Pepperrell Air Force Base
Pepperrell Air Force Base, previously known as Fort Pepperrell, is a decommissioned United States military base located in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada which operated from 1941 to 1961.
The base was named in honour of Sir William Pepperrell of Kittery, Maine, commander of a force of 4,200 soldiers and sailors aboard 90 ships, who captured the French seaport at Louisbourg after a 46-day siege on June 16, 1745.
Establishment
In October 1940, the governments of the United States and United Kingdom signed a contract known as the Destroyers for Bases Agreement, whereby the United States would provide 50 ex-United States Navy destroyers in exchange for the right to lease territory in British territories in Newfoundland and the Caribbean. Of particular importance was Newfoundland, which the United States sought to arm as a buffer area similar to Alaska territory.A board of experts on naval and air bases arrived in St. John's by March 1940 to investigate areas necessary for developments being considered by the recently set-up Canadian/United States Defence Board, and with the agreements signed and most of the negotiations completed, the first movement of U.S. troops to Newfoundland was planned.
Colonel L.W. Rook was judge advocate of the US Army "lend-lease" force commanded by Gen. Charles H. Bonesteel.
On March 27, 1941, a 99-year lease was acquired from the United Kingdom for construction of air and naval bases on sites in Newfoundland, Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Guinea. The Leased Bases Agreement provided wide powers to the United States military in taking necessary steps to defend the areas around its leased bases, including additional powers in time of war or emergency.
One of the locations under consideration for a military base was St. John's, the capital city, which was approved by Newfoundland Governor Sir Humphrey T. Walwyn.
Construction
Several steps had been taken by the British and Newfoundland governments pre-dating the official signing of the agreement, which identified the preferred site for a military installation along the north side of Quidi Vidi Lake, in the northeast part of St. John's.Field work began on the site on October 15, 1940.
Image:USATEdmundB.Alexander.jpg|thumb|right|United States Army troop transport ship Edmund B. Alexander
On January 15, 1941, the Newfoundland Base Command was activated on board the United States Army troop transport ship USAT Edmund B. Alexander, the largest ship ever to dock in St. John's Harbour. On March 27, 1941, the United States officially signed the Lend-Lease agreement which gave possession of the site for the installation; construction work began in earnest soon afterward.
The military base in St. John's was to be operated by the United States Army Air Forces, as U.S. military interest in Newfoundland was deemed to be primarily an air-defence mission. A major United States Navy base and air station was simultaneously under construction at Naval Station Argentia, along with a USAAF base at Stephenville. Coast defence elements at Argentia were at Fort McAndrew.
The harbor facilities, population base, and seat of government at St. John's precluded some form of headquarters facility for the base under construction adjacent to Quidi Vidi Lake; therefore, it was decided that Newfoundland Base Command would be established in the capital to coordinate all US military operations in Newfoundland, as well as in the Danish territory of Greenland.
The new installation was to be named Fort Pepperrell, following the tradition of naming United States Army facilities, even though it was primarily to see use by the USAAF.
During April and May 1941, the Newfoundland base contractor's personnel began arriving on the island, and construction was taken over by their organization. On April 15 a lease was signed with Carpasian Park Limited, for of land upon which to build Camp Alexander, a temporary tent camp named in honor of the ship USS Edmund B. Alexander, to be located on Carpasian Road.
On May 20, troops from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment quartered aboard USAT Edmund B. Alexander began moving into their new temporary camp. The reasons behind the apparently slow pace of construction for the base was likely related to the fact that the United States did not enter the war until late 1941. Canada and Newfoundland, by contrast, were at war, along with most of the rest of the British Commonwealth. A separate series of Canada-Newfoundland defense agreements saw Canada's military activity in the country restricted to war-time conditions, and by 1940–1941, both Canada and Newfoundland were increasingly desperate to defend the territory. War-time shortages meant that the Canadian military did not build permanent military bases but did create temporary facilities to house air force and naval units at Botwood, Gander, Bell Island and St. John's. The Canadian military buildings were often erected quickly and cheaply with materials available locally. By contrast, the more deliberate pace set by the still-neutral US military saw their construction in Newfoundland planned for a much more substantial investment, intended to last the length of the 99-year lease.
