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Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) is a naval air station of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
located on two pieces of land near Oak Harbor, on
Whidbey Island Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington State. (The other large island is Camano Island, ...
, in Island County,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. The main portion of the base, Ault Field, is about three miles north of Oak Harbor. The other section, called the Seaplane Base for the
PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...
flying boats once based there, holds most of the island's Navy housing as well as the air station's main
Navy Exchange Navy Exchange is a retail store chain owned and operated by the United States Navy under the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM). The Navy Exchange offers goods and services to active military, retirees, and certain civilians on Navy installati ...
and DeCA Commissary. The NASWI commanding officer also has command of a satellite airfield, Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Coupeville, on central Whidbey Island at , roughly nine miles south of Ault Field. Primarily used for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) by carrier-based jets, this field has no permanently assigned personnel. NASWI supports the
MH-60S Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificatio ...
helicopter and the
EA-18G Growler The Boeing EA-18G Growler is an American carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet. The EA-18G replaced the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowlers in service with the United States Navy. ...
,
P-8 Poseidon The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN). Th ...
, EP-3E ARIES, and
C-40 Clipper The Boeing C-40 Clipper is a military version of the Boeing 737 Next Generation used to transport cargo and passengers. It is used by the United States Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The Navy C-40A variant is named "Clipper", whereas the U ...
fixed-wing aircraft.


History


1940s

On 17 January 1941, almost 11 months before the U.S. entered World War II, the Office of the
Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...
asked the Commandant of the 13th Naval District to find a location to re-arm and refuel Navy patrol planes defending Puget Sound. Lake Ozette, Indian Island, Keystone Harbor, Penn Cove and Oak Harbor were considered and rejected because of mountainous terrain, bluff shore front, inaccessibility, the absence of sufficient beaches, and lee shores. Within 10 days, the commanding officer of
Naval Air Station Seattle Naval Station Puget Sound is a former United States Navy, United States Naval station located on Sand Point (peninsula), Sand Point in Seattle, Washington. Today, the land is occupied by Magnuson Park. History After World War I, a movement was b ...
(NAS Seattle) recommended the site of
Saratoga Passage Saratoga Passage lies in Puget Sound between Whidbey Island and Camano Island. Saratoga Passage extends about 18 miles in a northwesterly direction from its entrance between Sandy Point, Camano Island, Washington, Sandy Point on the Whidbey Isla ...
on the shores of
Crescent Harbor A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...
and Forbes Point as a base suitable for seaplane takeoffs and landings under instrument conditions. A narrow strip of land tied Oak Harbor to what is now Maylor's Point Capehart Housing. Dredging, filling, and running water and power lines to the city were underway at the end of November when the word came to find a land plane site. On December 8, three workers started a topographic survey of what would become Ault Field, about four miles to the north. Construction of Ault Field started on 1 March 1942. The first plane landed there on 5 August, when Lieutenant Newton Wakefield, a former civil engineer and airline pilot, who later became the air station's Operations Officer, brought his SNJ single-engine trainer in with little fanfare. Everyone was busy working on the still-incomplete runway. On 21 September 1942, the air station's first commanding officer, Captain Cyril Thomas Simard, read the orders placing the field in use as a Navy facility. U.S. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was duly commissioned. A year later, on 25 September 1943, the land plane field was named Ault Field, in memory of Commander William B. Ault, missing in action in the previous year's
Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...
. Following the recommendation of the Interdepartmental Air Traffic Control Board, an area 2½ miles southeast of Coupeville was approved as an auxiliary field to serve NAS Seattle. Survey work began in February 1943, and work started in March. Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Coupeville was in use by September. At Ault Field, the earliest squadrons of aircraft were
Grumman F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atlan ...
s, which came aboard in 1942, followed by
Grumman F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...
s. Later that year,
Lockheed PV-1 Ventura The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in ...
s arrived for training. By the end of 1943, all F4F Wildcats were gone, replaced by the F6F Hellcat. In 1944,
Douglas SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/div ...
dive-bombers became the predominant aircraft at Ault Field, while at the Seaplane Base, several
Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...
and
Martin PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner was an American Maritime patrol aircraft, patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and Consolidated PB2Y Coronado, PB2Y Coronado in s ...
seaplanes were aboard in the summer of 1944, augmented by a few land-based
Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...
s that arrived earlier that year to be used for towing targets. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, operations slowed and the station was placed on reduced operating status. Many naval air stations across the United States were closing because they couldn't meet the requirements on post-war naval aviation; 6,000-foot runways were now the minimum standard and approach paths had to be suitable for radar-controlled approaches in any weather.
Lockheed P2V Neptune The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (designated P2V by the United States Navy prior to September 1962) is a Maritime patrol aircraft, maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. It was developed for the US Navy by Lockheed Corporation, Lockh ...
patrol bombers, which arrived in the late 1940s, would eventually make up six patrol squadrons at NAS Whidbey.


