Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is located in Washington State within the borders of Island County. The dual runway base is 90 miles due north of Seattle and is staffed by 7500 active duty and reserve military personnel. The air station encompasses multiple Navy installations near Oak Harbor including a seaplane base, Ault Field, Outlying Field Coupville and Boardman Training Range, making Naval Air Station Whidbey that single largest naval installation in the Pacific Northwest. It also fills the billet of one of four Navy installations that make up Navy Region Northwest.
The main sector if NAS Whidbey, Ault Field, was a named for a United States Navy Commander who was killed in action by Japanese fighter planes while piloting his own craft in the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. Though presumed killed, Commander Ault is technically listed as missing in action, as he was never recovered. Commander Ault has additional asset that bears his name, the destroyer USS Ault, commissioned in 1944.
One year prior to the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor the 13th Naval District was tasked with finding a new location for seaplane bases in the Puget Sound area. The strategically important area of Oak Harbor was considered a potential target for attack and finding suitable defense for the area was problematic. Geography severely limited base options and access was extremely limited. As a result, the idea of building a base in Oak Harbor was abandoned.
One day after the attacks on Pearl Harbor Navy officials reconsidered, and the decision was made to build at Oak Harbor. Construction began in March of 1942 the airfield was able to begin receiving aircraft in August of the same year. Despite the frantic construction, the base was woefully unfinished, with several sections of runways still incomplete and structures still in varying stages of development.
In September of 1942 the base was officially commissioned as an operational United States Naval Air Station. Torpedo overhaul systems, F4F Wildcats, and F6F Hellcats made up the much of the first resident aircraft. Ault Field was officially named in September of 1943 and operations expanded to include SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber aircraft.
Following World War II, the pace of activity at NAS Whidbey slowed dramatically. Decommission of the air station was planned on paper, and asset diversion quickly followed. It was quickly decided however that due to the all-weather nature of the airfield it would be used to fleet activities and operations in Alaska.
The Korean War saw another expansion of NAS Whidbey and breathed new life into the installation. By the end of the war two Fleet Air Support and Six VP Patrol squadrons called the base home. Rather than scale down as the base did following World War II, the Navy made the decision to continue moving assets and unites into NAS Whidbey in anticipation of future conflicts.
Today, more than 50 tenant units, 19 active duty squadrons and two reserve squadrons call NAS Whidbey home. The installation houses 15 Prowler Squadrons, two C-12 Huron aircraft, two EP-3E Fleet Recon units and four P-3 Orion Patrol squadrons. The base also regularly plays host to Canadian Fleet vessels and United States Coast Guard surface ships.