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History of Naval Air Station Glynco

Naval Air Station Glynco was established in 1942 near Brunswick, Georgia, as a key site for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Originally constructed to serve as a blimp base, NAS Glynco played a vital role in anti-submarine patrols along the Atlantic coast, deploying lighter-than-air airships to protect shipping lanes from German U-boats. After the war, the station transitioned to become a training center, eventually hosting the Naval Air Technical Training Center and the Naval Flight Officers School. NAS Glynco remained an important training and operational facility until its closure in 1974, after which the site was repurposed as the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport and Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

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ABOUT Naval Air Station Glynco

  • World War II Origins: Naval Air Station Glynco was commissioned in 1942 near Brunswick, Georgia, as a base for the U.S. Navy’s lighter-than-air (LTA) operations, primarily supporting anti-submarine blimp patrols during World War II.
  • Massive Hangar: The station featured one of the world’s largest wooden structures at the time—a gigantic blimp hangar over 1,000 feet long, 300 feet wide, and 180 feet high, designed to house multiple airships simultaneously.
  • Blimp Patrols: Glynco-based airships patrolled the southeastern U.S. coastline and the Caribbean, playing a crucial role in safeguarding Allied shipping from German U-boats.
  • Postwar Transformation: After WWII, the base shifted from blimp operations to focus on Naval Air Technical Training and later, the Navy’s Air Traffic Control School.
  • Air Traffic Control Training: From 1959 until its closure in 1974, NAS Glynco was the primary training center for all Navy and Marine Corps air traffic controllers, earning a reputation as the “schoolhouse of the Navy skies.”
  • Radar Pioneer: Glynco hosted one of the first Ground Control Approach (GCA) radar systems, training operators in new technologies that became standard for military and civilian aviation worldwide.
  • VIP Visits: The station regularly hosted distinguished visitors, including military leaders and members of Congress, who observed cutting-edge training and LTA operations.
  • Closure and Legacy: NAS Glynco was decommissioned in 1974 as part of post-Vietnam military reductions, but its facilities were repurposed as the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).
  • FLETC Headquarters: Today, the former NAS Glynco serves as the main campus for FLETC, training tens of thousands of federal law enforcement officers annually on the historic grounds.
  • Commemoration: Several historical markers, memorials, and preserved buildings on the site honor the legacy of the air station, its blimp crews, and their contributions to U.S. military history.

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