Historic California
Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields
Marine Corps Air
Station, Miramar
(Naval Auxiliary Air Station Camp Kearny, Marine Corps
Air Depot Camp Kearny, Marine Corps Air Depot Miramar, Marine
Corps Aviation Base Kearny Mesa, Naval Auxiliary Air Station
Miramar, Naval Air Station Miramar, Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar)
An F9F from Composite
Squadron 61 (VC-61) over NAAS Miramar, 1954
Naval Air
Station, Miramar
by M.L. Shettle Jr.
In World War I, the U.S. Army purchased
the 2,130-acre Miramar Ranch for an infantry training center.
The Army named the facility Camp Kearny
(frequently misspelled as Kearney), in honor of General S. W.
Kearny, former military governor of California who also served
in the Mexican War. Although Army aircraft occasionally landed
on the camp's parade ground, an official airfield was never established.
Between the wars, the government retained the property as an airfield
for military and civilian use. The Ryan Company weight tested
Charles Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis here in 1927. During
1929 and 1930, the facility was known as Airtech Field, operated
by the San Diego Air Service Corp. The Navy installed a mooring
mast on the airport in 1932, first used by the Akron on a West
Coast flight May 11, 1932. Twenty five thousand spectators watched
in horror as the Akron's first mooring attempt ended when a gust
of wind carried the airship upward, taking four ground handlers
with it. One man jumped to the ground before the airship reached
too high of an altitude and suffered a broken arm. As the Akron
continued to ascend, two other men lost their grip and fell to
their deaths. One man managed to hold on as a news camera crew,
on hand for the event, captured the entire incident. The Navy
continued to use the facility and Macon moored at Camp Kearny
four times during 1934.
In December 1940, the Navy began a series
of projects to improve and expand the airfield. On December 21,
the First Marine Air Wing arrived and set up a tent city, remaining
until August 1942 when it moved to Guadalcanal. Meanwhile, the
Navy began the construction of an air station at the camp and
commissioned NAAS Camp Kearny on February 20, 1943, an auxiliary
of San Diego. The station was also known at times as Kearny Mesa.
The Marines occupied an area adjacent to the Navy station where
they commissioned the Marine Corps Air Depot Camp Kearny one month
later. The primary Navy mission at Camp Kearny was the training
in Consolidated PB4Y Liberators. Training was supervised and conducted
by the Transition Liberator Unit. When the asphalt runways began
to deteriorate under the PB4Y's weight, two concrete runways were
added during 1943. Confusion arose between the Navy and Marine
installations at Camp Kearny, so the Marines changed their station
name to Marine Corps Air Depot Miramar on September 2, 1943. MCAD
Miramar served as the West Coast processing depot for embarkation
of Marine squadrons to the South Pacific as well as home base
for other squadrons.
NAAS Camp Kearny,
1945
British use of the Liberator and other land
based aircraft in antisubmarine and long range patrol missions
impressed the Navy. In 1942, the Navy began to negotiate with
the Army for some of its aircraft. On the other hand, the Army
coveted the Navy-owned Boeing plant at Renton, Washington that
was developing the PBB Sea Ranger. In July 1942, an agreement
was reached as the Navy canceled the Sea Ranger. In exchange for
the Renton plant, the Army would allow the Navy to purchase B-24s,
B-34s (PVs), and B-25s from its production lines. The Navy also
agreed to limit orders of Consolidated PBYs at the San Diego plant
as to not interfere with B-24 production. Initially, the Navy
drew B-24s directly from Army production and modified the aircraft
to Navy specifications. Earlier PB4Ys had the glass house nose
just like the Army B-24. Later models had the Erco ball turrets
installed previously manufactured for the canceled Boeing PBB
Sea Ranger. PB4Ys were flown across the bay from the Consolidated
plant at San Diego's Lindbergh Field to North Island for the installation
of the ball turret. In addition to patrol bombers, the Navy also
converted some PB4Ys to a photographic reconnaissance configuration
assigned to VD squadrons. Several of these squadrons passed through
Camp Kearny. In May 1943, work began on a Navy dedicated PB4Y.
Three B-24Ds were taken from the production line and converted
to the PB4Y-2 Privateer. The Privateer had a lengthened fuselage,
a single vertical stabilizer, and non-supercharged engines. The
first PB4Y-2s were delivered in March 1944. In the meantime, the
Army disbanded its Antisubmarine Command in August 1943, turning
its airplanes over to the Navy.
On January 20, 1944, Camp Kearny lost its
first PB4Y when an aircraft of VB-101 crashed after takeoff killing
its 13-man crew. On May 25, 1944, the Transition Liberator Unit's
name changed to Headquarters Squadron 2 Fleet Air Wing 14 (HEDRON
2 FAW 14). In the fall of 1944, the designation of PB4Y squadrons
changed from VB to VPB. In less than two weeks in mid-1944, the
station reeled from the loss of three PB4Ys and their crews. On
May 27, seven crewmen were killed when a PB4Y crashed on approach.
Three days later, a PB4Y of VB-102 had a midair collision with
an F4F claiming 12 lives. The worst was yet to come. One week
later, a PB4Y crashed into a building on the base killing a total
of 17 men from the aircraft and on the ground. Thirty six men
from Camp Kearny lost their lives in ten days!
When VP-14 returned to the U.S. from combat
in the South Pacific, it was recommissioned as VPB-197 on December
1, 1944. Under the command of HEDRON 2 FAW 14, VPB-197 conducted
the final phase of operational training that formed replacement
crews. After the completion of training, the crew and its aircraft
were sent to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, for assignment to combat squadrons
where needed. Initially, VPB-197 operated 15 PB4Y-1 Liberators.
