In 1914, when World War I erupted, the island of Ireland was under British rule. As the war progressed the German U-boat fleets in the Atlantic were sinking a huge amount of shipping and the admiralty came to realise the strategic significance of the southern and western ports of Ireland in countering the U-boat menace.
However it was not until the closing stages of the war in February 1918 that the United States was invited to establish five naval stations in Ireland at Berehaven, Lough Foyle, Queenstown, Wexford and Whiddy Island to conduct surface and aerial operations against German forces.
In this episode we are exploring the US Naval Air Station established at Queenstown now known as Cobh on Ireland’s south coast and we will cover the other Naval Stations in future episodes. The town of Cobh was known as Queenstown from 1849 until 1920.
Owing to its naturally sheltered harbour, Cobh gained significance as a maritime hub for shipbuilding and emerged as a strategic naval military base during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s. By 1918, Britain and the USA faced substantial losses from U-boat attacks.
Departing in 1838 from nearby Passage West, located to the north-west of Cobh, the SS Sirius was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. We have previously covered this story “SS Sirius first paddle steamer to cross Atlantic – captained by a Corkman | Season 1 – Episode 78” – https://irelandmade.ie/ss-sirus-first-paddle-steamer-to-cross-atlantic-captained-by-a-corkman-season-1-episode-78/
As a key transatlantic Irish port, the town served as the embarkation point for two and a half million out of the six million Irish emigrants heading to North America from 1848 to 1950. On April 11, 1912, known then as Queenstown (Cobh), it marked the final port of call for the SS Titanic before the ship embarked on the final leg of its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Of the 123 passengers who boarded at Cobh, only 44 survived the subsequent sinking.
NAS QUEENSTOWN
The United States Naval Air Station Queenstown was constructed on lands known locally as Aghada, on the eastern side of Cork harbour. The lands were commandeered under the Defence of the Realm Act of 1914, this legislation provided the authority to requisition buildings or land deemed crucial for the war effort.
NAS Queenstown was officially commissioned on February 22, 1918 and in September of the same year became operational with six hangars and three slipways. The station functioned as a seaplane base, assembly and repair location for aircraft and as a training station for pilots.
Despite its relatively brief operational period, ending in April 1919, the station’s aircrews, operating Curtiss H-16 flying boats, conducted sixty-four war patrols and executed three bombing attacks against German U-boats.
CURTISS FLYING BOATS
The Curtiss Model H-16 was renowned for its long-range capabilities and played a crucial role in World War I, serving in the anti-U-boat warfare of both the American and British navies. These flying boats were commissioned and developed in the United States in response to The Daily Mail’s 1913 £10,000 prize challenge for the first non-stop aerial Atlantic crossing.
During a time when airports were virtually non-existent, the versatile Curtiss flying boats, were soon of great interest to the British admiralty as anti-U-boat patrol craft and for air-sea rescue roles.
Introduced in 1917, the H-16 model, nicknamed the “Large America” marked the culmination of the evolutionary journey for this class of flying boat with extended wingspan and a reinforced hull design. The H-16s used Liberty engines while in U.S. Navy service and Eagle IVs when serving with the Royal Navy. However, the American Navy pilots held a negative opinion of the H-16 due to their concerns that in the event of a crash landing, the substantial Liberty (tractor) engines positioned above and behind the cockpit would dislodge and move forward, potentially hitting the crew.
CLOSURE NAS QUEENSTOWN
By the end of the war on 11th November 1918, NAS Queenstown was home to thirty planes and over one thousand American navy personnel. The base at Aghada Queenstown (Cobh) officially closed on 20th April, 1919. The Irish Naval Service headquarters is now situated on Haulbowline Island, facing the town of Cobh.
Information sources and photo credits:
Abandoned, Forgotten & Little Known Airfields in Europe – RV
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Naval Air Station Queenstown, Ireland 1918 – U.S. Naval Institute
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Reserve Flying Corps, Ensign, Naval Aviator #751
Rickard, J (20 January 2021), Curtiss H-16 ‘Large America’ , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_curtiss_H16_large_america.html
RTE Archives
The Froass Family, Oneida, NY and the collection of Paul E. Froass, United States Naval
US Naval History and Heritage Command
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