1950s

The Korean War restored NAS Whidbey to life and expansion and construction accelerated. Throughout the early 1950s, Whidbey's primary land based patrol aircraft was the Lockheed P2 Neptune. During the Korean War and Cold War, six P2 Neptunes were lost to attack by the Chinese, Russians, or North Koreans. One of these six Neptunes was permanently stationed at NAS Whidbey and remains the only Neptune from Whidbey lost to attack. While on a night Combat Reconnaissance mission of 4 Jan 1954, Patrol Squadron VP-2 on a six-month deployment from Whidbey to Iwakuni, Japan, suffered its only Combat Casualty with the loss of BuNo 127752, a P2V-5 Neptune, radio call sign 3 Cape Cod which was attacked over the Yellow Sea off the coast of China and North Korea. The Neptune reached the vicinity of Suwon Air Base, South Korea before crashing. The crew of LT Jesse Beasley-PPC, LT Fredric Traynor Prael-Co Pilot, ENS Paul Dominick Morrelli, ENS Stanley Burt Mulford, ADC Robert George Archbold-Plane Captain, AD2 James Frank Hand, AT3 Bruce David Berger, AO3 Gordon Spickelmier, AL2 Rex Allen Claussen, and AT2 LLoyd Bernard Rensink, all listed as FALLEN. In 2005 each crewmember was awarded the Navy Combat Action Ribbon, Purple Heart, Korean War Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal. The South Korean Government bestowed its Korean Presidential Unit Citation and Korean War Service Medal on the men. Patrol Squadron FIFTY (VP-50) moved from
NAS Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...
, California, in June 1956, returning seaplanes to NAS Whidbey. Flying the Martin P5M-2 Marlin, patrol squadrons dominated the Seaplane Base until the late 1960s along with the seaplane tender, USS Salisbury Sound. During the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, patrol plane activity was stepped up again with several Naval Air Reserve units being called up and redesignated as active duty squadrons. By the end of the war, there were six VP (Patrol) squadrons and two Fleet Air Support squadrons based at Whidbey. In 1955,
VP-29 VP-29 was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 14-F (VP-14F) on 1 November 1935, redesignated Patrol Squadron 14 (VP-14) on 4 September 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 52 (VP-52) on 1 July 1939, re ...
returned from a deployment to the Pacific and was redesignated as
Heavy Attack Squadron Two Heavy may refer to: Measures * Heavy (aeronautics), a term used by pilots and air traffic controllers to refer to aircraft capable of 300,000 lbs or more takeoff weight * Heavy, a characterization of objects with substantial weight * Heavy, ...
(VAH-2), the first heavy attack squadron on the West Coast, the "heavy" designation reflecting its concentration on nuclear weapons delivery. Later that year, it moved to
NAS North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (NB ...
in
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
to switch to the Douglas A-3D Skywarrior. In 1958, the Heavy Attack Squadron Six (VAH-6) ("Heavy-6") Fleurs, moved from
NAS Moffett Field Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 10, ...
, California, where they had been the Navy's second nuclear attack squadron. As part of CVG-61/
CVW-6 Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing whose operational history spans from the middle of World War II to the end of the Cold War. Established in 1943 as Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17), it would be ...
, the squadron then made several WestPac deployments aboard the
USS Ranger (CVA-61) The seventh USS ''Ranger'' (CV/CVA-61) was the third of four supercarriers built for the United States Navy in the 1950s. Although all four ships of the class were completed with angled decks, ''Ranger'' had the distinction of being the first ...
prior to transferring to
CVW-8 Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8), is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier Mission To conduct carrier air warfare operations and assist in the ...
for operations in the Mediterranean aboard the
USS Forrestal (CV-59) USS ''Forrestal'' (CVA-59) (later CV-59, then AVT-59), was a supercarrier named after the first United States Secretary of Defense James Forrestal. Commissioned in 1955, she was the United States' first completed supercarrier, and was the lead s ...
. Transferred to
Naval Air Station Sanford Naval Air Station Sanford was a naval air station of the United States Navy in Sanford, Florida, approximately 20 miles north of Orlando, Florida. Opening less than a year after the start of World War II, NAS Sanford's initial function was as ...
, Florida, VAH-6 was redesignated
Heavy Reconnaissance Squadron Six Heavy may refer to: Measures * Heavy (aeronautics), a term used by pilots and air traffic controllers to refer to aircraft capable of 300,000 lbs or more takeoff weight * Heavy, a characterization of objects with substantial weight * Heavy, ...
(RVAH-6) in September 1965, beginning the squadron's transition to the
A-5 Vigilante The North American A-5 Vigilante was an American carrier-based supersonic bomber designed and built by North American Aviation (NAA) for the United States Navy. Prior to 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations, it was designated t ...
.