By March 1945, the squadron's aircraft numbered one PB4Y-1 and
44 PB4Y-2s.
Camp Kearny had one 3,000 x 500-ft. asphalt
and two 6,000 x 200-ft. concrete runways. The 3,000-ft. runway
was mainly used for aircraft parking. In mid-1944, station personnel
numbered 611 officers and 4076 enlisted men with accommodations
for 688 officers and 4176 enlisted men. After VJ-Day, the Navy
used the station as a separation center returning 25,000 men to
civilian life.
A Navy PB-1W Early
Warning Aircraft assigned to Composite Squadron 11 (VC-11) at
NAAS Miramar. These were Army B-17Gs modified by the Navy.
On May 1, 1946, the Navy departed Camp Kearny
and the station became MCAS Miramar. After only a year, the Marines
closed the base and moved all units to El Toro. On June 30, 1947,
the Navy redesignated Miramar an NAAS. In July 1949, the Navy
began a project to improve the runways and establish a Master
Jet Base. The station upgraded to an NAS on April 1, 1952. Following
the Korean War, the Navy faced a cutback and offered Miramar to
the City of San Diego in 1954 for $1. In what will go down in
San Diego's history as the most idiotic decision ever made by
the City's leaders, the offer was turned down! In the Author's
opinion, San Diego's Lindbergh Airport remains today one of the
worst commercial airports in the United States -- obstructions,
no CAT II or CAT III approaches, noise problems, and a relatively
short runway with no over runs. Miramar would have made a wonderful
international airport for San Diego!
The Navy decided to keep Miramar open and
eventually built the station into one of the Navy's biggest bases.
In 1961, the station was designated for fighter squadrons only
and was unofficially known as "Fightertown." During
the Vietnam War, the famous "Top Gun" school formed
The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission has caused major
changes at Miramar. The F-14 squadrons have moved to Oceana, Virginia,
while Top Gun is being transferred to Fallon, Nevada. With the
closing of El Toro, the Marines are scheduled to assume command
of Miramar on October 1, 1997.
Miramar, located approximately 10 miles
north from central San Diego, has a rich military history that
involved the Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps. During World
War I, the City of San Diego assembled a total of 8,000 acres,
and offered to lease the property to the Army for a nominal fee.
Camp Kearny opened on July 18, 1917 and was named in honor of
BGen. S. W. Kearny, commander of the Army of the West during
the Mexican War and later Governor of California. The camp had
accommodations for 32,000 men and hosted the 40th and the 16th
Divisions as well as the 157th, 158th, 159th, and 160th Infantry
Regiments.
Although Army and Navy aircraft from North
Island occasionally landed on the parade ground, an official
airfield was never established. Following Armistice Day, the
camp served as a demobilization and convalescent center before
closing on October 31, 1920. The U.S. Public Health Service then
used the camp for a time.
During the 1920's, civilian and military aircraft utilized the
former parade ground as a landing field. San Diego's aircraft
manufacturers also used the facility for flight testing - including
Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis in 1927. From
1929 to 1930, San Diego Air Service Corp. operated the airfield
as Air-tech Field. In 1929, the City of San Diego passed a bond
issue and purchased 1,000 acres for the Navy's proposed West
Coast dirigible base; however, the base went to Sunnyvale, California
(Moffett Field). Two years later, the Navy leased 430 acres that
included the former parade ground for an outlying field. The
mooring mast at North Island was moved to Camp Kearny in 1932
for a visit by the Lakehurst based USS Akron. Twenty five
thousand spectators were on hand to watch the arrival of the
Akron on May 11, 1932. A gust of wind ended the first
mooring attempt, carrying the airship upward with four ground
handlers holding on to a mooring line.
One man jumped to the ground and suffered
a broken arm. As the airship continued to ascend, two men lost
their grip and fell to their deaths. One man managed to hang
on as news camera crews captured the tragic event. The Moffett
based USS Macon used the mast at Camp Kearny four times
before its destruction off Point Sur on February 12, 1935. The
airfield received its first hard surface in 1936, when a very
small portion was paved. With the war on in Europe, in 1939 the
Navy purchased the 430 acres and began a series of improvements
to the airfield. In December 1940, work began on hard-surfacing
the existing runways. In October 1941, an additional contract
added a run way, known as West Kearny.
Meanwhile, in 1934, Marine ground forces from San Diego leased
part of the former Camp Kearny for maneuvers and gunnery ranges.
During the first part of 1940, the Marines commenced work on
a facility, initially known as Camp
Holcomb on 19,298 acres purchased by the government. On June
14, 1940, the name was changed to Camp
Elliot, in honor of the former Commandant of the Marines,
MGen. George F. Elliot. By October 12th barracks and mess halls
had been completed. Camp Elliot became the home of the 2nd Marine
Division.
