Wikipedia

Marine Corps Air Station Tustin

For the planned community, seeTustin Legacy, Tustin, California.

Marine Corps Air Station Tustin(IATA:NTK,ICAO:KNTK,FAALID:NTK) is a formerUnited States NavyandUnited States Marine Corpsair station,located inTustin, California.

Marine Corps Air Station Tustin
Tustin, California
Hangar No. 2(South Hangar) at the former Marine Corps Air Station inTustin, Californiameasures 1,072 feet (327 m) long by 292 feet (89 m) wide by 192 feet (59 m) tall. It and its sister structure (partially visible to the right) are listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesand designated aNational Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.The two hangars, built in 1942 of OregonDouglas fir,are among the largest free-standing wooden structures in the world.Hangar No. 1(North Hangar) was destroyed by fire in November, 2023.[1]
Map
MCAS Tustin is located in the United States
MCAS Tustin
MCAS Tustin
Location in the United States
MCAS Tustin is located in California
MCAS Tustin
MCAS Tustin
Location in California
Coordinates33°42′25″N117°49′30″W/ 33.707°N 117.825°W/33.707; -117.825
TypeMilitary base
Site information
Controlled byUnited States Marine Corps
Site history
Builtcommencing 1 April 1942
In use7 October 1942 – 2 July 1999

History

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The Air Station was established in 1942 by the United States Navy as a lighter-than-air base, officially known asNaval Air Station Santa Ana.[2]The base was designed forblimpoperations in support of the Navy's coastal patrol efforts duringWorld War II.It was commissioned on 1 October 1942 by its commandant, Capt. Howard N. Coulter.[3]As of July 1947, the facility, under command of Capt. Benjamin May, had personnel consisting of 100 officers, 500 enlisted men and 180 civilian employees.[4]NAS Santa Ana was decommissioned in 1949. In 1951, the facility was reactivated asMarine Corps Air Facility Santa Ana[2]to support theKorean War.It was the country's first air facility developed solely for helicopter operations. It was named "Marine Corps Air Station, Santa Ana" in 1966 and renamedMarine Corps Air Station Tustinin 1979.

During theVietnam War,the base was a center for on-going testing of radar installations (including the Sperry TPS-34) which were erected, tested, disassembled and shipped toSouth Vietnam.It also was a training facility for helicopter pilots.

By the early 1990s, MCAS Tustin was a major center for Marine Corps helicopter aviation and radar on the Pacific Coast. Its primary purpose was to provide support services and material for the3rd Marine Aircraft Wingand for other units utilizing the base. About 4,500 residents once lived on the base, and the base employed nearly 5,000 military personnel and civilians. In addition to providing military support, MCAS Tustin leased 530 acres (2.1 km2) to farmers for commercial crop development. For many years, agricultural lands surrounded the facility. However beginning in the 1980s residential and light industrial/manufacturing areas developed adjacent to the station.

In 1991 and again in 1993, under the authority of the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990, it was announced that MCAS Tustin would be closed. Operational closure of the base occurred in July 1999. Of the approximately 1,600 acres (650 ha), some 1,294 acres (524 ha) (now known collectively as "Tustin Legacy") have been conveyed to the City of Tustin, private developers and public institutions for a combination of residential, commercial, educational, and public recreational and open-space uses. The remaining 300-plus acres (120 ha) will be conveyed to other federal agencies, the City of Tustin, and public institutions for the same uses once environmental clean-up operations have been concluded. The site of the base is now the home of the academy of theOrange County Sheriff's Department.Much of the former base has become residential housing.

The base was featured inVisiting... withHuell HowserEpisode 1509.[5]

Blimp hangars

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In 1993, the blimp hangars were designated aNational Civil Engineering Landmarkby theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers(ASCE).[6]Worldwide Aeros Corputilized the north hangar to build a prototypecargo airshipunder contract from thePentagonandNASA.[7]In October, 2013, part of the roof collapsed, damaging the airship prototype.[8]There was interest in making one of the hangars a military museum.[9]

The blimp hangars have been used for location shooting for numerous movies and TV programs, includingJAGandThe X-Files.[2][10]

Tustin Hangar No. 1 fire, 11:48 am 7 November 2023

On 7 November 2023 at approximately 12:53am, athree-alarm firebroke out on the roof of the North Hangar.Orange County Fire Authorityunits responded, adapting a defensive strategy and letting it burn due to the risk of roof collapse. An investigation has been opened into the cause of the fire.[11][12]Several schools inTustin Unified School Districtwere temporarily closed when asbestos was detected near the fire on 9 November.[13]Tustin authorities plan to demolish the remainder of the hangar,[14]and demolition commenced in December.[15]The hangar site is to be completely remediated by the U.S. Navy.[16][17]

Proposals

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Plans are in the works to convert 84.5 acres (34.2 ha) of the former base into a regional park, originally scheduled to be opened in 2016.[1]In the summer of 2013, OC Parks was in the process of gathering input from the community in order to determine the features and layout of the forthcoming facilities.

