Qualla: Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island

Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island: Introduction

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit CC BY-SA 2.0. The small craft that would carry American soldiers onto the beaches of Normandy, Iwo Jima, and a hundred other hostile shores was first tested here, on a rocky island 68 miles from the California mainland. In 1939, the Navy developed the Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel at San Clemente Island, and from that moment the island's fate was sealed. Today, Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island, also known as Frederick Sherman Field, serves as the hub of the Navy's busiest fleet airspace and the only location in the Pacific where surface ships, submarines, aircraft, and expeditionary forces can train simultaneously in all warfare areas.

Image: CC BY-SA 2.0

Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island: The Southernmost Channel Island

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Marines from Arlington, VA, United States, Public domain. San Clemente Island stretches 21 miles long and 4.5 miles at its widest, covering 57 square miles of volcanic terrain. It lies roughly 55 miles south of Long Beach and 70 miles west of San Diego, isolated enough for the kind of training that cannot happen near civilian population...

Image: Marines from Arlington, VA, United States | Public domain

Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island: Sherman's Field

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Marines from Arlington, VA, United States, Public domain. On January 11, 1961, the station was officially designated Frederick C. Sherman Field in honor of Vice Admiral Frederick C. Sherman, a three-time recipient of the Navy Cross. Sherman had commanded carriers in World War II, leading strikes against Japanese positions across the Pac...

Image: Marines from Arlington, VA, United States | Public domain

Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island: The Only Place of Its Kind

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Marines from Arlington, VA, United States, Public domain. What makes San Clemente Island irreplaceable is its integration of air, sea, surface, and subsurface training capabilities. The San Clemente Island Range Complex covers 2,620 square nautical miles and includes the Navy's only remaining ship-to-shore live firing range. Two mine ex...

Image: Marines from Arlington, VA, United States | Public domain

Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island: Green Power on a Remote Outpost

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Marines from Arlington, VA, United States, Public domain. Despite its remote location and military mission, San Clemente Island has become a test bed for renewable energy. The Navy installed three 225-kilowatt wind turbines to reduce diesel fuel consumption and harmful emissions. Between February 1998 and April 2000, the turbines genera...

Image: Marines from Arlington, VA, United States | Public domain