Blimp Hangars

Tim,
You're correct, they are blimp hangars. The ones in Santa Ana (Tustin) are reputed to be the largest wooden supported ono-supported structures in the world. Had a good friend that went through PR (parachute rigger) training in Lakehurst in '66 that said they were very large. Look almost identical to the LTA hangars, don't they? I'm under the impresion that the Lakhurst hangars are not wood supported. Do you know one way or the other, Tim??

Dirigable Hangar

This post made me wonder about the Goodyear Hangar at Akron Ohio which I suspect was the original model for all the Navy Blimp Hangars. This because they built the first Navy Dirigables. I visited the Hangar I believe it was 1930 with my Uncle. They were building either the Akron or the Macon. I remember people picking up the aluminum girder on display & commenting how light the new material was. That hangar appears to be about exactly like all the Navy Hangars. SF PM

Santa Ana

Morning muster at the hanger at Santa Ana somehwere around May of 68... The SMaj. read a blurb saying that 1MAW had 24 "openings" in Nam.

My Memphis Helo school classmates Bill Benson, George Zamora, Bill Greenman, a bunch of other fools (Sosa? Mc...? can't remember the names) including myself all volunteered so it was on to Pendelton's Staging Bn. and then to Marble Mt.

Kinda wished we had more time at Santa Ana. I think we were there less than a month.... Seemed like a decent duty station. Definitely a far cry from the lowly NAS Dallas.

Thanks to the posters of the photos. Really gigs the memory button.

Blimp hanger future?

Here is a photo of what I have in my home town of Houma, Louisiana, an example of what will happen if local government is left to care for a blimp base. I hope Santa Ana has a more dignified future than this. I am in disbelief of what I have read here. Of all the things that could have been done with that facility it really angers me to know of this very limited imagination of the West Coast politicians.

End Of Flight Ops

cbreef;19389 wrote: who was the last to leave???

I was browsing this forum pertaining to MCAS Tustin. You were trying to find out what the last squadron was on station. If you have not yet got an answer, I can tell you it was HMH-361. I am sorry that I cant tell you when it was. I was curious one day and desided to check out the base and I went to hngr. 3. It was empty except for the civ. mod team was finishing up their last aircraft. Jerry Santoya told me that it belonged to 361 and that they needed to finish there work on it it that day.
I stopped in to see who was around from 361 and spoke with the MMCO. They just had a skeliton crew there to finish up the loose ends of transfering their aircraft to the receiving squadron at Miramar because the rest of 361 was already on Okinawa for their UDP. The following day that last -53E was flying to Miramar and that effectively closed air ops at Tustin forever. (except when they flew those B-25's there to film that "Pearl Harbor" movie)
Wish I could give you some kind of date but cant even tell you the year. I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Rich Lowe

This is the history of the hangars from the Town of Tustin. Very good!

http://www.tustinca.org/departments/redev/documents/TTH-TitansofHistory.pdf

Found PDF history of Tustin Hangers

GREAT find, Wally!

Thanks for posting this link.

It should be enjoyed by a multitude of Marines.

1951 Vmo-2, Hmm161

I have a photo of part of the first 19 Officers & 243 Enlisted personnel that opened the base . Me, Tsgt 2nd row 2nd man from the left. I was Line Chief than in VMO-2. We arrived and had a detail to clean up the back end of Hangar one for our Squadron offices etc. The Navy occupied the other end of the Hangar with their Blimps. Many may remember Charlie Knox & Buck Yeager. Charlie later was a LDO Capt & is deceased at Punch Bowl Honolulu . Buck also is deceased , he was at the first HMX-1 reunion years ago & passed on couple months later. This Memorial day brings back so many memories of my WW2, Korea & Vietnam years & all those Brothers mostly gone on their last flight ! ! Semper Fidelis Paul (shoud be HMR 161 VS HMM)