In March 1944 the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service ordered the construction of an airfield near Marpi Point on the northern end of the island of Saipan as part of a general plan to improve defenses in the Marianas.

[3] The US Navy took possession of Marpi Point Field and the 51st Naval Construction Battalion and Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU) 614 expanded the existing 4,500-foot (1,400 m) runway to 7,000 feet (2,100 m) and built a second 3,500-foot (1,100 m) runway, becoming part of Naval Advance Base Saipan.

[7][8] A contemporary correspondent praised these civilians, describing them as "the pride of Japanese women" and their self-sacrifice as "the finest act of the Shōwa period.

"[9] Postwar the entire northern region of Saipan was called NAS Tanapag and home to the U.S. Navy's Technical Training Unit (NTTU), a CIA cover.

The former airfield is part of the National Historic Landmark District Landing Beaches; Aslito/Isely Field; & Marpi Point, Saipan Island, designated in 1985.