Pease Air Force Base, Portsmouth New Hampshire

Location: Located 3 miles W of Portsmouth, NH.

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Origin of current name: Named in honor of Capt Harl Pease, Jr (1917-1942). Despite repeated attacks on his B-17 by enemy fighters on 7 Aug 1942, Captain Pease completed bombing an enemy airdrome at Rabaul, New Britain. Though his crew shot down several enemy aircraft, the bomber did not return from this mission. Captain Pease posthumously received the Medal of Honor.

Date current name was assigned to base: 7 Sep 1957

Previous Names: Portsmouth Airdrome, 13 Oct 1942-15 Jun 1944, Portsmouth Municipal Airport, 16 Dec 1954; Portsmouth Air Force Base, 1 Feb 1955.

Construction Began: 8 Dec 1952



Changes in Capability: Base rebuilt to accommodate a bomb wing and air base group 1955; base facilities developed for B-47s and KC-97s Apr-Dec 1956; runway, apron, and taxiway rehabilitation project completed fall 1957; 1,100-unit Capehart housing project completed Dec 1959; facilities upgraded for B-52 and KC-135 operations, also NH ANG occupied part of the base, 1966; facilities completed for one SAC FB-111 wing 1969-1971; new hospital completed fall 1974; 100 additional 4-bedroom homes and a 50-space mobile home park completed Jul 1977; new 105-foot control tower completed summer 1979; water treatment plant completed 1982.

Major Changes in Status: Subbase of Grenier Fld, 30 Apr 1943-1 Jan 1944; on standby status, 28 Mar 1944; transferred to U.S. Navy, 15 Jun 1944; on inactive status (USAF jurisdiction), 1 Feb 1955; on active status, 1 Jan 1956.

History

Pease AFB was first developed as a municipal airport in the 1930s by the City of Portsmouth. With the onset of World War II, the U.S. Navy used the airport and in 1946 transferred exclusive rights of the airfield to the Air Force. The Air Force selected the installation for development as a Strategic Air Command base in 1951, and construction of the present base was completed in 1956 with the arrival of the first B-47 aircraft. The mission of Pease AFB was to maintain a combat-ready force capable of long-range bombardment operations.

The 100th and 509th medium bomb wings were located at Pease AFB from 1958 to 1964 along with 130 aircraft (B-47 and KC-97) and 9,000 personnel. From 1966 to 1969, the 509th heavy bomb wing and the New Hampshire Air National Guard were located at Pease AFB along with 30 aircraft (B-52 and KC-135) and 5,000 personnel. In 1970, the 509th was converted to a medium bomb wing with 45 aircraft (FB-111 and KC-135) and 3,000 to 4,000 personnel. This level of activity continued until the base closed in 1991. During this time period the New Hampshire Air National Guard continued its operations at Pease.

In 1988, BRAC selected Pease AFB as one of 86 military installations to close. Military personnel began leaving the base in 1990, and Pease was closed as an active military installation on March 31, 1991. The New Hampshire Air National Guard remains at the airfield and uses some of the existing facilities. With the exception of two areas, which have been made available to the Department of the Interior and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, the remainder of Pease AFB was made available to the State of New Hampshire's Pease Development Authority for reuse as a civilian airport and commercial center. Renamed Pease International Tradeport, the airport opened for civilian use in 1991 and became an FAA certified airport in October 1992.

Portsmouth

Situated halfway between Boston and Portland, Maine, and located approximately 2 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean on the Piscataqua River, the city of Portsmouth is the only deep water harbor in New Hampshire. This strategic coastal location has played a key role in the development of Portsmouth as a major economic and cultural center from the 17th century to the present time. Portsmouth is the second oldest community in New Hampshire. Originally settled as Strawberry Banke, the city of Portsmouth was incorporated in 1631. For most of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, Portsmouth was a major shipbuilding center, and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was established in 1800.

The economic base of the city began to shift toward agriculture and industry during the 1820s and 1830s when textile mills were established in the communities surrounding Portsmouth. Portsmouth served as the main shipping outlet for these communities, with raw cotton and bricks carried up the Piscataqua River and finished textiles carried downriver. In 1905, Portsmouth gained international fame when the Treaty of Portsmouth ended the Russo-Japanese War. The Port of Portsmouth was designated a foreign trade zone in 1983, confirming its importance in the shipping industry.

More than 17 percent of Portsmouth's land is within the bounds of Pease AFB, now known as the Pease International Tradeport.