force |date= c. 1942}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.town.stephenville.nf.ca/ Town of Stephenville]
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20020622071032/http://www.town.stephenville.nf.ca/march5.html History of the Ernest Harmon Air Force Base – Town of Stephenville]
* [http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/stephenville/purpose.html Ernest Harmon Air Force Base] at Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage

{{Aerospace Defense Command}}
{{Strategic Air Command}}
{{NLMilitary|state=collapsed}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Destroyers for Bases Agreement airfields]]
[[Category:Installations of the United States Air Force in Canada]]
[[Category:Defunct airports in Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1941]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command on the North Atlantic Route]]
[[Category:World War II airfields in Canada]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Canada]]
[[Category:Military installations closed in 1966]]
[[Category:Military installations in Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Military airbases in Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:1940s establishments in Newfoundland]]
[[Category:1941 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:1941 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:1966 disestablishments in Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Foreign military bases in Canada]]