Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay. Built on reclaimed land at the west end of Alameda Island, the site was acquired by the USAAC in 1930 but turned over to the Navy in 1936. During World War II, the USS Hornet (CV-8) was loaded with the 16 B-25s that would take part in the Doolittle Raid at NAS Alameda. After the base closed on April 25, 1997, the USS ''Hornet (CV-12) was given to the former air station to be used as a museum ship. In late July 2006, the City of Alameda announced a deal with Navy that would turn the land over to the city for $108M. The preliminary development concept calls for 1700 housing units to be developed at the Naval Air Station site, now called Alameda Point. In September, 2006, the developer, Alameda Point Community Partners, withdrew from development of Alameda Point. In May 2007 the City selected the SunCal Companies as the Master Developer of Alameda Point, and as of July 2007 the parties are negotiating terms for a development agreement.

NAS Alameda had two runways: 07-25 (8000×200 ft) (2438×61 m) and 13-31 (7200×200 ft) (2195×61 m). Two helicopter pads and a control tower were also part of the facilities.

History

From 1949 to 1953, the Navy based the Lockheed Constitution—the largest airplane ever listed on the Navy inventory—at NAS Alameda. The two prototypes regularly flew between nearby NAS Moffett Field and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The Alameda Terminal of the First Transcontinental Railroad (California Historical Landmark #440) is located on its grounds at the Naval Air Station Mall, as is the departure point of the China Clipper (CHL #968).

Post-closure uses

The MythBusters often conduct some of their more destructive experiments on the grounds of the station, due to the extensive safety zone it affords them. For the same reason, this location has also been used as a checkpoint for the Bullrun rally race—the lengthy airstrip allowed for the staging of a challenge involving chasing a semi-trailer.

A two-mile freeway loop was constructed on the base for the filming of a lengthy car chase sequence for the movie The Matrix Reloaded. The loop cost over $1.5 million to construct and was used solely for the shooting the film's chase scenes (a seven-week long process) before it was demolished.. The route is still visible on aerial photography on the former 07/25 and 13/31 runways.

Superfund cleanup site

NAS Alameda was listed as a Superfund cleanup site on July 22, 1999. 25 locations on the base were identified as needing remediation. The largest of the individual locations is the West Beach Landfill which occupies approximately 110 acres (44.5 ha) in the southwestern corner of the base. Tests of the landfill indicate polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination.

See also

• List of airports in the San Francisco Bay Area
• San Francisco Naval Shipyard

References

Sources

• Alameda Naval Air Museum
• Historic Posts: Naval Air Station, Alameda
• Globalsecurity.org's history of Alameda Point

External links

• Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: NAS Alameda
• Aerial photos from Google Local
• Aerial photos from Microsoft Terrasever