|
~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: NAS Whidbey Island, Washington 
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) (IATA: NUW, ICAO: KNUW, FAA LID: NUW) is a naval air station located in two sections around Oak Harbor, Washington, USA. It was commissioned as an active U.S. Navy installation on 21 September 1942. 
On 17 Jan 1941, almost 11 months before the U.S. entered World War II, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations asked the Commandant of the 13th Naval District to find a location for the re-arming and refueling of Navy patrol planes operating in defense of Puget Sound, should such defense be necessary. 
On Dec. 8, 1941, three workers started a topographic survey of what would become Ault Field, about four miles to the north. The crew would soon grow to 17. None of them were engineers, but with the attack at Pearl Harbor, everyone went to work. Regardless of the weather, there were 175 men on the job at the peak of survey work.
Bewildered citizens, caught up in the war effort, signed up for jobs to build the station. There were approximately 20 farms on 4,325 acres. Farmers turned over the titles to their ancestral lands, known for growing some of the finest wheat in the country, to the government for runways and hangars. They quietly moved to other farms in Skagit County.
Clover Valley - level, well drained and accessible from any approach - was tailor-made for a landing field. The strategic location, commanding the eastern end of the Straits of Juan de Fuca, guarded the entrance to Puget Sound. It was far enough from populated areas to carry on operational training flights with live loads. The area experienced visual flying conditions about 89 percent of the time and there was plenty of room to grow. Read More About The History Of NAS Whidbey Island Here!
In all, there are 19 active duty squadrons and two reserve squadrons currently based at NAS Whidbey Island. The air station also maintains a Search and Rescue Unit, flying the UH-3H Sea King helicopter, as well as two UC-12 Huron aircraft for operational support airlift and fleet logistic support.
Over 50 tenant commands are also located at NAS Whidbey Island, providing training, medical and dental, and other support services, including a Marine Aviation Training Support Group (MATSG) for Whidbey’s staff and student Marine Corps personnel. The base also continues its long-standing role as a center of activity for Naval Air Reserve operations and training in the region. 
Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10 squadrons deploy to the Fifth and Seventh Fleet areas of responsibility, providing ASW, maritime patrol and reconnaissance support throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and extending into the Persian Gulf. During the second Gulf War, in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, the VP and VQ communities provided countless hours on station and mission essential data and imagery to ground troops as well as surface assets.
In February of 2003, Wing 10 staff were forward deployed to Masirah, Bahrain, as well as onboard USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Constellation and USS Nimitz, to provide direct operational support.
Wing 10 staff returned home to NAS Whidbey Island in April 2003, along with VP 1 aircrew and personnel "surged" to supplement VP 46. Although P-3 and EP-3 aircraft were consistently called upon to fly overland Afghanistan, anti-subsurface warfare and maritime patrol remain as Wing 10's priority in training the squadrons' aircrews.
 Learn More About NAS Whidbey Island Here!
During the 19th Century, the stiff breezes that gathered along the western shores of Whidbey Island would carry thousands of ships into Puget Sound. None would claim a greater place in history than the British sloop, HMS Discovery, commanded by Captain George Vancouver. He entered these waters in 1792, naming every island, mountain, waterway and point he could see, including a certain, sandy headland on Whidbey Island he called Admiralty Head. 
By the mid-1800s, American settlers had begun fanning out across the sparsely populated Oregon Territory and Puget Sound. The rich soils of Ebey's Prairie, just a few miles from Admiralty Head, attracted Whidbey Island's first settlers in 1848. In 1849, Dr. and Mrs. John Kellogg homesteaded several acres at Admiralty Head itself, building a small log cabin. In 1853, having farmed the land for the required four years, they were granted ownership under the Oregon Land Donation Act. Kellogg also built a log hospital on the grounds and provided medical care to settlers from throughout the surrounding area. Puget Sound was growing as America asserted its territorial intentions. The need was clear for a lighthouse, not to mark a navigational hazard but as a navigation point marking the eastern end of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. In 1858, the U.S. government purchased 10 acres from the Kellogg's for $400 and started building the sixth lighthouse in the territory, at Admiralty Head. On January 21, 1861, the Admiralty Head light pierced the night for the first time. The fourth-order lens, lighted with a whale oil lamp, was visible 16 miles out to sea over a 270-degree area. It was housed in a white, wooden, two-story house. Visit The Admiralty Head Lighthouse Here!
FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT~Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allies military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before.
Please remember: The Canteen is a place to honor and entertain our troops. The Canteen is family friendly. Let's have fun! We pray for your continued strength, to be strong in the face of adversity. We pray for your safety, that you will return to your families and friends soon. We pray that your hope, courage, and dignity remain unbroken, so that you may show others the way. God Bless You All ~ Today, Tomorrow and Always |
