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Da Nang Air Base (Vietnamese: Căn cứ không quân Đà Nẵng) (1930s–1975) (also known as Da Nang Airfield, Tourane Airfield or Tourane Air Base) was a French Air Force and later Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility located in the city of Da Nang, Vietnam.
On 28 July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that the U.S. would increase the number of its forces in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000. The arrival of additional USMC and United States Air Force squadrons at Da Nang AB led to severe overcrowding at the base and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (I MAW) began looking for an alternative site for the helicopter squadrons of MAG-16.
In 1968 a Direct Air Support Center was established at the base, responsible for all air support missions throughout I Corps. [5] The 1st Radio Battalion was located at the base and was responsible for signals interception of VC and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) communications until November 1970 when it moved to Camp JJ Books. [5]: 258 [6]
A map of the Da Nang Area, Spring 1965 from U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Landing and the Buildup, 1965. Date: 1978: Source:
Military Region 1's forces disintegrated during the 1975 Spring Offensive (the Hue–Da Nang Campaign). The situation for the South Vietnamese in Military Region 1 had regained some stability after the defeat of a three-division PAVN push during late 1974.
The base was located on the peak of Sơn Trà Mountain, overlooking Danang Harbour and China Beach. [1] In 1962, the U.S. Navy Officer in Charge of Construction directed the American construction contractor RMK-BRJ to build a new Air Control Radar Station atop the north peak of the mountain, including 12 buildings at the bottom of the mountain and 11 buildings atop the mountain, as well as the ...
While base facilities were under construction, the fleet deployed to Danang LSTs, a Landing Ship Dock (LSD) and an Attack Transport (APA), the latter for quartering and messing NSA personnel. The harbor defense unit used landing craft, picket boats and 16 feet (4.9 m) Boston Whalers to monitor and protect the maritime traffic.
The South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) also used Da Nang as a ranger training facility. Air Vietnam also used the facility from 1951 to 1975 for civilian domestic and international flights within Southeast Asia. During the Vietnam War (1959–1975), the facility was known as Da Nang Air Base, and was a major United States military base. Once little ...