Beginnings of the Base - Tustin, CA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The plaque says, "In 1942, shortly after the start of World War II, the War Department (renamed the Department of Defense) sought locations for Lighter-than-Air (LTA) squadrons (a.k.a blimps) around the country as a means of protecting the nation's coasts.

Why Blimps?

Blimps had many capabilities which particularly fit them to observation work
- They traveled slowly and were able to hover in one spot indefinitely
- They could remain out on a mission for 24 hours at a time at a range of 500 miles without refueling
- They were practically soundless
- They could travel at a low enough high so as not to be picked up by enemy radar
- They could take on fuel, supplies, and personal from ships at sea

Why Orange County?

Orange County was selected as the area to house and maintain blimps intended to patrol for enemy submarines along the Southern California coast from San Diego to Santa Barbara.

In 1941, the Navy negotiated with James Irvine for his vast lima bean field, bordered on one side by the city of Santa Ana and on the other the city of Tustin. James Irvine was offered, and finally accepted $100,000 for the Tustin site as well as the El Toro site, the equivalent of about $20 per acre."

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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Date Logged Log   07/29/2019 bluesnote visited it