History of the Air Base from 1942 to 1949 - Tustin, CA
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bluesnote
N 33° 42.173 W 117° 49.109
11S E 424152 N 3729513
One of many historical markers at Victory Park in Tustin.
Waymark Code: WM111EJ
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 07/29/2019
Views: 1
The plaque says, "In March 1942, the Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks contracted with Holmes & Narver Consulting Engineers of Los Angeles to design and engineer an LTA base that would accommodate the design for the two airship hangers.
Airship operations began with a single blimp operating from a concrete mat and mooring mast until hangers were completed in the following year.
The base was complete, including hangers, by October 20, 1943, only 18 months and 25 days after starting.
The original estimated cost of the base was about 8 million dollars. The final cost was $10, 062,482.08.
By the end of 1942, there were 12 K-Class blimps operating from Tustin as Airship Patrol Squadron ZP-31 (Zepplin Patrol 31).
Airship patrol were conducted 24 hours a day.
The LTA airship fleet performed far beyond the War Department and the Navy's expectations in terms of both reliability and effectiveness with a remarkable 87 percent "on-time and operational" rate and 89,000 escort missions through submarine-infested waters for ships loaded with troops, equipment, and supplies.
The Navy's LTA program was so effective that it became a victim to its own success. By 1944, just two years after Tustin hangers were completed, the need for blimp patrols and escort missions along both coasts was fading fast. In 1943, the number of sinking dropped to 65 from the 1942 high of 454, then to just eight in 1944.
The Tustin facility continued to serve as an LTA base until 1949, when it was decommissioned as an active installation and designated an "outlying field" for military units in the area."
Group that erected the marker: St. Anton Partners
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Tustin, CA
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed
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