On December 7, 1941, the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) was headquartered
at North Island, although all of its squadrons were deployed
in the Pacific. MAG 11 was rushed from Quantico to San Diego
to assist in the area's defense. The Group's fighter squadrons
were assigned to the Army's 1st Interceptor Command and the bomber
squadrons to the Naval Scouting Force. Since North Island quickly
became saturated with aircraft and personnel, several squadrons
of MAG 11 were sent to Camp Kearny. Initially, the Marines set
up a tent city. It would be safe to say that Camp Kearny was
the center of West Coast Marine flying operations for the first
year of the war. A major construction program was undertaken
to upgrade the airfield and build support facilities for 250
officers and 2,000 men. The runways were extended hurriedly to
5,000 ft. at minimum cost, to accommodate a squadron of Army
P-38s. MAG 11 became the nucleus for four new MAGs, three of
which, MAG 12, 14, and 15, were commissioned at Camp Kearny on
March 1, 1942. VMF-122, VMTB-141, and VMTB-142 commissioned the
same day. By June 30, 1942, twenty-four enlisted barracks, eight
BOQs, a dispensary, administration building, mess halls, and
other miscellaneous support buildings had been completed. A nose
hangar, operations building, and improvements to the airfield
were under construction. In spite of all this activity, Camp
Kearny remained an OLF of NAS San Diego. The hurried runway improvements
began to deteriorate under heavy use and during 1942, all runways
had to be resurfaced. VMF-124 commissioned on September 7 and
became the first Marine squadron to be equipped with Vought F4U
Corsairs. After the completion of its training, VMF 124 departed
for Guadalcanal on January 8, 1943. VMD-154 moved aboard from
San Diego on September 15. VMD-154, redesignated VMD-254, moved
to the Solomons in November 1942. On February 4, 1943, two PB4Ys
of VMD-254 completed the first photographic reconnaissance of
Truk.
Most of the other Marine units at Camp
Kearny during 1942 departed for the South Pacific by January
1943. The exception was MAG 15, a transport training group, that
remained on the base. The majority of Marine flying transferred
to newly opened bases in California and Camp Kearny became mainly
a Navy operation. By the first of 1943, most of the construction
reached completion. For some inexplicable reason along the way,
the misspelling "Kearny" fell into common use - to
the point that the base was commissioned as NAAS Camp Kearny
on February 20, 1943.
Meanwhile, all Marine aviation units en route to and from the
South Pacific passed through NAS Sand Diego. Service Group, Marine
Air Wings Pacific was formed for this purpose on August 20, 1942
with Col. Lewie Merritt in command. The Service Group consisted
of a Headquarters Squadron, four Air Regulating Squadrons and
Supply Squadron Five. Air Regulating Squadrons were the units
that processed personnel to and from overseas. Col. Merritt realized
that a larger facility would be needed to process the Marine
Aviation units to come. He obtained permission and a $2.255 million
appropriation to build accommodations for 5,000 men on a 324-acre
tract north and adjacent to OLF Camp Kearny. A railroad spur
and nine warehouses were also provided. In February 1943, part
of the Headquarters Squadron, part of Supply Squadron 5, and
the four Air Regulating Squadrons moved aboard. Merritt, now
a BGen. and his staff remained at NAS San Diego. The facility
commissioned as Marine Corps Aviation Base Kearny Mesa on March
1, 1943. The base's mission was the equipping, supplying, medically
examining/treating, and indoctrinating Marine aviation units
en route to and from the South Pacific.
At the outset, conditions at the Marine Base were primitive -
more like a wartime bivouac than a permanent installation. The
roads were unpaved with fatigues and boondockers (field shoes)
best at all times. All the buildings were painted brown, blending
with the surrounding terrain, and provided a good camouflage.
The BOQ lacked adequate furnishing with cots being the norm.
Improvements were made with the additions of an officer's bar
in the BOQ, a post exchange, a chapel, grass, flower beds, and
the paving of the roads. By summer, the base had taken on a fairly
good appearance and was quite livable. When confusion arose between
NAAS Camp Kearny and MCAB Kearny Mesa, the base's designation
was changed to Marine Corps Air Depot Miramar on September 2,
1943.
The land the Depot occupied had been a
part of the Miramar (Spanish for "Seaview") Ranch acquired
in 1890 by E. W. Scripps, the newspaper magnate. Air Warning
Group 2 commissioned in October and trained, supplied, and sent
11 Air Warning Squadrons to the Pacific during the war. The same
month the first women Marines arrived. A separate housing area
was provided for the women Marines and Waves whose numbers peaked
at 780 by September 1944. Air Training Squadrons were also formed
that evaluated and assigned Marines out of boot camp to various
aviation schools. On June 1, 1945, Marine Fleet Air, West Coast,
commanded by MGen. Claude Larkin moved aboard from NAS San Diego.
The Navy and the Marines at Kearny Mesa had a very unusual relationship
with two separate commands. The Navy owned and operated the airfield.
Marine squadron aircraft passing though the Depot were apparently
treated as transients by the Navy; however, several Marine transport
and photographic squadrons were assigned to the NAAS. Shortly
after commissioning, the Navy chose Camp Kearny as a base for
the PB4Y Liberator (B-24). The present runways were totally inadequate
for this mission and two 6,000 by 200-ft. concrete runways were
added. VMJ-353 (later VMR-353) commissioned on March 15, 1943,
and trained before departing for the Pacific on September 30,
1943. Admiral King, Commander in Chief, United States Fleet,
and his staff made a tour of inspection of the base in June.
VMJ-952 formed on June 15, 1943 and departed for Ewa on February
5, 1944. LGen. Vandergrift, who became Commandant of the Marine
Corps in January 1944, passed through the station in November.
VMJ-953 (VMR-953) commissioned on February 1, 1944, and moved
to Corvallis in May 1944. VMD-154 equipped with six PB4Y-Is,
arrived in January 1944 and remained until June 1945, when it
was deactivated.
The Marines had their share of accidents
at Camp Kearny. The most bizarre occurred on July 18, 1944, when
the stops failed on a top turret of a VMD-154 PB4Y. The top-turret
gunner fired into the cockpit wounding the pilot, co-pilot, and
a sergeant. Fortunately, the pilot managed to return to Camp
Kearny.
