NAS Whiddy Island was a US naval air station

Naval Air Station

A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...

 during the latter period of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Located on Whiddy Island

Whiddy Island

Whiddy Island is an island near the head of Bantry Bay, Ireland. It is approximately long and wide. The topography comprises gently-rolling glacial till, with relatively fertile soil...

 in Bantry Bay

Bantry Bay

Bantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km wide at the head and wide at the entrance....

, County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, it was also known as Bantry Bay Station. The base was built by local contractors. The first US personnel arrived on 12 March 1918 and flight operations began on 25 September 1918. The base, located on the eastern end of the island, operated under wartime conditions for only seven weeks and was closed on 15 February 1919. It was used by flying boat

Flying boat

A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...

s which monitored the area south of Kinsale (where the RMS Lusitania

RMS Lusitania

RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...

 had been torpedoed) for submarine activity. The aircraft took off and landed in Bantry Bay and were pulled up a concrete ramp to the airfield for servicing and storage.

Another World War I US naval air station in Ireland was in County Wexford, NAS Wexford

NAS Wexford

NAS Wexford, a US naval air station, was built during World War I at a site formerly used by the Royal Naval Air Service to protect the southern entrance to the Irish Sea. A seaplane station, it was located at Ferrybank. All construction was done by American labour and was finished on 18 September...

.