The U.S. Navy signs a contract with the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation for the construction of the USS Akron (ZRS-4) and the USS Macon (ZRS-5) dirigibles.
U.S. President Herbert Hoover signs the bill authorizing the acceptance of 1,000 acres of Rancho Yñigo from the Bay Area consortium, named the “Landholders Commission,” for the construction of Naval Air Station Sunnyvale.
The Landholders Commission purchases the 1,000-acre Rancho Yñigo property at a cost of $476,065.90.
The Landholders Committee transfers the land to the U.S. Navy for $1. Naval Air Station Sunnyvale is officially established.
Construction begins on Naval Air Station Sunnyvale.
The USS Akron is commissioned after being built in Akron, Ohio.
The USS Akron arrives at Naval Air Station Sunnyvale for a two-month visit before returning to its base in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
The USS Akron crashes off the New Jersey coast. Seventy-three lives are lost, including Rear Admiral William A. Moffett and Commander Frank C. McCord.
Naval Air Station Sunnyvale and Hangar 1 are commissioned for use.
The USS Macon is commissioned after being built in Akron, Ohio.
Hangar 1 is officially completed.
The Navy names the landing field at Naval Air Station Sunnyvale after Rear Admiral William A. Moffett.
The USS Macon arrives at Naval Air Station Sunnyvale from Lakehurst, New Jersey.
The USS Macon crashes off the coast of Point Sur, California. Two lives are lost.
The Navy transfers Moffett Field to the U.S. Army in exchange for the Army’s North Island field in San Diego. The site is renamed Moffett Field, U.S. Army Air Corps Base.
The Army Air Corps ends its airship program and transfers its lighter-than-air (LTA) material to the Navy, including the TC-13 and TC-14 blimps.
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Ames Aeronautical Laboratory is established.
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.
The United States declares war on Japan.
The United States declares war on Germany and Italy.
The U.S. Army Air Corp transfers Moffett Field back to the Navy, and the site is officially designated U.S. Naval Air Station, Moffett Field, California.
The West Coast’s first lighter-than-air (LTA) squadron, ZP-32, launches the TC-14 blimp on its first patrol flight over the Pacific coast from Moffett Field.
Construction begins on Hangar 2.
Construction begins on Hangar 3.
Moffett Field’s Assembly and Repair Department starts the assembly and erection of
L-class and K-class blimps.
Hangars 2 and 3 are completed.
The last K-class airship is delivered to Moffett Field for assembly.
The Hangar 3 East Annex is completed.
Moffett Field is designated a Major Overhaul and Repair Base.
Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day, marks the end of World War II in Europe.
V-J Day, or Victory over Japan Day, marks the end of World War II.
Moffett Field’s first airship squadron, ZP-32, is decommissioned.
Moffett Field’s lighter-than-air (LTA) program is deemed obsolete and discontinued after the crash of its final blimp flight off the Cape of Mendocino.
The Navy uses Hangars 2 and 3 as the home for the Naval Air Transport Service.
Naval Air Station Moffett Field is designated a Helicopter Overhaul and Repair Base.
Moffett Field’s Naval Air Transport Service overhaul and repair operations close down.
Naval Air Station Moffett Field becomes the first All-Weather Naval Air Station.
The Korean War begins.
Moffett Field becomes the home base for aircraft carrier-based fighter and attack squadrons (VF and VA).
Two new Fleet Aircraft Service Squadrons (FASRON) are commissioned to support the new jets stationed at Moffett Field.
Moffett Field is designated one of the Navy's nine "Navy Master Jet Stations."
The Korean Armistice Agreement is signed, which ends the Korean War with a cease-fire.
The Vietnam War begins.
The original tarpaper rolled roofing on Hangar 2 and Hangar 3 is replaced with corrugated aluminum panels.
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Ames Research Center becomes a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) field center.
Jet operations at Moffett Field end after the Navy’s operational priorities shift from fighter jets to anti-submarine warfare.
Moffett Field is selected as the West Coast’s training center for the Navy’s anti-submarine warfare in the Pacific Ocean.
The Navy designates Moffett Field as the Pacific headquarters for P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft.
Hangar 1 is designated a U.S. Navy Historic Site.
Moffett Field becomes the headquarters of the Commander of the Patrol Wing for the U.S. Pacific Fleet and the largest P-3 Orion base in the world.
President Nixon signs the Paris Peace Accords, ending direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
The 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard moves to Moffett Field.
The Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommends the closure of Moffett Field as a naval air station.
The last active duty P-3 squadron departs Moffett Field.
The Shenandoah Plaza Historic District, including Hangers 1, 2, and 3, is officially added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Moffett Field closes to military operations and is renamed Moffett Federal Airfield. The Department of Defense transfers 1,875 acres of the former naval air station property to NASA.
Hangar 3 becomes the home of the 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard.
NASA Ames Research Center is named a Historic Aerospace Site by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
Planetary Ventures signs a 60-year lease for 1,000 acres at Moffett Field.
The restoration of Hangar 2 is completed.
Hangar 3 is deemed unoccupiable, uninsurable, and unsalvageable. It is determined that the structure must be deconstructed, due to those life safety concerns.
The Hangar 1 rehabilitation project begins and is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
Hangar 3 is deconstructed.
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This website was created to honor the legacy of Hangar 3, which was built at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California and completed in 1943.
This digital documentation and preservation initiative was developed by:
The NASA Ames Research Center
Planetary Ventures
In consultation with:
The National Park Service
California State Historic Preservation Office
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Moffett Field Historical Society
City of Mountain View