Any fan of aviation or naval history is familiar with this incredible image, that of a monstrous hangar filled with 150~ fresh and brand new F4U Corsairs and at least another 100 F6F Hellcats, plus a few random Helldivers, likely heading for points Pacific in WWII.
The image was inside one of the two wooden blimp hangars at Naval Air Station Santa Anita in Tustin, Orange County, California. Built in 1942 for the U.S. Navy’s Lighter Than Air Program, they were constructed of Douglas Fir, with each some 1,072 feet long, 292 feet wide, and 192 feet high.
Hangar construction with blimp in the air, Lighter Than Air (LTA) Base, 1942
Hangar construction of the roof, Lighter Than Air (LTA) Base, 1942
Hangar construction, Lighter Than Air (LTA) Base Tustin
Hangar Number One under construction, Lighter Than Air (LTA) Base, Tustin, 1943
Each was large enough to store six fully inflated K-class blimps.
Keep in mind a K blimp had a 425,000 cu ft volume and went 251 feet in length.
Or seven in a pinch.
After the war, when the LTA program was put to bed, the base became Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Tustin and was an important cradle for USMC helicopter operations in the Korean and Vietnam eras.
Aerial view of the Tustin MCAS blimp hangar and Tustin area, ca. 1960. Note the H-34s on the ground around the hangar
It hosted rotor-wing elements of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing into the early 1990s when it was hit by BRAC and closed in 1999.
Meanwhile, Hangars 1 and 2 endured and had been designated in 1975 as National Landmarks and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since then, they have appeared as backdrops in dozens of movies and TV shows.
Sadly, historic Hangar 1 met its end this week due to a fire. It was quick and couldn’t be contained.
Via the Tustin Police Department
Via the Tustin Police Department
Anyone with general questions can call the Tustin Police Department/OC Fire Authority hotline at (714) 628-7085.
Hopefully, Hangar 2 will continue to stand for another 81 years to offset the loss of its sister.