Timeline
**** 1941 ******** 1941 ******** 1941 ****
Apr 30 1941 Site Selected
Jul 25 1941 Construction authorized by Bureau of Yards and Docks
Jul 29 1941 Contract awarded to J. A. Jones Construction Co. of Charlotte
Aug 6 1941 Construction started on station
**** 1942 ******** 1942 ******** 1942 ****
Jan 18 1942 3 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jan 19 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jan 20 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jan 23 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jan ? 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Feb 2 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Feb 10 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Feb 15 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Feb 23 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Feb 24 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Feb 26 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Feb 28 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 1 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 7 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 10 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 11 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 12 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 15 1942 3 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 16 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 17 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 18 1942 3 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 19 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 21 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 23 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 24 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 25 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 26 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 27 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 29 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 1 1942 Weeksville Naval Airstation (LTA) commissioned
1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 3 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 4 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 6 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 7 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 9 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 10 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 11 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 14 1942 Airship K-5 operated from Coast Guard Base flown by Walt Aymond
1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 16 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 19 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 20 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 21 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Apr 29 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
May 5 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
May 6 1942 First airship K-3 landed at N.A.S.
1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
May ? 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jun 1 1942 ZP-14 established at Weeksville, K-8 operated from C. G. Base
1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jun 5 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jun 8 1942 Operations started from Weeksville N.A.S.
1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jun 10 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jun 19 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jun 24 1942 2 ships sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jun 28 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jun 30 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jul ? 1942 Construction started on Airdock #2
Jul 7 1942 U-701 sunk by surface ships
Jul 9 1942 K-8 finds survivors of sunken U-701 in Gulf Stream
Jul 19 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Sep 1942 First heavier-than-air craft (plane) landed
Nov 3 1942 Airdock #1 construction completed
Nov 9 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Dec 16 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Dec 19 1942 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
**** 1943 ******** 1943 ******** 1943 ****
Feb 11 1943 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 4 1943 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Mar 26 1943 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
May 4 1943 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jul 8 1943 K-36 Crashed in woods on landing, weather
Jul 15 1943 AIRDOCK #2 construction completed
Aug 3 1943 Blimp Headquarters Squadron ONE, Detachment 14 established at Weeksville N.A.S.
Sep 30 1943 Station Storm Bill placed in effect, winds 36-38 kts over station
Dec 4 1943 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
**** 1944 ******** 1944 ******** 1944 ****
Mar 16 1944 M-3, first "Mike or M" ship landed at base
Apr 1944 Airship accidentally deflated in dock, repaired, re-inflated
May 16 1944 Storm with 68 kt winds damaged AIRDOCK #2, 2 sections of skylights blown out
May 22 1944 ZP-14 consisting of K-123, K-130, K-109, K-134, K-112, and
K-101 was detached to French Morocco, ZP-24 Det. 1 formed
at Weeksville with the remaining 2 "K" ships
Jun 10 1944 ZP-24 established at Weeksville N.A.S.
Jul 15 1944 77 aircraft stored at base because of hurricane
Sep 14 1944 Hurricane hit base, L-13 deflated and 28 planes damaged
in Airdock #2 from falling glass from skylights, 100 kt winds
**** 1945 ******** 1945 ******** 1945 ****
Mar 1945 Airship in Airdock #2 partially deflated from falling roof
timber caused by damage from Sept.'44 hurricane
Apr 14 1945 1 ship sunk by submarines off Carolina coast
Jun 1 1945 ZP-12 Det. 4 established at Weeksville N.A.S.
Jun 9 1945 ZP-24 decommissioned at Weeksville N.A.S.
Jun 17 1945 Blimp Headquarters Squadron ONE, Detachment 12 established at Weeksville N.A.S.
Aug 10 1945 Name changed from Weeksville N.A.S. to Weeksville Naval Air Facility
Dec 1 1945 Mission changed to Maintenance with preservation and storage of HTA aircraft
**** 1946 ******** 1946 ******** 1946 ****
Apr 25 1946 Last airship, K-113, departed for Lakehurst, NJ
Aug 23 1946 Weeksville N.A.F. established as Automotive Storage Point
**** 1947 ******** 1947 ******** 1947 ****
Aug 15 1947 ZP-1 Home Port changed from Santa Ana CA to Weeksville N.A.F.
Aug 20 1947 K-19 attached to ZP-1 arrives from Santa Ana N.A.S.
Aug 24 1947 K-121 attached to ZP-1 arrives from Santa Ana N.A.S.
Aug 25 1947 K-105 attached to ZP-1 arrives from Santa Ana N.A.S.
Aug 26 1947 K-107 attached to ZP-1 arrives from Santa Ana N.A.S.
Sep 3 1947 K-100 attached to ZP-1 arrives from Santa Ana N.A.S.
Sep 24 1947 Station Storm Bill set for hurricane watch
**** 1948 ******** 1948 ******** 1948 ****
Feb 1948 K-107 Collapse at mast, caused by snow and high winds
**** 1949 ******** 1949 ******** 1949 ****
May 17 1949 Last HTA aircraft transferred out of storage, storage activity
for HTA aircraft terminated at Weeksville N.A.F.
