Naval Air Station Tillamook

Naval Air Station Tillamook. It was a United States Navy airship facility established during World War II on the northern Oregon Coast. The station was primarily used for anti-submarine patrols along the Pacific coastline using K-class and M-class blimps. Its most distinctive features were two massive, clear-span wooden hangars, among the largest such structures ever built.

History

The station's establishment was a direct response to the threat posed by Imperial Japanese Navy submarines following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Oregon Coast was considered vulnerable, with the Ellwood Oil Field in California even shelled by a Japanese submarine in early 1942. The United States Department of the Navy selected a site near Tillamook due to its flat terrain and proximity to the ocean. Construction began rapidly under the oversight of the United States Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks, with the facility commissioned in December 1942. Its operations fell under the command of Fleet Air Wing 8 and later Fleet Air Wing 4.

Construction and facilities

The most formidable engineering challenge was constructing two enormous hangars to house the delicate airships. The design was based on a similar structure at Naval Air Station Moffett Field in California. Built by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, the hangars were constructed from Douglas fir timber due to wartime steel shortages. Each building was over 1,000 feet long, 296 feet wide, and 192 feet tall, covering more than seven acres. The complex also included a large helium storage and purification plant, barracks, a military hospital, workshops, and a network of paved runways and taxiways.

Operations and squadrons

The primary mission was coastal patrol and anti-submarine warfare. Airships from Blimp Squadron 33 (ZP-33) and later Blimp Squadron 31 (ZP-31) conducted routine patrols from the station, escorting Allied convoys and searching for enemy vessels. These K-ships could remain airborne for over 24 hours, providing a persistent surveillance capability. While no U-boat contacts were confirmed from Tillamook, the presence of the airships served as a significant deterrent. The station also supported training missions and occasional search and rescue operations along the rugged coastline.

Decommissioning and legacy

With the end of World War II, the strategic need for coastal airship patrols diminished rapidly. Advances in land-based aircraft like the Lockheed P-2 Neptune made blimps obsolete for many military roles. The station was placed in a caretaker status in 1945 and was formally decommissioned by the United States Navy in 1948. The land and some facilities were eventually transferred to Tillamook County. The station's brief but intense period of operation marked a unique chapter in both Oregon's wartime history and the history of lighter-than-air aviation in the United States Armed Forces.

Hangar B and present use

Of the two original hangars, Hangar B survives. Its sister, Hangar A, was destroyed by a fire in 1992. Hangar B, a National Register of Historic Places listed structure, is now the home of the Tillamook Air Museum. The museum houses a collection of historic aircraft and exhibits on naval aviation, with a focus on the station's own history. The immense scale of the hangar itself remains the primary attraction, offering a tangible link to the site's past. The surrounding property is part of the Port of Tillamook Bay industrial park, with some original support buildings still in use.

Category:United States Navy airship stations Category:World War II on the West Coast of the United States Category:Buildings and structures in Tillamook County, Oregon