U.S. Naval Auxiliary Air Station - Kingsville
Kingsville, Kleberg County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Prior to U.S. involvement in World War II, the Naval Expansion Act of 1940 funded the growth of a two-ocean navy and authorized the expansion of new naval air stations. City of Kingsville officials saw the potential benefits of the creation of a military installation near the city and promoted the area's abundant air space, year-round flying weather, available acreage and flat terrain. Their efforts proved successful when the U.S. Navy commissioned U.S. Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS), Kingsville, Texas on July 4, 1942. The original layout of the Advanced Pilot Training School has a north field and south field with two independent sets of runways. As part of the Intermediate Training Complex out of Naval Air Station Corpus Christ, NAAS Kingsville accepted male cadetys for the intial step in carrier pilot training. Following classroom sessions and flight simulator instruction cadets took to the air practicing touch-and-go landings on small area landing strips, built to simulate the length of aircraft carrier decks. Cadets also flew "bombing" runs over area target sites and on targets at Padre Island. During the war, a unit of Navy W.A.V.E.S. (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) served here in various professions. NAAS Kingsville played a significant role in training naval aviators for combat in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters of operation. In addition, the selection of Kingsville has a positive economic impact on the development of both the city and Kleberg County. Following the war, the U.S. began reducing its military inventory and NAAS Kingsville was officially decommissioned on April 1, 1951, as a jet transitional training facility. In August 1968, the Navy upgraded Naval Auxiliary Air Station Kingsville to Naval Air Station Kingsville. Texas in World War II - 2008
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
With war looming, the Naval Expansion Act of 1940 fueled a two-ocean navy, and Kingsville leaders won a station by touting their open skies, flat terrain, and year-round flying weather. Commissioned on July 4, 1942, the Naval Auxiliary Air Station trained cadets in carrier landings, practicing touch-and-go on strips built to mimic flight-deck length and running bombing runs over Padre Island, while a unit of Navy WAVES served in support roles. The base helped prepare aviators for both the Pacific and Atlantic before it was decommissioned in 1951 and later reborn as a full Naval Air Station in 1968.
Why it matters
Kingsville was one of the many home-front airfields where America mass-trained the carrier pilots who won the war in the air, reshaping a Texas town in the process.
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Related events
- · Naval Expansion Act of 1940
Themes & tags
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