1960s

In the first quarter of 1960 a Search and Rescue (SAR) team was started at NAS Whidbey Island. Two Sikorsky HRS-2 helicopters, more commonly referred to as H-19's, were assigned to the SAR team soon to be replaced by two HRS-3's. The aircrewmen assigned to S&R were initially told this would be a two-year trial period during which time it would be decided if it would be permanent. If it didn't work it would be shut down. Today the NAS Whidbey SAR team is considered to be one of the elite rescue teams in the NAVY. In early 1965, patrol squadrons began to leave NAS Whidbey;
VP-47 Patrol Squadron 47 (VP-47), also known as "The Golden Swordsmen", is a maritime patrol squadron of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington (USA), attached to Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10. The squadron curr ...
transferred to
NAS Moffett Field Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 10, ...
, California and
VP-17 VP-17, nicknamed the ''White Lightnings'', was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Reserve Patrol Squadron VP-916 on 1 July 1946. It was redesignated as Medium Patrol Squadron VP-ML-66 on 15 November 1946, as VP-72 ...
to
NAS Barbers Point Naval Air Station Barbers Point , on O'ahu, also called John Rodgers Field (the original name of Honolulu International Airport), is a former United States Navy airfield closed in 1999, and renamed Kalaeloa Airport. Parts of the former air station ...
, Hawaii. In July 1969, the patrol community appeared to be reviving with the delivery of the
Lockheed P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler The Northrop Grumman (formerly Grumman) EA-6B Prowler is a twin-engine, four-seat, mid-wing electronic-warfare aircraft derived from the A-6 Intruder airframe. The EA-6A was the initial electronic warfare version of the A-6 used by the United S ...
squadron and the sole fleet replacement squadron for Navy and Marine Prowler crews. With the exception of a forward deployed EA-6B squadron at
NAF Atsugi is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato and Ayase in Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean and once housed the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5), which d ...
, Japan and a sole Naval Air Reserve EA-6B squadron (VAQ-209) at
Andrews AFB Andrews Air Force Base (Andrews AFB, AAFB) is the airfield portion of Joint Base Andrews, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force. In 2009, Andrews Air Force Base merged with Naval Air Facility Washington to form Joint B ...
/ NAF Washington, Maryland, NAS Whidbey Island supported all of the U.S. Navy's Prowler squadrons.


