Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum

Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum
Location in New Jersey
Established 1997[1]
Location Lower Township, New Jersey
Coordinates 39°00′15″N 74°54′30″W / 39.00418°N 74.90827°W / 39.00418; -74.90827
Type Aviation museum
Website http://usnasw.org/

The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located at the Cape May Airport in Lower Township, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States.

Facilities

Hangar No. 1-United States Naval Air Station Wildwood

The Cape May Airport, which hosts the museum, was originally constructed by the U.S. Navy from 1941-1942. Commissioned in April 1943 as Naval Air Station Rio Grande, the field was so named due to its proximity to the community of Rio Grande, New Jersey. Due to problems with mail, telegram and telephone service, caused in part by confusion with Rio Grande City, Texas, the Navy opted to rename the airfield as Naval Air Station Wildwood in June 1943.[2] The air station remained in operation as an active naval installation throughout World War II, primarily focused on training operations for Naval Aviators and enlisted Naval Aircrewmen in dive bomber, torpedo bomber and fighter aircraft. Following the end of World War II, the airfield was declared excess to military requirements and was converted to a civilian airport.

The museum is located in the airport's Hangar #1, which is typical of the design of many U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft hangars of the 1940s, many of which are still in use today at both active Naval Air Stations, Marine Corps Air Stations and Coast Guard Air Stations across the United States, as well as other civilian airports that formerly served as air stations. The museum's hangar is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

The museum's aircraft collection focuses on World War II, when the U.S. Navy conducted training operations at the site, but also includes more recent vintage military aircraft from the Cold War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the post-Cold War period, several of which are on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida.

Aircraft on display

The museum's collection includes:[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "NASW Aviation Museum site". Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  2. ↑ http://usnasw.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/USNAS-History-Pt-1.pdf
  3. ↑ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Cape May County" (PDF). NJ DEP - Historic Preservation Office. January 10, 2010. p. 12. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Exhibits page of NASW AV site". Retrieved 2009-08-30.

Coordinates: 39°00′15″N 74°54′30″W / 39.00418°N 74.90827°W / 39.00418; -74.90827

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