UXO Site selected: New Castle Army Air Base, DE
General Area: New Castle, DE

Site Type/Program: FUDS

Location: New Castle Army Air Base consisted of approximately 1,475.11 acres near Wilmington, Delaware located in New Castle County.

Brief History: Military use of the airfield began when the U.S. Army leased the New Castle County Airport from the New Castle County Levy Court on 26 November 1941. The Army immediately started expanding the facilities at the airport and on 29 May 1942, the Air Transport Command activated the headquarters of the 2nd Ferrying Group. The mission of the 2nd Ferrying Group was to ferry new aircraft to destinations in the European Theater and around the globe. These included bombers, fighters, cargo and liaison aircraft. The name of the installation officially became New Castle Army Air Base in July 1942. Some documents refer to the site as the New Castle Army Airfield but this was not the official name. The 2nd Foreign Transport Group, also stationed at the base, shipped supplies all over the world. This Group gained fame with its Crescent Caravan, consisting of a fleet of C-54 cargo planes which delivered supplies to India and China. Early in 1950, the Air Force Reserve Corps set up a training facility as a tenant organization at New Castle. The use of the airport as a fighter-interceptor base began in August that year, when the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing moved to the field and participated in the Air Defense Command's perimeter protection network until November. They were replaced by two Air National Guard units called to active duty on 1 February 1951. Assignments included flying intercept missions, along with conducting air to air, air to ground gunnery training missions and rocket training. The Air Force stationed additional fighter-interceptor wings at the base during the Korean Conflict but they left the base by the end of the conflict. The Air Force also stationed a troop carrier wing at the base for a short period between 1950 and 1951. Military use of the facility persists, as the Delaware Air National Guard continues to occupy a portion of the base to this day. During the 1950s, they flew bomber and fighter aircraft. On 7 April 1962, their mission changed to an air transportation unit.
Range / Site Description:

Associated Munitions:

Activities Completed: The Draft Archives Search Report (ASR) was completed by St. Louis District in July 1997.

Issues: Based on the ASR, no areas for possible removal action have been identified concerning OE or CWM.

Other Information: NOFA
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New Castle Air Base FUDS- Click Map for Larger View
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