The day the U.S. Army turned a Hawaiian airport into a wasteland

The Army’s Deliberate Destruction of Burns Field

Port Allen Airport started as a small landing strip in the 1920s but grew into Kauai’s main air hub by 1929. Back then, folks paid $20 to fly on Sikorsky seaplanes from the newly built Burns Field.

Everything changed after Pearl Harbor. The U.S. Army quickly took over the airport and made a bold move – they plowed up the runways.

Why? To stop any Japanese planes from using it if they invaded.

For the next four years, all flights had to use the military base at Barking Sands instead.

The quiet airfield in Eleele today still shows traces of this dramatic wartime transformation that once left it deliberately broken and abandoned.

Army Signal Corps Started It All in the 1920s

The story of Port Allen Airport kicked off in the early 1920s when the U. S. Signal Corps and Army Air Corps built a simple landing strip near Port Allen on Kauai.

The military needed a spot for their planes to land, so they made this basic airfield.

They also built a communication station nearby where Signal Corps staff lived and worked. The military called this new landing area “Burns Field,” after a military officer who served in the area.

Hawaii Spent $15,000 for a Real Airport in 1928

The Territory of Hawaii saw the potential for regular air travel and bought 29. 35 acres of land next to Burns Field in 1928.

They paid $15,000 for this land, which was big money back then. This purchase let them create a proper airport for local people.

The new civilian airport sat right next to the Army’s 67-acre Burns Field, creating a combined flying hub that served both military and civilian needs.

Passengers Paid $20 for First Flights in 1929

Regular air service came to Port Allen on November 11, 1929, when Inter-Island Airways started passenger flights to and from the airport. The airline used Sikorsky S-38 amphibian aircraft for these early flights.

These planes could land both on water and regular runways, making them perfect for island-hopping in Hawaii. Passengers paid $20 for a ticket, which was pretty expensive then but gave people on Kauai new travel options.

Workers Upgraded the Airport Just Before the War

In the years before World War II, Port Allen Airport got some major improvements thanks to Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects.

The government spent $127,100 on clearing land, leveling the ground, and paving proper runways.

These upgrades turned Port Allen into Kauai’s main flying hub, with better facilities for the growing number of planes and passengers.

Pearl Harbor Changed Everything for Kauai’s Airports

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, completely changed things for all Hawaiian airports. Military leaders quickly checked which places might be easy targets if Japan tried to invade the islands.

Port Allen Airport, with its newly improved runways, seemed risky.

Military planners worried that Japanese forces might use this civilian airport if they attacked Kauai.

The Military Took Over Port Allen Almost Overnight

After the Pearl Harbor attack, the U. S. Army quickly took control of Port Allen Airport. They stopped all civilian flights and made the airfield part of their island defense plan.

The military needed to control all possible landing spots to stop enemy aircraft from using them.

They grounded civilian planes and put the entire place under strict military control to help secure Hawaii against possible invasion.

Soldiers Destroyed the Runways on Purpose

In one of the most dramatic security moves of the war, the military actually tore up the runways at Port Allen Airport.

Work crews used heavy equipment to rip up the pavement and create deep furrows in the landing surfaces.

This planned destruction made the runways totally unusable for any aircraft, making sure enemy planes couldn’t land there if they somehow reached Kauai.

All Flights Moved to Barking Sands During the War

With Port Allen Airport out of action, all flying on Kauai moved to the Air Force field at Barking Sands. This military base became the only working airfield on the island throughout the war.

Both military flights and any allowed civilian air traffic had to use this single facility. The military controlled all approvals for flights, with war needs taking top priority over civilian travel.

Local Travel Got Much Harder for Kauai Residents

The closing of Port Allen Airport created big problems for people living on Kauai. Locals faced very limited options for air travel during the war years.

Strict travel rules and military priorities meant that most civilian travel requests got denied or delayed.

The easy island-hopping that people had started to enjoy before the war mostly vanished, making Kauai feel more cut off than it had in years.

Rebuilding Cost $33,457 After the War

After the military gave Port Allen Airport back to civilian control in 1946, major work began to fix the damaged runways. The total cost to repair the airport reached $33,457, a lot of money for post-war Hawaii.

The Federal Government helped with the expense, giving $17,500 toward the restoration work. Workers repaved runways, fixed buildings, and got the airport ready for civilian use again.

Civilian Planes Returned While Airlines Stayed Away

Following the rehabilitation work, Port Allen Airport reopened to civilian aviation in 1946. Small private planes and non-scheduled operators quickly returned to use the rebuilt facilities.

However, the scheduled airlines that had served Kauai before the war made a different choice.

They continued operating from Barking Sands under Civil Aeronautics Administration regulations, finding the military field better suited to their larger aircraft and passenger operations.

Visiting Eleele, Hawaii

Port Allen Airport in Eleele gives you a chance to see where Kauai’s main airfield was deliberately destroyed during World War II.

The U. S. Army took over this 184-acre facility and ruined the runways as a security measure, forcing all flights to move to Barking Sands military base.

Today you can visit the general aviation area for free and see helicopter tours and skydiving operations using the single 2,450-foot runway.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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