The longest Marine resident at Camp Kearny was MAG 15. Commissioned
on March 1, 1942, MAG 15 served as a transport and photo-reconnaissance
training group. The group conducted a navigation school as well
as radio and photographic training. In addition, the group provided
aircraft acceptance and supplied all transport service on the
West Coast for the Marine Corps. Several special trips were flown
to Hawaii. On March 2, 1944, MAG 15 shipped out for the South
Pacific. During its two years at Camp Kearny, MAG 15 trained
and dispatched overseas VMD-154 and 254; VMO-151 and 155; and
VMJ 152, 153, 353, 952, and 953.
From Miramar's inception, virtually every Marine aviation unit
going to or returning from the South Pacific passed through the
Depot. The exceptions were squadrons that trained in the San
Francisco area and ones assigned to aircraft carriers. Peak strength
occurred in December 1945 with 12,271 personnel aboard. Total
investment in the base and its 260 buildings reached approximately
$6 million. Following VJ-Day, Miramar served as a separation
center and processed over 25,000 men to civilian life. In 1946,
the Navy swapped Camp Kearny for the Marine's El Centro. On May
1, 1946, Camp Kearny and Miramar became MCAS Miramar. An R5C,
bound for Seattle, departed Miramar on December 10, 1946 and
disappeared. The aircraft was one of six R5Cs bound for Seattle
that ran into a blizzard. One R5C reached Seattle while four
others turned back. Remnants of the missing R5C were finally
found on July 21, 1947 on a Mt. Rainier glacier. None of the
aircraft nor the remains of the 32 men on board were recovered.
This wreck, which became a legend of the West, was incorrectly
rumored to have a cash payroll on board. A memorial plaque was
placed at Round Pass from which the crash site is visible. The
Marines remained at Miramar for one year and then moved to El
Toro.
On June 30, 1947, the Navy commissioned NAAS Miramar. In 1949,
plans were set to make Miramar a Master Jet Station. This modernization
and upgrades to the station included a new east/west parallel
runway of 8,000 ft. Miramar became an NAS on April 1, 1952. Following
the Korean War, the Navy embarked on a station cutback and offered
the Miramar airfield to the City of San Diego for $1. The shortsighted
City's leaders turned the proposal down - the Lindbergh Airport
was quite adequate at that time for the airlines and their propeller
airliners.
With the arrival of jet airliners, however, one can only wonder
how many times that decision was later regretted. Miramar, with
two parallel runways, one now 12,000-ft. long, would have made
a world-class international airport for San Diego. Lindbergh
will never have parallel runways, a 12,000-ft long run way, nor
Category Il or III approaches, due to its geographical restrictions.
The Navy further improved the station making it a permanent installation.
Camp Elliot and other government properties were eventually added
to Miramar and the station grew to 24,000 acres. In 1961, Miramar
was designated for fighter squadrons only and became known as
"Fightertown." During the Vietnam War, the world renowned
Topgun school was established.
As a result of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission,
the MCASs El Toro and Tustin closed in 1999. The Marines returned
to Miramar where Marine aviation was so prominent in the early
days of World War II. The F-14 Navy squadrons have moved to Oceana
and the Topgun school to Fallon. The City of San Diego lobbied
before the commission to keep the military presence at Miramar
- needing the facility's contribution to the local economy. NAS
Miramar became MCAS Miramar in October 1997. The Marine Air Museum
at El Toro also moved to Miramar. In a period of 80 years, Miramar
has gone though five military ownership changes and its future
as a military installation seems assured well through the 21st
Century.
More than 150 years ago, MCAS Miramar
was part of an enormous rancho owned by Don Santiago Anguello,
the former Mexican Army commandante of San Diego’s presidio.
In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico and eventually
annexed the territories of California and New Mexico.
When Edward Scripps arrived in 1890, he described San Diego as
a dilapidated boom town. Scripps was a wealthy newspaper publisher
who sought to escape the pressures of life on the East Coast.
He is credited with naming the mesa Miramar, which loosely translated
from Spanish means “an area from which there is a view of
the sea from every vantage point.”
Scripps established a ranch on 2,000 acres in the Miramar area.
The land was later purchased by the Jessop family, a prominent
group of San Diego jewelers. In the vicinity, a post office,
general store and one-room schoolhouse served the Miramar settlement
of cowboys and ranchers. Still, this dusty crossroad was a far
cry from a military base.
Miramar’s military roots started in 1917, when the Army
purchased the Miramar area and established Camp Kearny. Construction
costs totaled $1.25 million, but few permanent structures were
built. Most of Camp Kearny’s soldiers lived in tents, as
more than 65,000 men trooped through the camp on their way to
World War I battlegrounds. After the war, the camp was used as
a demobilization center, and in 1920, it ceased to function as
a military base and languished for 12 years.
The Navy’s occupation of the area began in earnest in 1932,
when the largest aircraft in the world came to Camp Kearny. A
mooring mast was built at the camp for the dirigibles USS Akron
and USS Macon. Both aircraft crashed as sea, and within only
a few years, Camp Kearny was quiet once again.
The Navy retained control of the area for several years but did
not actively employ its services. When World War II began in
Europe, the U.S. military began a precautionary buildup. Runways
were constructed at the camp in 1940 and were put to heavy use
when America entered the war in 1941.
During the 1940s, both the Navy and the Marine Corps occupied
Miramar. After World War II, all military facilities were combined
and the base was redesignated Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
This lasted just 13 months, however, when the Marines moved to
El Toro in 1947. Miramar was then redesignated a Naval Auxiliary
Air Station. Only half of Miramar’s facilities were put
to use, and the station literally began to deteriorate. Many
buildings were sold as scrap during this period.