Aug 22-24 1949 Station Storm Bill set for hurricane watch
Aug 28 1949 Fleet Airship Wing One (FASW-1) transferred from Lakehurst
to Weeksville N.A.F.
**** 1950 ******** 1950 ******** 1950 ****
Jan 6 1950 ZPK-105 struck the south doors of Dock #1 during undocking,
resulting in the deflation and survey of the envelope
Jun 6 1950 Airdock #2 re-waterproofing started
Sep 30 1950 AIRDOCK #2 re-waterproofing completed
**** 1951 ******** 1951 ******** 1951 ****
Jan 9 1951 ZP2K-116 Crashed into Pasquotank River off of Aprproach end of
runway two zero
May 8 1951 ZP-4 established at Weeksville N.A.F.
May 20-21 1951 Station Storm Bill set for Hurricane Bill
Jun 21 1951 ZP2K-93 Crashed at sea-pilot error
**** 1952 ******** 1952 ******** 1952 ****
Jun 18 1952 Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron THREE (HS-3)
commissioned at Weeksville N.A.F. based in AIRDOCK #2
Oct 25 1952 ZP2K-58 Crashed at sea, burned-pilot error
Dec 18 1952 ZP-1 received ZP2K-127 to replace lost ZP2K-58
* Records show that ZP-1 operated 5ea ZP2K airships, ZP-4
operated 5ea ZP2K airships, and HS-3 operated 9ea HUP2S,
1ea HRP1, and 2ea HTL2 helicopters from Weeksville N.A.F.
during this year
**** 1953 ******** 1953 ******** 1953 ****
Dec 2 1953 ZPG-2 "Nan" ship landed at Weeksville
**** 1954 ******** 1954 ******** 1954 ****
Oct 14 1954 Unknown ZP2K or ZP3K assigned to ZP-4 burned in airdock
#1 during evening, ship completely destroyed
**** 1957 ******** 1957 ******** 1957 ****
Jan 14 1957 ZSG-4 (or ZPG-4) Bu.# 13192 deflated in AIRDOCK #2 by falling roof timber during snow storm
May 31 1957 Headline in Daily Advance: Blimp Squadrons Are Ordered Decommissioned
Jun 12 1957 Last local flights by Weeksville based airships at International
Naval Review in Chesapeake Bay
Jun 20 1957 ZPG-2 comes to base for servicing
Jun 30 1957 Weeksville N.A.S. decommissioned
Sep 3 1957 FASW-1 transferred back to Lakehurst, NJ
**** 1959 ******** 1959 ******** 1959 ****
Mar 20 1959 Last flight of K ship- K-43, Vice Admiral Rosendahl aboard
**** 1960 ******** 1960 ******** 1960 ****
1960 Test inflation of ECHO Balloon in Airdock #1
**** 1961 ******** 1961 ******** 1961 ****
Oct 1961 End of Navy LTA program
**** 1962 ******** 1962 ******** 1962 ****
Aug 13 1962 Last Navy Blimp Flight, the Snowbird, a ZPG-2 over
Lakehurst, NJ
**** POST NAVY HISTORY ****
**** 1964 ******** 1964 ******** 1964 ****
Dec 31 1964 Property sold by Federal Government to North Carolina State Ports Authority
**** 1966 ******** 1966 ******** 1966 ****
Mar 10 1966 Property sold to Westinghouse
**** 1971 ******** 1971 ******** 1971 ****
1971 TCOM formed as a Westinghouse subsidiary and began use of
AIRDOCK #2 for LTA (aerostat) manufacture, assembly, and test
**** 1979 ******** 1979 ******** 1979 ****
Aug 2 1979 AIRDOCK #1 sold to Triangle Pacific (IXL)
Aug 23 1979 AIRDOCK #2 sold by Westinghouse to Carolina Dunes (G. E. Small & Sons)
Aug 28 1979 AIRDOCK #2 rented to Westinghouse for TCOM use
**** 1985 ******** 1985 ******** 1985 ****
1985 Westinghouse Airships, Inc. formed to build and sell blimps
**** 1989 ******** 1989 ******** 1989 ****
Nov 17 1989 Westinghouse sells aerostat business and TCOM, L.P. is
formed continuing in LTA manufacture
**** 1995 ******** 1995 ******** 1995 ****
Aug 3 1995 Airdock #2 destroyed by fire in early hours of morning, WAI
Sentinel 1000 (largest airship in the world) destroyed in hangar
at 12:55 AM
Oct 27 1995 Westinghouse Airships, Inc. closes doors in Elizabeth City
ending 29 years of business in area
**** 1996 ******** 1996 ******** 1996 ****
May 1 1996 TCOM, L. P. purchases airdock #1 from Triangle Pacific
Aug 1 1996 TCOM, L. P. moves into Airdock #1
Oct 28 1996 Removal of suspended ceiling in airdock #1 started, first time since
late 1960's that you can stand on the floor and see the roof
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