Naval Air Station Beaufort was commissioned on 15 June 1943, for advanced training operations of anti-submarine patrols during
World War II. It was deactivated in 1946 and reactivated in 1956. On 1 March 1960, it was re-designated Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. On 19 September 1975, the airfield was named Merritt Field in honor of Major General
Lewie G. Merritt, USMC, a 1917 graduate of
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. A native of
Ridge Spring, Merritt was a
Marine Aviation pioneer who served in both World Wars and commanded several major flying units in the South Pacific during World War II, after retirement he also served as legal counsel to the South Carolina Legislature. The air station encompasses 6,900 acres (28 km2). It is also associated with a large air-to-air combat area off the coast of
South Carolina and
Georgia as well as the Townsend Bombing Range, a 5,200 acre (21 km2) air-to-ground combat and bombing range in
McIntosh County, Georgia. Attached to the base is also the housing complex of
Laurel Bay, three miles (5 km) from the station, that provides family housing for area servicemembers. Formerly home to USMC
F-8 Crusader and
F-4 Phantom II operations, MCAS Beaufort currently hosts all active duty USMC
F/A-18 air operations on the East Coast, said aircraft and squadrons being assigned to
Marine Aircraft Group 31 (MAG-31). The mission of MCAS Beaufort is to provide support as an operational base for MAG-31 and its associated squadrons, Marine Corps support units and tenant
U.S. Navy strike fighter squadrons. The mission of the Marine Aircraft Group is to conduct anti-air-warfare and offensive air support operations in support of
Fleet Marine Forces from advanced bases, expeditionary airfields, or aircraft carriers and conduct such other air operations as may be directed. Two Navy F/A-18 strike fighter squadrons under the claimancy of
Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic at
NAS Oceana, Virginia were also previously homeported at MCAS Beaufort. The population of the on-base "city" includes nearly 4,000 active-duty servicemembers and more than 700 civilian workers. As is the case with many air bases, MCAS Beaufort hosts a bi-annual air show open to the public. In April 2007, a
fatal crash occurred involving an aircraft from the
Blue Angels demonstration team during the show. MCAS Beaufort's nickname is "Fightertown East".
MCAS Miramar in
San Diego, California is the more commonly known "Fightertown", also called "Fightertown USA", the latter having acquired the nickname when it was under Navy control as NAS Miramar. MCAS Beaufort's Dental Clinic shares a building with the Medical Clinic. The Dental Clinic has five to seven dentists who support the squadrons' oral health care needs. The 1979 film
The Great Santini, based on a novel written by
Pat Conroy which centered on MCAS Beaufort in the early 1960s, was filmed on base and in the local area. == Tenant Squadrons ==