Port Angeles Army Air Field, Washington
Longitude: -123.500
Port Angeles Army Air Field was a World War II military airfield located near Port Angeles, Washington, on the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula. Constructed to defend the Pacific Northwest from potential attacks, it supported air patrols and training missions for the U.S. Army Air Forces. The site later evolved into the present-day William R. Fairchild International Airport.
Built in 1942 amid fears of Japanese incursions along the Pacific Coast, the airfield was one of several defensive installations established across Washington State. Its twin runways, hangars, and dispersal areas accommodated fighter and observation aircraft assigned to regional air defense. Units stationed there conducted anti-submarine patrols over the Strait of Juan de Fuca and practiced interception missions.
After the war, the U.S. Army Air Forces deactivated the installation in 1945, transferring control to local authorities. Civil aviation activity resumed quickly, and the facility was renamed William R. Fairchild International Airport in honor of a local pilot. Most wartime structures were removed or repurposed, though the general airfield layout remains evident.
