Scuiscuiban, Somalia - where exactly is it?

[Resmoroh]

Hello All,
Just to tidy this one up a bit!
We spend a considerable time and effort on these threads trying to establish the Who, When, Where, and How. Much less effort is devoted to Why!
The “runway” at Iskushuban/Scuiscuiban (threshold GE 10.314134 50.211154) measures 5790 feet long, by 560 feet wide (even I couldn’t miss “landing” on that!!).
As an exercise I “flew” an A/S Patrol from Scuiscuiban N to the coast (ground rises to 4500 ft ASL halfway), then W from headland to headland until abeam Aden, N to Aden, the E from headland to headland as far as As Sufal, then S back home. A possible A/S sortie? About 917 nm. Scuiscuisban is 75 nm from the coast. Therefore 150 nm of that sortie (16+% of time, fuel, reason,?) would have been over land (spotting the occasional camel-train?), and not achieving the original purpose of the sortie! Why?
Now, I appreciate that the current “runway” there may well have been created (for various reasons, and by various vested interests – you could get an Antonov AN-225 on/off there easily!!) post-WW2, but why base at Scuiscuisban? The whole of that area (bar a few potholes, wadis, stunted bushes, etc,) is one huge ‘airfield’. And 75 nm was well beyond the (then) range of naval gunfire.
I do not expect to get an answer as to Why – but I still ask the question Why?
HTH
Peter Davies

[wwrsimon]

Peter

It's definitely in the middle of absolutely nowhere! I see from the 2005 photos on GE Pro that there's a runway running SE - NE too - marked at the corners with white 'L' shapes. There do appear to be the shapes of the remains of three or so buildings too, just sto the south of the eastern end of the main west-east runway.

As I mentioned before, if it was built by the Ialians, maybe they built it for another reason, perhaps to keep an eye on restless locals? If it was already there and ready, then maybe the R.A.F. though 'why not?'

Maybe a stop-off from/to somewhere else? An emergency landing ground?

There is a file at the National Archives (Air 29/146/8) about Scuiscuiban: https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ils/r/C7159521

I've ordered a copy - be interesting to see what's in there...

Regards

Simon

[Resmoroh]

Simon, Hi,
Flight Simulator (FSX) also has an 05/23 'runway' on its HCMS 'blowup' (intersection with 09/27 at c. GE 10.314164 50.202204) but I still can't see it on my GE! I can 'see' a turning circle cleared of veg at the S of the E end of the main r/w (would take an AN-225, or a C-141?) but not at the W end!
I'll bet that night-flying circuit-bashing with just half-a-dozen goose-necks to delineate the r/w was fun!!!
It could have been used by the Italians to suppress/quell any insurrection(s) from NE of a line Berbera > Eyl?
Yr TNA decript could be V interesting in that it might shed light on Why!!!!!!!!!
HTH
Peter Davies!