Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, former Air Force base in Canada
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former American military airfield in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, built in 1941 during World War II. The facility featured multiple long paved runways, large hangars, fuel storage tanks, and a deepwater port called Port Harmon that supported extensive military aircraft operations across the Atlantic.
The base was established in 1941 under a British-American agreement and served as a refueling hub for transatlantic flights and Atlantic defense during World War II. After the war, it expanded rapidly during the Cold War with upgraded runways and facilities until its closure in 1966.
The base's name honors Captain Ernest Harmon, an Army Air Corps pilot remembered since 1948 through this designation. The local community witnessed a dramatic shift from a quiet Acadian fishing settlement to a major military hub that shaped the region's identity for generations.
Visitors can see original wartime hangars now used for storage and an old ammunition bunker hidden in the hills built to withstand attacks. The site is easily reached via Hansen Memorial Highway, and the airfield now operates as Stephenville International Airport with open grounds for exploring the site's history.
One unusual structure on the grounds is an old crematorium behind the local hospital with four crosses atop its tall concrete chimney. The remains of the furnace are still visible, offering a glimpse into a lesser-known chapter of the site's military past.
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