Warwick, BM 🇧🇲 Closed Airport
BM-0003
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- ft
BM-U-A
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 32.27513° N, -64.81915° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
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Approximately 1948
Technological obsolescence and military conversion. The primary reason for the base's closure was the construction and establishment of Kindley Field (now L.F. Wade International Airport), a large land-based airfield built by the U.S. Army during World War II. The post-war aviation industry rapidly shifted from flying boats to more efficient, faster, and higher-capacity landplanes. This technological shift rendered the seaplane base commercially and strategically obsolete, with all major airlines moving their operations to the new land airport by 1948.
Today, Darrell's Island is a public park and recreational area managed by the Government of Bermuda's Department of Parks. The island is a popular destination for locals and tourists for camping, boating, swimming, and picnics. Most of the extensive airport infrastructure, including hangars and administrative buildings, has been removed. However, some remnants of its past, such as concrete foundations, walls, and the old slipways where the seaplanes were hauled from the water, can still be found by visitors exploring the island.
Darrell's Island was Bermuda's first airport and a pivotal site in the 'Golden Age' of aviation. Operations began in 1936 with a flight by an Imperial Airways Short Kent flying boat. It quickly became a crucial mid-Atlantic refueling stop for the pioneering transatlantic passenger services operated by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) and Imperial Airways (later BOAC). The base was famous for servicing iconic flying boats like Pan Am's Sikorsky S-42 and the legendary Boeing 314 'Clippers', as well as Imperial's Short Empire flying boats. It was a symbol of luxury travel, connecting the United States and Europe. During World War II, the facility was commissioned by the Air Ministry and became 'RAF Darrell's Island'. It served as a vital staging post for the Royal Air Force Ferry Command, repairing and servicing Allied aircraft being flown across the Atlantic. It also housed a crucial censorship station, where thousands of workers inspected all mail passing between the Americas and Europe.
There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Darrell's Island as a seaplane base or any other type of aviation facility. The island is now zoned for recreational use, and Bermuda's aviation needs are fully met by the modern L.F. Wade International Airport (TXKF/BDA). The historical significance of the site is preserved through its status as a park rather than through any active aviation role.
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