1990s

In late 1993, with the pending closures of
Naval Air Station Moffett Field Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 10, ...
, California, and NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, additional P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft came aboard NAS Whidbey Island, along with the associated staffs of Commander, Patrol Wings, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMPATWINGSPAC) and Commander, Patrol Wing TEN (COMPATWING 10). With the closure of
Naval Air Station Agana Naval Air Station Agana is a former United States Naval air station located on the island of Guam. It was opened by the Japanese Navy in 1943 and closed by the United States government in 1995. During and after its closure, it was operated alongs ...
,
Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron ONE (VQ-1) also arrived at NAS Whidbey Island in 1994 with its Lockheed EP-3E Aries II aircraft. VQ-1 was placed under the clemency of COMPATWING 10 and the wing was redesignated Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing TEN (COMPATRECONWING 10). With the disestablishment of Reserve Patrol Wing, VP-69 was also placed under COMPATRECONWING 10. In 1997, the last Pacific-based A-6E Intruder squadron, the VA-196 "Milestones", was disestablished after a lengthy deployment for WESTPAC 1996. Command Master Chief Shawn Minerstone blew the final Bosun's Pipe and all plank owners from this squadron were reassigned to their new duty stations.


2000s

In January 2009, VAQ-129 accepted its first
Boeing EA-18G Growler The Boeing EA-18G Growler is an American carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet. The EA-18G replaced the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowlers in service with the United States Navy. The ...
aircraft. Based on the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, the Growler has replaced the Navy's EA-6Bs.


2010s

Patrol Squadron (VP) 4 “Skinny Dragons” become the first squadron at NAS Whidbey Island to convert to the
P-8 Poseidon The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN). Th ...
in October 2016. October 31, 2016 the new P-8A Poseidon training center at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island opens.


Present day

In all, there are 20
active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service. India The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one ...
Navy squadrons and 3
Ready Reserve The Ready Reserve is a U.S. Department of Defense program which maintains a pool of trained service members that may be recalled to active duty should the need arise. It is composed of service members that are contracted to serve in the Ready Rese ...
squadrons based at NAS Whidbey Island. The air station also maintains a Search and Rescue Unit that flies two Sikorsky MH-60S Nighthawks. With the addition of the MH-60S, Navy Search and Rescue provides 24-hour day and night maritime, inland and mountainous rescue support for Department of Defense personnel and the greater Pacific Northwest community. The SAR Unit provides 15-minute alert coverage Monday through Thursday from 0800–0200 or last plane on deck, Friday 0800-2200 or last plane on deck and 30-minute alert coverage at all other times of the year. Additionally, SAR has organic SAR Medical Technicians on all missions it performs. NASWI SAR primarily serves military aircrews, but missions to help civilians in distress are often approved and executed. Over 50 tenant commands are at NAS Whidbey Island to provide training, medical and dental, and other support services, including a USAF squadron (390th ECS) which is an administrative unit supporting USAF officers assigned to some USN EA-18G Growler Squadrons. The base also continues its longstanding role as a center of activity for Naval Air Reserve operations and training in the region.


Tenant squadrons


See also

*
List of United States Navy airfields This is a list of airfields operated by the United States Navy which are located within the United States and abroad. The US Navy's main airfields are designated as Naval Air Stations or Naval Air Facilities, with Naval Outlying Landing Fields (NO ...


References


External links

* * * {{Authority control Whidbey Island, Naval Air Station
Whid WHID (88.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to Green Bay. The station is part of Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), and airs WPR's "Ideas Network", consisting of news and talk programming. WHID also broadcasts local news and programming from studios i ...
Buildings and structures in Island County, Washington Airports in Washington (state) Military Superfund sites Superfund sites in Washington (state) 1942 establishments in Washington (state) Military airbases established in 1942