Griffiss Air Force Base: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 05:33, 6 September 2021

Griffiss Air Force Base (1941-1995) - A United States Air Force base first established as Rome Air Depot in 1941 at Rome, Oneida County, New York. Finally renamed Griffiss Air Force Base in 1948 after many name changes. Named for Lt. Colonel Townsend E. Griffiss who was lost on a mission to Russia in 1942. Selected for closure by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) in 1993 with most functions ending with the base closing in 1995. Finally closed in 1998 when the airfield ceased operation. The airfield is now Griffiss International Airport, owned by Oneida County, New York.

Griffiss Control Tower.	Lt. Colonel Townsend E. Griffiss Memorial Stone.
Static B-52G Display Still on the Former Griffiss Air Force Base.

World War II

The Rome Air Depot site was selected in May 1941 and construction began in August 1941. The base opened for beneficial occupancy on 2 Feb 1942. On 1 Feb 1942, the Rome Air Depot was activated as a World War II aircraft engine maintenance and repair depot. Throughout the war, the base provided depot-level repair services and training for repair crews.

Post World War II

**Griffiss AFB Host Commands** (edit list)
Dates	Command/Agency	Notes
1941-1951	Air Material Command (AMC)	later Air Force Logistical Cmd (AFLC)
1951-1954	Air Research and Development Command
1954-1968	Air Material Command (AMC)
1968-1970	HQ Ground Electronics Engineering Installation Agency (GEEIA)	arrived 1958 & became host in 1968
1970-Closure	416th Bomb Wing (SAC)

**Griffiss AFB Combat Units** (edit list)
Dates	Command/Agency	Notes
1950-1951	1st Interceptor Group
1957-1959	4727th Air Defense Group
1959-1987	49th Fighter Squadron
1959-1963	4039th Strategic Wing
1963-1991	416th Bombardment Wing
1991-1993	416th Wing

--TBF--

Closure

Identified for closure in 1993 by the BRAC Commission. All units were deactivated or relocated except Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS), Rome Research Site, and Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). The base closed and 416th Bomb Wing was deactivated on 30 Sep 1995, airfield closed in 1998.

Current Status

Closed as an Air Force Base with three military functions remaining now as a part of the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. The three remaining functions are (1) the Rome Research Site of the Air Force Research Lab, (2) the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) of North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), and (3) the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Rome Location. The airfield is now Griffiss International Airport, owned by Oneida County, New York.

Little remains to indicate that this was an Air Force Base except for the static display of a B-52G bomber and an ALCM cruise missile at the intersection of Mohawk Drive and Perimeter Road.

{"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"}

Location: Rome, Oneida County, New York.

Maps & Images

Lat: 43.22382 Long: -75.41021

Multi Maps from ACME
Maps from Bing
Maps from Google
Elevation: 504'

See Also:

Closed Air Force Bases

Sources:

USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 978267

Links:

Visited: 18 Jun 2016

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{SocialNetworks}}
 {{PageHeader}}
-'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (1941-1995) - A United States Air Force base first established as [[Rome Air Depot]] in 1941 at Rome, Oneida County, New York. Finally renamed [[Griffiss Air Force Base]] in 1948 after many name changes. Named for Lt. Colonel [[Townsend Griffiss]] who was lost on a mission to Russia in 1942. Selected for closure by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) in 1993 with most functions ending with the base closing in 1995. Finally closed in 1998 when the airfield ceased operation. The airfield is now Griffiss International Airport, owned by Oneida County, New York.
+'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (1941-1995) - A United States Air Force base first established as [[Rome Air Depot]] in 1941 at Rome, Oneida County, New York. Finally renamed [[Griffiss Air Force Base]] in 1948 after many name changes. Named for Lt. Colonel [[Townsend E. Griffiss]] who was lost on a mission to Russia in 1942. Selected for closure by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) in 1993 with most functions ending with the base closing in 1995. Finally closed in 1998 when the airfield ceased operation. The airfield is now Griffiss International Airport, owned by Oneida County, New York.
 {|{{FWpicframe}}
 |- valign="top"
-|width="50%"|-[[File:.jpg|300px|thumb|left|]]
+|width="50%"|[[File:Griffiss Tower.jpg|350px|thumb|left|Griffiss Control Tower.]]
-|width="50%"|[[File:.jpg|300px|thumb|right|T]]
+|width="50%"|[[File:Townsend Griffiss Memorial.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Lt. Colonel Townsend E. Griffiss Memorial Stone.]]
 |-
-|colspan="2"|[[File:.jpg|795px|thumb|center|]]
+|colspan="2"|[[File:Griffiss AFB Static B-52G.jpg|795px|thumb|center|Static B-52G Display Still on the Former Griffiss Air Force Base.]]
 |}
 == [[World War II]] ==
-The Rome Air Depot site was selected in May 1941 and construction began in August 1941. The base opened for beneficial occupancy 2 Feb 1942. On 1 Feb 1942, the Rome Air Depot was activated as a [[World War II]] aircraft engine maintenance and repair depot. Throughout the war the base provided depot level repair services and training for repair crews.
+The Rome Air Depot site was selected in May 1941 and construction began in August 1941. The base opened for beneficial occupancy on 2 Feb 1942. On 1 Feb 1942, the Rome Air Depot was activated as a [[World War II]] aircraft engine maintenance and repair depot. Throughout the war, the base provided depot-level repair services and training for repair crews.
 == Post World War II ==
+[[File:Griffiss Hangers.jpg|795px|thumb|center|Griffiss Hangers]]
+{{GriffissAFBHostCmds}}
+{{GriffissAFBCombatUnits}}
 --TBF--
+{{Clr}}
 == Closure ==
-Identified for closure in 1993. All units relocated except Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS), Rome Research Site, and Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). Base closed 30 Sep 1995, Airfield closed 1998.
+Identified for closure in 1993 by the BRAC Commission. All units were deactivated or relocated except Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS), Rome Research Site, and Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). The base closed and 416th Bomb Wing was deactivated on 30 Sep 1995, airfield closed in 1998.
 {{Clr}}
@@ Line 27: / Line 32: @@
 {|
 |
-<googlemap version="0.9" lat="43.22382" lon="-75.41021" zoom="13" width="500" scale="yes" overview="yes" controls="large" icons="http://www.fortwiki.com/mapicons/icon{label}.png">
+<googlemap version="0.9" lat="43.22382" lon="-75.41021" zoom="13" width="-500" height="-500" scale="yes" overview="yes" controls="large" icons="http://www.fortwiki.com/mapicons/icon{label}.png">
 (A) 43.22382, -75.41021, Griffiss Air Force Base
 (1941-1995)
@@ Line 47: / Line 52: @@
 * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffiss_Air_Force_Base Wikipedia - Griffiss Air Force Base]
 * [https://dmna.ny.gov/forts/fortsE_L/griffissAir.htm New York State Military Museum - Griffiss Air Force Base]
+* [http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Griffis_AFB.htm Strategic Air Command - Griffiss AFB]
 {{Visited|18 Jun 2016}}
@@ Line 60: / Line 65: @@
 [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
 [[Category:Starter Page]]
-[[Category:World War II Army Airfields]]
 [[Category:Cold War Air Force Bases]]
 [[Category:Air Force Bases]]
 [[Category:Closed Air Force Bases]]