Throughout its already illustrious history, Miramar had prepared
and supported carrier groups and squadrons during World War II
and the Korean War, but it was during the Vietnam War that Miramar
met its greatest challenge — to train fighter air crews
in air combat maneuvering and fleet air defense. This mission
was accomplished through the creation of Top Gun, a graduated-level
training school for fighter air crews. The school garnered fame
throughout the military for its success. The movie “Top
Gun” starring Tom Cruise, with portions of the movie filmed
aboard the air station, brought worldwide fame to “Fightertown,
USA.”
In 1993, a Base Realignment and Closure committee decision recommended
that Naval Air Station Miramar be redesignated as a Marine Corps
Air Station. The realignment involved relocating all Navy’s
F-14 Tomcat and E-2 Hawkeye squadrons. Top Gun and the last F-14
squadron left the air station in 1996 to make way for Marines
from MCAS El Toro and Marine Corps Air Facility Tustin.
The first Marine squadrons, support units and their F/A-18 Hornets
began making the move from MCAS El Toro in August 1994. On Oct.
1, 1997, Miramar once again became a Marine Corps Air Station
as the Marines landed back home after a 50-year absence. The
final chapter in the transition process was etched July 2, 1999,
with the closing ceremony for MCAS El Toro and MCAF Tustin. This
historic event marked an end to a 52-year presence in Orange
County and signified the final step in a move that spanned nearly
five years.
With the move complete, all of Miramar’s fixed-wing F/A-18
and KC-130 Hercules squadrons, as well as its CH-46E Sea Knight
and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, are in place. Additionally,
the support commands Marine Wing Support Group 37 and Marine
Air Control Group 38 have been established. These achievements,
combined with the near completion of approximately $400 million
in construction, means that MCAS Miramar has taken its long-awaited,
rightful place as the home of the Marine Corps’ West Coast
air power.
On 01 October 1997, NAS Miramar, California,
officially became Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, as part of
the DoD Realignment Program.
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is a 24,000-acre
installation located in the northern suburbs of San Diego and
is one of the largest military bases in the area. The station
averages 250 aircraft aboard on any given day, with up to 200,000
flight operations per year. During Base Realignment and Closure
hearings in 1993, MCAS El Toro was selected for closure, and the
Marine flight operations were recommended for transfer to NAS
Miramar. Marine Corps Air Stations El Toro and Tustin were closed,
and their assets moved to Miramar by the end of 1999. Miramar
is home for eight F/A-18C & F/A-18D Hornet jet squadrons,
four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter squadrons, four CH-53E Super
Stallion helicopter squadrons, one KC-130 transport and refueling
squadron, and nine station support aircraft for a total of about
257 aircraft. When the move was completed, 12,200 Marines, Sailors
and civilians called Miramar home.
The 1993 and 1995 Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) Commission decided to realign NAS Miramar to MCAS Miramar.
This transition will officially occur on 1 October 1997, although
several transitions have already been made over the past two years
to facilitate the realignment and relocation process. As a Master
Jet Air Station, F- 14 Tomcat squadrons under the Commander, Fighter
Wing Pacific were stationed here and trained to carry out their
missions. Advanced training was also provided at the Navy Fighter
Weapons School ("TOPGUN") for experienced fighter aircrews.
NAS Miramar is also home to four E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning
squadrons, which provide operational support for aircraft carriers.
The BRAC decision consequently affected
the operations of NAS Miramar, as the realignment requires the
relocation of personnel, aircraft, and equipment at MCAS Tustin
and MCAS El Toro in Orange County, California to NAS Miramar.
MCAS Miramar supports the aviation units of the Fleet Marine Force,
including the Third Marine Aircraft Wing. MCAS Miramar will eventually
support nine helicopter squadrons and nine fixed-wing squadrons.
Environmental Issues
NAS Miramar is divided into four land use
sectors: Main Station, South/West Miramar, East Miramar, and Sycamore
Canyon. These sectors are further divided into "improved,"
"semi-improved," and "unimproved" acreage.
Improved acreage (1,363 acres) is land on which intensive development
has taken place and grounds maintenance is performed. These areas
include residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, and
construction sites. Semi-improved lands (6,931 acres) include
agricultural outlease lands, the flight line, ammunition storage
areas, fuelbreaks, fire roads, and drainage ways. Unimproved areas
(14,891 acres) are considered resource management areas which
contain environmental and Air Installation Compatible Use Zone
constraints. Of the total land holdings, approximately 17,000
acres are unimproved or semi- improved and consist of native vegetation
The native vegetation on NAS Miramar is classified into 32 different
vegetation types such as riparian woodland, oak woodland, perennial
grasslands, coastal sage scrub, mixed chaparral, chemise chaparral,
and freshwater marsh.
MCAS Miramar shares some of the environmental
concerns that face MCB Camp Pendleton. The installation lies primarily
on a plateau, but backs to the foothills of a number of mountains.
The nearby valleys offer habitat to endangered species, and the
Marine Corps is underwriting extensive field research regarding
habitat retention and nesting success in a high noise environment.
Highest on the list of local issues faced
by MCAS Miramar is aircraft noise. Introduction of the HH-53 heavy
lift helicopter at the base has significantly complicated the
noise situation (fighter activity at Miramar had long been a matter
of community concern, but development of least-impact departure
and arrival routes has defused the worst of this concern). Anticipated
traffic pattern congestion issues do not appear to have materialized,
however, the HH-53, whose working areas, especially MCB Camp Pendleton,
are increasingly surrounded and impacted by nearby community development,
has brought an unprecedented level of noise complaints. MCAS Miramar
and COMCABWEST managers have evaluated a variety of alternative
ground tracks to satisfy operational requirements while minimizing
noise impacts.
