Marine Corps Air Station Ewa (site)

 airport, military, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, historical layer / disappeared object

Marine Corps Air Station Ewa (MCAS Ewa) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located 17 miles west of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Originally founded as an airship base for the United States Navy in 1925, The airship program was cancelled after 3 of the 4 dirigibles located there crashed during the 1930s. The bases’ upgrade to air station began in September 1940 and on February 3, 1941 it was commissioned Marine Corps Air Station Ewa. The base was hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor and later served as the hub for all Marine aviation units heading into combat in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The based was closed in 1952 because its runways were too short for the jet aircraft and expansion was impossible due to the proximity of Naval Air Station Barbers Point. Ewa has been abandoned since 1952 however two of its runways are still visible from the air and many of the revetments still remain in good condition.

In 2008, the US Navy announced they would be leasing 499 acres of the old air station to Ford Island Properties, who plan on building expensive homes and shopping centers to create an urban center for Kapolei. The Navy has said that 4 to 5 acres of the base near the center of the old runways qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places. While some local looking to preserve the field are trying to rally support to make it a National Cemetery. The Navy and Ford Island Properties were expected to conclude their lease agreement in August 2008.

In 2013 the Honolulu City Council moved forwards on a plan to have a road built over the airfield.