which has been transformed into this place
It was built to house dirigibles (blimps) to look out for German U-boats during WWII after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It is an airship hangar, one of two. The other one burned down. And the unique thing about it: the skeleton is made of wood with a metal shell. When you walk in, you can smell the wood. It is truly amazing! The reason it was made of wood.....they were using all of the steel for the warships and airplanes! And it was abundant here in Oregon and Washington. Tillamook was picked as one of 3 sites on the Pacific Coast. The other 2 were in......California!
the "bones" of the place
It was built to house 7 airships; and when they were on patrol, no ships were lost to enemy fire or torpedoes. No airships were lost, either. One airship was lost while on a routine patrol due to a malfunction. Once the hangars were no longer needed, the hangars were used for the logging industry. Now, it houses the museum.
Here are some of the interesting planes that we saw
Are you thinking of renting "Top Gun?"
This baby saw action in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam
Some other interesting notes:
Again, another self-guided tour. It starts with a visit to the video room, where you see a 20-minute video on how the place got its start. Then you walk around and visit the planes and different things around. I got to see my train (they brought the logs in from the neighboring forests)
I'm a sucker for a big piece of steel
A WW2 air raid shelter, complete with 4 bunk beds
even the Army was here!
Ladies, who's not a sucker for a man in uniform??!!
And don't forget the womens' contribution!
So it was a great visit. The cost was relatively inexpensive, $10.50 each; but we got a discount (retired teacher and federal worker). So if you're in the area, come on down. Y'all come back!😉
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