The MARCH Coalition Fund is a nonprofit
corporation organized in 1995 by San Diego County residents to
stop the planned relocation of at least 112 USMC helicopters to
Miramar Air Station. This homeowners group near Miramar has complained
for years about helicopter noise. The Marines have changed flight
patterns and training hours, but the controversy continued. The
homeowners group has called for the Marines to move the helicopters
from Miramar, possibly to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside
County.
On 23 February 1999 the Department of Defense
and the group of local plaintiffs announced a cooperative settlement
of the lawsuit which questioned the Government’s environmental
studies in connection with the realignment to Marine Corps Air
Station (MCAS) Miramar. As part of the settlement, the Marine
Corps agreed on a process to further study impacts to air quality
and seek new ways to mitigate noise and safety impacts from military
aircraft overflights without interfering with training and operations.
The Federal Government also agreed to reimburse plaintiffs for
litigation costs associated with the suit. The Federal District
Court retained jurisdiction for the purpose of ensuring compliance
with the terms and conditions of the agreement. The Marine Corps
agreed to conduct a comprehensive air quality analysis and support
an integrated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic
control study of the San Diego airspace affected by MCAS Miramar
operations. Several adjustments to helicopter flight patterns
were made. For example, the number of helicopter “Box Pattern”
operations to the north of the base are being reduced to the necessary
minimum. Weather and air traffic permitting, helicopter departures
and most arrivals to and from the coast will be via the existing
fixed-wing Seawolf corridor. The Marine Corps also assessed the
possibility of moving its helicopter flights further offshore
and establishing an Eastern corridor over less populated areas.
On 30 June 2000 the Marine Corps completed
the study that explored the feasibility of an eastern helicopter
route. The study was required as part of the Feb. 23, 1999 litigation
settlement-agreement. The settlement-agreement directed the study
be conducted, "... for the purpose of determining the feasibility
of creating an eastern helicopter route, using as criteria air
traffic and safety implications and operational impacts ... ."
The Commander, Marine Corps Air Bases Western Area, after consultation
with Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps and the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Facilities), determined
that an additional route is not currently feasible.
The Marine Corps continued current noise
mitigation measures to minimize effects on neighbors. These measures
include the prioritization of flights over-water, and when flying
the I-15 route is necessary due to mission or weather, the highest
possible Visual Flight Rule [VFR] altitudes are maintained. The
number of I-15 helicopter flight operations during May and June
2000 averaged less than 2 per day. While this number may fluctuate
depending on weather and mission requirements, helicopter flight
operations on the I-15 are being kept to a minimum.
Local airspace issues at San Diego are inextricably
tied to the future of the region’s primary civil airport,
Lindbergh Field. This single (9,000 foot) runway airport, surrounded
by high terrain and dense urban development, is considered by
some vocal partisans to be a constraint on future growth and community
development. Miramar is clearly a target for some of these local
activists, who have predicted that the base will be closed under
a future BRAC round, and turned over to the city for use as its
civil airport. Not surprisingly, an almost equally vocal contingent,
located nearer to MCAS Miramar and aware that a civil airport
could generate traffic levels far in excess of those experienced
there today, are insistent that the community look elsewhere to
solve this problem.
The Marine Corps is evaluating all Department
of Defense West Coast installations within the operational radius
of the MV-22 to develop reasonable site alternatives for the Osprey.
To date, five installations have been identified as potential
basing sites for the Osprey. These sites are Marine Corps Air
Station Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Marine
Corps Air Station Yuma, Naval Air Facility El Centro and Edwards
Air Force Base. Other site alternatives may be considered if they
are appropriate to the screening criteria.
The public scoping phase of the Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) process covering the the MV-22 Osprey,
which allows residents to voice their concerns about proposed
basing options, officially concluded 01 December 2001. The West
Coast Osprey basing decisions have not been predetermined. The
Record of Decision, which is expected in May 2003, will be based
on operational requirements, environmental factors and community
concerns. The Department of the Navy proposes to replace all West
Coast 3d and 4th Marine Aircraft Wing CH-46E aircraft; and replace
the West Coast 4th Marine Aircraft Wing CH-53E squadron. The primary
mission of the MV-22 in the Third and Fourth Marine Aircraft Wings
will be to support Fleet Marine Force training and operations
at MCB Camp Pendleton; accordingly, alternatives to be considered
in the EIS are all aviation facilities within the operational
radius of the MV-22 from MCB Camp Pendleton.
As a result of a BRAC (Base Realignment
and Closure) 1995 decision, NAS Miramar transferred ownership
to MCAS Miramar. As part of this action, three Carrier Air Wings,
CVW-11, CVW-14 & CVW-2, relocated to NAS Lemoore. The new
administration building, located on Skytrain, houses all of the
Carrier Air Wings aboard NAS Lemoore.
The procurement of the F/A-18E/F "SuperHornet"
strike-fighter allows the Navy to modernize its fleet. In July
1998, the Navy approved the Environmental Impact Statement and
officially selected NAS Lemoore as the West Coast homeport for
the Super Hornet. NAS Lemoore, with its dual offset runways, separate
administrative and operations areas, and access to West Coast
training ranges, is virtually free from encroachment. For these
reasons, it is the most advantageous location for the F/A-18E/F.
