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County of Dare |
| For Immediate Release: 7/11/2012 | Contact: Public Relations Office 252.475.5900 darecountypr@darenc.com |
New Historical Marker Displayed on Roanoke Island
The Dare County Regional Airport is pleased to announce the unveiling of a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker honoring the Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol Base 16 service during a ceremony at 10:30 AM on Saturday, July 21 at the site of the marker on Airport Road on Roanoke Island near the North Carolina Aquarium. A reception will be held following the ceremony. North Carolina Senator Stan White, Dare County Chairman Warren Judge and keynote speaker Frank Blazich are scheduled to speak. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this historical ceremony.
Established on December 1, 1941, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) organized the nation's civilian pilots into a "flying minutemen" organization, utilizing private aviation resources for the nation's defense. The most famous mission of the CAP involved the men and women on antisubmarine duty from 1942 until August 1943, at 21 Coastal Patrol Bases (CPB) stretching from Maine down the East Coast into Texas on the Gulf of Mexico.
Daily missions for CPB 16 stationed in Manteo contributed more than just anti-submarine patrol. From dawn to dusk the two-man, single-engine, private aircraft with a simple radio for communication flew up to 40 miles offshore, up and down the coast, providing convoy escort, search for wreckage, survivors, floating mines, and suspicious floating objects, and other services. On August 31, 1943, all 21 CPB were formally disbanded, their mission complete. CPB 16 flew over 9,000 hours and a million miles on their patrol missions. The men and women who served were, with few exceptions, all from North Carolina.
Questions about the ceremony may be directed to the Dare County Airport Museum Curator, John Ratzenberger, at 252.573.9016 or email: museum@darenc.com In the event of inclement weather, follow signs from the original location to the alternate location in the Airport "Pavilion" Building or the Airport Lobby.