Wartime operations
Lt. Col. J.J. Yates assumed command of Fort Pepperrell on November 28, 1941, and was replaced on December 2 by Colonel Paul N. Starling.Troops of the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps manned two coast defence batteries and some anti-aircraft batteries at Fort Pepperrell. In January 1941 part of Battery A, 57th Coast Artillery Regiment with two mobile 155 mm guns probably arrived on USAT Edmund B. Alexander. On 1 May 1941 part of Battery D, 52nd Coast Artillery Regiment arrived with two 8-inch M1888 railway guns. A command known as the Harbor Defenses of Argentia and St. John's was established in January 1941 to coordinate US coast defence activities in Newfoundland, under the Newfoundland Base Command. On 12 February 1942 Battery D, 52nd CA was redesignated as Battery D, 24th Coast Artillery Regiment, which was assuming control of US coast defense assets in Newfoundland. By 1942 the battery of two 155 mm guns of Battery A, 53rd Coast Artillery Regiment had three prepared positions featuring Panama mounts at Signal Hill, Middle Cove, and Manuels. The 8-inch battery was initially at Signal Hill, but relocated to Red Cliff circa 1943. Also in the area was a Canadian-manned battery of two Lend-Lease 10-inch M1888 guns at Fort Cape Spear; the gun barrels remained there as of 2017. Other Canadian-manned guns included at least two QF 4.7-inch B Mark IV* guns at Fort Amherst; these were former field guns converted to fixed mountings.
A Royal Canadian Navy-manned indicator loop station was at St. John's; this detected submarines via their magnetic signature.
Fort Pepperrell expanded significantly after the United States entered the war with the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. During late 1941 and early 1942, multiple units left the temporary tent city to fill the new military base until capacity was reached on February 27, 1942, when the final unit, the headquarters of Newfoundland Base Command, moved from temporary facilities at 44 Rennie's Mill Road. The base held approximately 5,500 personnel and it, along with other US military facilities in Newfoundland such as Naval Station Argentia, Fort McAndrew, and Stephenville Air Base were placed on a war alert. Extensive exercises and maneuvers took place in Newfoundland during the summer and fall of 1942.
Beginning with the 21st Signal Service Company, the US military began to link up Edmund B. Alexander with the temporary shore establishments. The communications link to Naval Station Argentia from St. John's was later installed and then across the entire island to Stephenville Air Base, thus providing a permanent dial telephone system between the bases.
Between May 1, 1942, and December 15, 1942, the Argentia-Holyrood Road was constructed and of telephone communication extended across Newfoundland. One such difficult link in the cross country communication line was the stretch from Stephenville to Port aux Basques. The Long Range Mountains were crossed and wires were stretched over the top. Siberian huskies were used to tow sleds with heavy equipment up the dangerous slopes of the mountains. The task was completed with a telephone network far surpassing anything Newfoundland had ever had.
On December 12, 1942, a number of servicemen were killed in the Knights of Columbus Hostel fire.
On January 7, 1943, Brigadier General John B. Brooks assumed command of the Newfoundland Base Command and on March 15 of the same year, work was completed at Fort Pepperrell. St. John's Harbour, one of two ice-free ports on the island during the winter months, was engaged in unloading supplies necessary to maintain the Newfoundland garrisons. During the war years, all supplies shipped to other US military installations in Newfoundland were processed through Fort Pepperrell before being forwarded on the narrow gauge trains of the Newfoundland Railway.
On October 10, 1944, Brigadier General Samuel Connell arrived at Fort Pepperrell and assumed command of the Newfoundland Base Command, and in November 1944, the first man to be called on temporary active duty status left the Newfoundland Base Command for the Zone of Interior. On February 8, Headquarters Company, St. John's Area, was formed and the Headquarters Detachment discontinued. On December 23, 1945, Colonel Albert Warren assumed command of the Newfoundland Base Command.
Units stationed
Fort Pepperrell was designed to accommodate 3,500 personnel with indoor storage for 310 vehicles, of covered warehouse space, and outdoor storage of approximately twenty acres for vehicles, lumber, equipment, and supplies. The base also had its own radio station VOUS which carried US radio network shows and Armed Forces Radio Service broadcasts.On February 27, 1942, the headquarters for the Newfoundland Base Command had moved from temporary quarters at 44 Rennie's Mill Road on the estate of the country's former prime minister, Sir Richard Squires. At this time, Fort Pepperrell's capacity was increased to 5,500 personnel. Roads on the base followed a unique survey design in the form of a stylized cowboy hat. The streets have undergone some minor changes over the years, however the pattern is still noticeable by following Roosevelt Avenue, Churchill Avenue and Charter Avenue—these street names being in honour of the Atlantic Charter.
Image:Fort Pepperrell.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Barracks at Fort Pepperrell
The primary tenant unit at the base was the 6604th Air Base Wing, which maintained and operated Fort Pepperrell.
In March 1952, John Williams was assigned to Northeast Air Command 596th Air Force Band at the base. Williams wrote his first film composition later in 1952 while stationed at the base for a promotional film titled You Are Welcome, created for the Newfoundland tourist information office.
The Royal Canadian Air Force established RCAF Station Torbay on December 15, 1941, and shared this facility with the USAAF and USN, along with the Royal Air Force.