sland returned to Yugoslavia. During the war the island was
mined. Allied fighter planes were based at a small airfield that was also used
for emergency landings of Allied bombers, including an American B-24 flown by
George McGovern. After the war, the Yugoslav People's Army used the island as
one of its main naval bases. After Croatia became independent in 1991, its navy
did not reclaim most of the facilities, and the many abandoned buildings are
being used for civilian purposes. In 2008, 34 mines left over from World War II
were cleared from the island
