Location
Located in the northern portion of Tinian.

Construction
Built by the Japanese, it was known as Ushi Point Airfield. 

Japanese Usage
Heavily damaged in the pre-invasion bombardment. When the airfield was captured, the wreckage of C6M1 Myrt tail 21-103.

American Usage
After the Marine landing, Seabees began repairing the strip, even before the fighting had ended. After 45 days and nights of continuous work, a field was made ready 11 days ahead of schedule. In that time the construction of the three 6000' runways involved the moving of nearly 1,000,000 cubic yards of earth and coral while 900,000 truck miles were absorbed.  A fourth runway was constructed in May 1945. Hardstands for 265 B-29 bombers were made as well.  The four parallel 8,000 foot runways are oriented nearly east-west.

Probably one of the most historically important airfields in the Pacific. This field was the base for B-29 Superfortress raids on Japan. Bombers from Tinian flew 1,500 mile round trip flights to Japan and back.

American Units based at North Field (Ushi Point)
505th BG, HQ USA December 19, 1944 - ?
313th BW, 504th BG HQ USA December 23, 1944
504th BG, 398th BS (B-29) USA December 23, 1944
504th BG, 421st BS (B-29) USA December 23, 1944
505th BG, 482nd BS (B-29) USA December 24, 1944
505th BG, 483rd BS (B-29) USA December 24, 1944
505th BG, 484th BS (B-29) USA December 24, 1944
6th BG, HQ USA December 28, 1944
6th BG, 24th BS (B-29) USA December 28, 1944
6th BG, 39th BS (B-29) USA December 28, 1944
9th BG, HQ USA December 28, 1944
9th BG, 1st BS (B-29) USA December 28, 1944
9th BG, 5th BS (B-29) USA December 28, 1944
9th BG, 99th BS (B-29) USA December 28, 1944
509th Composite Group, Adv echelon USA May 18, 1945
509th Composite Group, HQ USA May 18, 1945
509th Composite Group, 320th TCS (C-47, C-54, B-29) USA May 30, 1945
509th Composite Group, 393th BS (C-47, C-54, B-29) USA May 30, 1945
509th Composite Group combat crews arrive (B-29) June 11, 1945
504th BG, 680th BS (B-29) USA June 15, 1945

HQ 6th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and the 24th and 39th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy) (first mission 27 Jan 45); HQ 9th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and the 1st, 5th and 99th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy) (first mission 25 Jan 45).

Today
Disused since the war, the crushed coral runways are grayish and weathered-looking, but very derivable (only some weedy growth crawling out onto it here and there).   B-29's still existed at the field after the war but were melted for scrapped in 1950. These runways are still visible today.

The field is abandoned and overgrown, and easily accessible a few miles traveling north of "San Jose" on "Broadway". Other than the runways, nothing seemed to be left of the old facilities. No buildings were to be seen. The forest had grown right up to the edges of the runways and taxiways.

Atomic Bomb Pit #1 and Memorial
The No.1 bomb loading pit on Tinian where the atomic bomb, "Little Boy" was stored before being loaded onto the B-29 "Enola Gay" 44-86292. This area was heavily guarded and a tent erected over the bomb before this top secret weapon was loaded onto the bomber, and was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Today, a single coconut palm and a plumeria tree grow in it. Locals have always observed misshapen coconuts on this tree, normal ones have never been produced on this tree. This hole is probably one of the most historically charged remain of the island's past.

Atomic Bomb Pit #2
Next to it is pit "No.2", where "Fat Man" atomic bomb was loaded into B-29 "Bockscar" 44-27297 and dropped over Nagasaki. Today, the two concrete lined pits are filled in with dirt.

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Last Updated
October 19, 2009

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