Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, CU 🇨🇺 Closed Airport
CU-0015
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- ft
CU-14
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 19.911501° N, -75.1642° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
While there is no recent traveler review information for McCalla Field (CU-0015) as an active airport, it's important to note that McCalla Field ceased operations as an airfield around 1970 and has since been repurposed for other uses within the Naval Station, such as housing refugee camps and "Camp Justice" for military commissions. Travelers to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GTMO) arrive at the Leeward Point Airfield (also referred to as the Naval Station's passenger terminal).
Overall, traveler sentiment for those authorized to access GTMO appears to be one of managed expectations for a military installation, with a focus on mission-critical travel. While the experience is highly regulated, the base offers a range of amenities.
What Travelers Love (Regarding travel to GTMO via the Naval Station Passenger Terminal):
Common Complaints (Regarding travel to GTMO via the Naval Station Passenger Terminal):
Overall, travel to Guantanamo Bay Naval Station is a highly controlled and specific experience, catering primarily to the needs of military and authorized personnel. While the journey involves strict protocols and some logistical hurdles, the base itself strives to provide a comprehensive, albeit isolated, "Americanized" environment for its residents and visitors.
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Circa 1970s
McCalla Field was closed to fixed-wing aircraft operations due to military modernization and operational redundancy. The primary reason was its replacement by the much larger and more capable Leeward Point Field (now Guantanamo Bay Naval Air Station, MUGM) located on the opposite side of the bay. McCalla Field's runway was too short and ill-equipped to handle the larger, heavier, and faster jet aircraft that became standard for the U.S. military post-WWII. Leeward Point Field was specifically developed to accommodate these modern aircraft, making McCalla Field obsolete for its original purpose.
The site of the former McCalla Field is now integrated into the main infrastructure of the Windward side of the naval station. While the faint outline of the old runway is still visible from the air, the area has been extensively repurposed. It currently houses various base support facilities, including administrative buildings, family housing, recreational areas, and storage facilities. A key function of the area is hosting the ferry terminal that provides transportation across the bay to the Leeward side, where the current airport is located. The site is still used for aviation, but exclusively for helicopter operations, with designated helipads located on the grounds of the former airfield.
McCalla Field holds significant historical importance as the first permanent airfield established at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in 1931. Named after Rear Admiral Bowman H. McCalla, it was a cornerstone of U.S. naval aviation in the Caribbean for decades. Initially, it operated both land-based planes and seaplanes, utilizing a ramp into Guantanamo Bay. During World War II, the airfield was a critical base for anti-submarine patrol squadrons hunting German U-boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Windward Passage. It also played a supporting role during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, handling reconnaissance and utility aircraft, although the primary jet operations had already shifted to Leeward Point Field. For many years, it was the aviation hub on the main (Windward) side of the naval base.
There are no known plans or prospects for reopening McCalla Field as a fixed-wing airport. The site has been thoroughly redeveloped with permanent infrastructure that would be costly and difficult to remove. Furthermore, the modern Guantanamo Bay Naval Air Station (Leeward Point Field) is fully operational and capable of meeting all current and foreseeable fixed-wing aviation requirements for the naval base. Reopening McCalla Field would be operationally redundant, economically impractical, and strategically unnecessary.