Bristol Field Airport

Military base decommissioning. The airport was the airfield component of Naval Station Argentia, a joint US/Canadian facility operated by the US Navy. Following the end of the Cold War and the diminished threat of submarine warfare in the North Atlantic, the US military initiated a series of base closures under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program. Naval Station Argentia was identified for closure, and all US military operations ceased in 1994, with the facility being turned over to the Canadian government.

The site is no longer an airport and is not used for aviation. After the military's departure, the entire former base, including the airfield, was redeveloped and is now managed by the Port of Argentia. It has been transformed into a heavy industrial seaport and commercial park. The extensive runways and taxiways, while physically still visible, are not maintained for flight operations. They are primarily used as large-scale industrial laydown and storage areas for the offshore oil and gas industry, wind energy components, and other heavy equipment. The port itself is a major ice-free, deep-water facility serving as a key support hub for Newfoundland's offshore energy projects like Hibernia and Hebron.

Bristol Field was the airfield at Naval Station Argentia, a strategically vital military installation with immense historical importance.

- **Establishment:** The base was established in 1941 as part of the 'Destroyers-for-Bases Agreement' between the US and the UK, granting the US a 99-year lease to build a naval and air station on Newfoundland soil (then a British Dominion).

- **The Atlantic Charter:** In August 1941, Argentia was the site of the Atlantic Conference. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met aboard warships in Placentia Bay, adjacent to the base, to draft the Atlantic Charter. This pivotal document defined the Allied goals for the post-war world and is a cornerstone of modern international relations.

- **World War II:** During the Battle of the Atlantic, Argentia was a crucial forward base for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. It hosted US Navy patrol squadrons flying aircraft like the PBY Catalina, as well as blimps, to protect Allied convoys from German U-boats. It also served as a staging point for transatlantic military flights.

- **Cold War:** The base's strategic importance continued throughout the Cold War. It was a key node in the SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System) network, which tracked Soviet submarines. The airfield hosted numerous maritime patrol squadrons operating aircraft such as the P-2 Neptune and later the P-3 Orion. It also served as a Master Diversion Airfield, a designated emergency landing site for any aircraft, military or civilian, in distress over the Atlantic.

There are no known plans or credible prospects for reopening Bristol Field as a certified, operational airport. The regional air transportation needs are met by St. John's International Airport (CYYT). The focus of the Port of Argentia is entirely on expanding its maritime, industrial, and renewable energy capabilities. The significant cost of recertifying and maintaining the runways for aviation use, combined with a lack of market demand, makes reopening unfeasible. The land is considered more valuable in its current role supporting heavy industry.