Although the preservation of the hangars is one of the greatest concerns raised in surveys taken by OC Parks, the fate of the south hangar is uncertain.

The City of Tustin has met with officials from theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim,proposing the former air base as a potential site for a new stadium for the team, whose lease with theCity of Anaheim'sAngel Stadiumallowed the team to opt out between 2016 and 2019.[18]

In 2016, Orange County and the South Orange County Community College District arranged for a land swap of ten acres to be used to replace the aging Orange County Animal Shelter in nearbyOrange.In July 2016, a ground-breaking ceremony was held.[19]

  • Hangar No. 1 at MCAS Tustin under construction, 1942.
  • A different view of Hangar No. 1 under construction.
  • Six US Navy blimps in one of the two hangars at MCAS Tustin, date unknown.
  • A 1943 photo of a Navy 'K' type blimp in front of one of MCAS Tustin's massive blimp hangars.
  • A March, 1966 photo of aCH-46A "Sea Knight"helicopter from HMM-165, with one of Tustin's massive blimp hangars in the background.
  • AUSMCCH-53D "Sea Stallion"helicopter undergoes maintenance inside one of MCAS Tustin's giant blimp hangars, date unknown.
  • MCAS Tustin insignia.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Regional Park at Former MCAS Tustin".Retrieved23 May2013.
  2. ^abcPaul Freeman (8 February 2016)."Historic California Posts: Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin".California Military History Online.Retrieved3 April2021.
  3. ^Associated Press, "Dirigible Base Is Opened at Santa Ana",The San Bernardino Daily Sun,San Bernardino, California, Friday 2 October 1942, Volume 49, page 1.
  4. ^Associated Press, "Santa Ana to Lose Naval Air Station",The San Bernardino Daily Sun,San Bernardino, California, Monday 28 July 1947, Volume 53, page 2.
  5. ^"Tustin – Visiting (1509) – Huell Howser Archives at Chapman University".
  6. ^Fry, Hannah; Petri, Alexandra E. (7 November 2023)."Cavernous WWII-era hangar burns in Tustin, destroying a relic of Orange County's military past".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved8 November2023.
  7. ^W. J. Henningan (4 January 2013)."Construction is complete on behemoth airship; first flight planned".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved7 January2013.
  8. ^Flores, Adolfo; Bartletti, Don (7 October 2013)."WWII-era blimp hangar's partial collapse triggers helium leak".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved20 March2018.
  9. ^McKibben, Dave (3 January 2002)."Veterans Group Hopes to Convert Tustin Hangar Into an Interactive War Museum".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved9 November2023.
  10. ^Valdez, Jonah (8 November 2023)."Tustin hangar fire: Air base was a major Hollywood player in 'Star Trek,' 'Pearl Harbor' and more".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved8 November2023.
  11. ^Flores, Adolfo; Bartletti, Don (7 November 2023)."WWII-era blimp hangar's partial collapse triggers helium leak".The Guardian.Retrieved7 November2023.
  12. ^Lloyd, Jonathan (7 November 2023)."Fire burns former Tustin Air Base hangar, part of Orange County's military history".NBC Los Angeles.Retrieved7 November2023.
  13. ^"Tustin public schools closed after asbestos detected in historic hangar fire debris".ABC7 Los Angeles.9 November 2023.Retrieved18 November2023.
  14. ^Arellano, Gustavo (15 November 2023)."Column: O.C. let its history rot. And the Tustin hangar fire is still burning".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved18 November2023.
  15. ^"The Tustin Hangar fire is out and deconstruction has begun".New Santa Ana.6 December 2023.Retrieved8 December2023.
  16. ^"Tustin Hangar Fire: Community Update".City of Irvine. 12 November 2023.Retrieved8 December2023.
  17. ^Warner, Gary (14 May 2024)."Navy cost for fire at shuttered California blimp hangar could surpass $100M".Stars and Stripes.Retrieved17 May2024.
  18. ^DiGiovanna, Mike (15 February 2014)."Angels owner Arte Moreno meets with Tustin officials to talk stadium".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved19 February2014.
  19. ^Nissen, Dano (1 August 2016)."$35 Million Animal Shelter Replaces Tustin Marine Base".KNBC.NBC.Retrieved2 August2016.

Further reading

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