The proposed action added 92 additional
aircraft to NAS Lemoore. One new Fleet Replacement Squadron and
four new fleet squadrons will be based there. Additional staffing
will be required at Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department
(AIMD), Naval Air Maintenance Training (NAMTRA), and Strike Fighter
Weapons School Pacific (SFWSP). The projected increase to base
loading is approximately 1,900 active duty and 3,000 family members.
Facility expansion and construction will
be required for FY98 through FY03 to accommodate the additional
aircraft and personnel. Hangar 4 will be rehabilitated to house
the additional fleet squadrons. The AIMD Airframes and Engine
Maintenance shops will be modified. A new AIMD Aviation Armament
Shop will be built. NAMTRA and Strike Fighter Weapons School Pacific
will expand. A new Bachelor Enlisted Quarters will be built.
Recent DoD working groups and conferences
have begun to question community acceptance strategies for some
new weapons systems. In particular, the Joint Strike Fighter may
face a variety of challenges in several potential beddown locations.
The aircraft generates an extraordinary amount of thrust from
its single engine, and according to preliminary analyses, does
so at some cost in noise and air quality. Preliminary analysis
of the San Diego area has revealed air quality limitations that
may preclude unrestricted operation of the STOVL (Short Takeoff,
Vertical Landing) version of the aircraft that will be procured
by the USMC. The highest thrust settings for the aircraft’s
F-119 engine will occur during transition to and from vertical
flight. Noise and emissions, especially of oxides of Nitrogen
(NOx), may exceed those encountered in any equivalent engine.
History
More than 150 years ago, MCAS Miramar was
part of an enormous ranchero owned by Don Santiago Anguello, the
former Mexican Army commandante of San Diego’s presidio.
In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico and eventually
annexed the territories of California and New Mexico.
When Edward Scripps arrived in 1890, he
described San Diego as a dilapidated boom town. Scripps was a
wealthy newspaper publisher who sought to escape the pressures
of life on the East Coast. He is credited with naming the mesa
Miramar, which loosely translated from Spanish means “an
area from which there is a view of the sea from every vantage
point.”
Scripps established a ranch on 2,000 acres
in the Miramar area. The land was later purchased by the Jessop
family, a prominent group of San Diego jewelers. In the vicinity,
a post office, general store and one-room schoolhouse served the
Miramar settlement of cowboys and ranchers. Still, this dusty
crossroad was a far cry from a military base.
Miramar’s military roots started in
1917, when the Army purchased the Miramar area and established
Camp Kearny. Construction costs totaled $1.25 million, but few
permanent structures were built. Most of Camp Kearny’s soldiers
lived in tents, as more than 65,000 men trooped through the camp
on their way to World War I battlegrounds. After the war, the
camp was used as a demobilization center, and in 1920, it ceased
to function as a military base and languished for 12 years.
The Navy’s occupation of the area began
in earnest in 1932, when the largest aircraft in the world came
to Camp Kearny. A mooring mast was built at the camp for the dirigibles
USS Akron and USS Macon. Both aircraft crashed as sea, and within
only a few years, Camp Kearny was quiet once again.
The Navy retained control of the area for
several years but did not actively employ its services. When World
War II began in Europe, the U.S. military began a precautionary
buildup. Runways were constructed at the camp in 1940 and were
put to heavy use when America entered the war in 1941.
During the 1940s, both the Navy and the
Marine Corps occupied Miramar. After World War II, all military
facilities were combined and the base was redesignated Marine
Corps Air Station Miramar. This lasted just 13 months, however,
when the Marines moved to El Toro in 1947. Miramar was then redesignated
a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. Only half of Miramar’s facilities
were put to use, and the station literally began to deteriorate.
Many buildings were sold as scrap during this period.
Throughout its already illustrious history,
Miramar had prepared and supported carrier groups and squadrons
during World War II and the Korean War, but it was during the
Vietnam War that Miramar met its greatest challenge — to
train fighter air crews in air combat maneuvering and fleet air
defense. This mission was accomplished through the creation of
Top Gun, a graduated-level training school for fighter air crews.
The school garnered fame throughout the military for its success.
The movie “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise, with portions
of the movie filmed aboard the air station, brought worldwide
fame to “Fightertown, USA.”
In 1993, a Base Realignment and Closure
committee decision recommended that Naval Air Station Miramar
be redesignated as a Marine Corps Air Station. The realignment
involved relocating all Navy’s F-14 Tomcat and E-2 Hawkeye
squadrons. Top Gun and the last F-14 squadron left the air station
in 1996 to make way for Marines from MCAS El Toro and Marine Corps
Air Facility Tustin.
The first Marine squadrons, support units
and their F/A-18 Hornets began making the move from MCAS El Toro
in August 1994. On Oct. 1, 1997, Miramar once again became a Marine
Corps Air Station as the Marines landed back home after a 50-year
absence. The final chapter in the transition process was etched
July 2, 1999, with the closing ceremony for MCAS El Toro and MCAF
Tustin. This historic event marked an end to a 52-year presence
in Orange County and signified the final step in a move that spanned
nearly five years.
With the move complete, all of Miramar’s
fixed-wing F/A-18 and KC-130 Hercules squadrons, as well as its
CH-46E Sea Knight and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, are in
place. Additionally, the support commands Marine Wing Support
Group 37 and Marine Air Control Group 38 have been established.
These achievements, combined with the near completion of approximately
$400 million in construction, means that MCAS Miramar has taken
its long-awaited, rightful place as the home of the Marine Corps’
West Coast air power.
A chain of Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack
Squadron 121 aircraft filled the sky over San Diego as the last
active duty FA-18D Hornets left Miramar February 7, 2003 in support
of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Kearny Mesa
Marine Corps Aviation Base and Air Depot
by Justin Ruhge
In World War I, the U.S. Army purchased
the 2,130-acre Miramar Ranch for an infantry-training center.
