RAAF Base Scherger
RAAF Base Scherger (ICAO: YBSG) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located approximately 26 km (16 mi) east of Weipa on the western side of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. One of three bare bases in a chain of bases across Australia's top end, the base is occupied by a caretaker staff and can be activated at relatively short notice. The base was constructed by troops drawn mainly from the 17th Construction Squadron, in what is believed to have been the biggest project undertaken by the Royal Australian Engineers at the time.
| RAAF Base Scherger | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near Weipa, Queensland in Australia | |||||||
Gate to RAAF Scherger | |||||||
RAAF Base Scherger YBSG Location in Queensland | |||||||
| Coordinates | 12°37′24″S 142°05′12″E | ||||||
| Type | Military air base | ||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Owner | Department of Defence | ||||||
| Operator | Royal Australian Air Force | ||||||
| Website | RAAF Base Scherger | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| In use | 5 August 1998 – present | ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Occupants | 'Bare base' | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: YBSG | ||||||
| Elevation | 44 metres (145 ft) AMSL | ||||||
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| Sources: AIP | |||||||
Opened on 5 August 1998 by the Prime Minister, John Howard, the base was named in honour of Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Scherger who was the Australian Chief of the Air Staff (now known as Chief of Air Force) from March 1957 to May 1961 and the equivalent of what is now Chief of the Defence Force from 1961 to 1966.