The Army named the facility Camp Kearny (frequently misspelled
as Kearney), in honor of General S. W. Kearny, former military
governor of California who also served in the Mexican War. Although
Army aircraft occasionally landed on the Camp's parade ground,
an official airfield was never established. Between the wars,
the government retained the property as an airfield for military
and civilian use. The Ryan Company weight-tested Charles Lindbergh's
The Spirit of St. Louis here in 1927. During 1929 and 1930, the
facility was known as Airtech Field, operated by the San Diego
Air Service Corp. The Navy installed a mooring mast on the airport
in 1932, first used by the airship Akron on a west coast flight
May 11, 1932. Twenty five thousand spectators watched in horror
as the Akron's first mooring attempt ended when a gust of wind
carried the airship upward, taking four ground handlers with
it. One man jumped to the ground before the airship reached too
high of an altitude and suffered a broken arm. As the Akron continued
to ascend, two other men lost their grip and fell to their deaths.
One man managed to hold on as a news camera crew, on hand for
the event, captured the entire incident.
The Navy continued to use the facility
and the airship Macon moored at Camp Kearny four times during
1934. In December 1940, the Navy began a series of projects to
improve and expand the airfield. On December 21, the First Marine
Air Wing arrived and set up a tent city, remaining until August
1942 when it moved to Guadalcanal. Meanwhile, the Navy began
the construction of an air station at the camp and commissioned
NAAS Camp Kearny on February 20, 1943, an auxiliary of San Diego.
The Station was also known at times as Kearny Mesa. The Marines
occupied an area adjacent to the Navy station where they commissioned
the Marine Corps Air Depot Camp Kearny one month later.
The primary Navy mission at Camp Kearny
was the training in Consolidated PB4Y Liberators. Training was
supervised and conducted by the Transition Liberator Unit. When
the asphalt runways began to deteriorate under the PB4Ys weight,
two concrete runways were added during 1943. Confusion arose
between the Navy and Marine installations at Camp Kearny, so
the Marines changed their station name to Marine Corps Air Depot
Miramar on September 2, 1943. MCAD Miramar served as the west
coast processing depot for embarkation of Marine squadrons to
the South Pacific as well as home base for other squadrons. Camp
Kearny had one 3,000 x 500-ft. asphalt and two 6,000 x 200-ft.
concrete runways. The 3,000-ft. runway was mainly used for aircraft
parking. In mid-1944, Station personnel numbered 611 officers
and 4,076 enlisted men with accommodations for 688 officers and
4,176 enlisted men. After VJ Day, the Navy used the Station as
a separation center returning 25,000 men to civilian life.
On May 1, 1946, the Navy departed Camp
Kearny and the Station became MCAS Miramar. After only a year,
the Marines closed the base and moved all units to El Toro. On
June 30, 1947, the Navy redesignated Miramar an NAAS. In July
1949, the Navy began a project to improve the runways and establish
a Master Jet Base. The Station upgraded to an NAS on April 1,
1952. Following the Korean War, the Navy faced a cutback and
offered Miramar to the City of San Diego in 1954 for $1. In what
will go down in San Diego's history as the most idiotic decision
ever made by the City's leaders, the offer was turned down!
San Diego's Lindbergh Airport remains
today one of the worst commercial airports in the United States
-- obstructions, no CAT II or CAT III approaches, noise problems,
and a relatively short runway with no over-runs. Miramar would
have made a wonderful international airport for San Diego!
The Navy decided to keep Miramar open and eventually built the
Station into one of the Navy's biggest bases. In 1961, the Station
was designated for fighter squadrons only and was unofficially
known as "Fightertown." During the Vietnam War, the
famous "Top Gun" school formed. The 1993 Base Realignment
and Closure Commission caused major changes at Miramar. The F-14
squadrons were moved to Oceana, Virginia, while Top Gun was transferred
to Fallon, Nevada. With the closing of El Toro, the Marines assumed
command of Miramar on October 1, 1997.
NAS Miramar
by Justin Ruhge
Naval Air Station Miramar is home for
all Pacific fleet fighter, airborne early warning and reconnaissance
squadrons and several senior commands. The present site originally
was a 2,130-acre ranch named Miramar. In World War I the ranch
was purchased by the Army on which to establish an Army Infantry
Training Center named Camp Kearny. The site was also used for
a lighter-than-air blimp base and an aircraft bombing range.
With the outbreak of World War II, the southern half of the site
was commissioned as an auxiliary air station to Naval Air Station,
North Island and the northern half was designated Marine Corps
Air Depot, Miramar.
On May 1, 1946, the two activities were
combined and designated Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar for
fleet operations. On June 1947 all Marine Corps Aviation units
were relocated to the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. In 1949,
Congress appropriated funds to develop the site as a Master Naval
Jet Air Station becoming Naval Air Station, Miramar on April
1, 1952.
In 1961, NAS Miramar became a support
base for fighter squadrons only. In the 1980s there were twenty-three
fighter squadrons, four attack carrier air wings, a light photographic
squadron and a fleet composite squadron. Reorganized again in
July 1973, NAS Miramar became the home base for all Pacific Fleet
fighter and airborne early warning squadrons.
In the 1980s NAS Miramar was an area of
24,000 acres with an estimated value of $4 billion. Fine flying
weather makes NAS Miramar an almost ideal air facility for training
year round contributing to the annual average number of 260,000
take offs and landings there.
Extract, January
1945 US Army Air Forces Directory of Airfields
