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Hitchcock, Texas: WW 2 Blimp Base Remains

Towering pillars are all that remain of a World War II dirigible hangar.

Address:
Blimp Base Blvd., Hitchcock, TX
Directions:
Just west of Highway 6 on FM 2004 and Blimp Base Blvd.
Hours:
June 2015: Reported public access discouraged. Local health policies may affect hours and access.
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Visitor Tips and News About WW 2 Blimp Base Remains

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WWII Blimp Base

As a kid, I played there a lot. The standing columns are hollow and divided into levels accessible by rungs in the concrete wall. The top levels were full of small bones left by the owls that lived in it. The view from the top was great. I remember that there were engines wrapped in cosmoline and paper until John Mecom bought the place and started clearing it.

[LTAggie'81, 07/07/2018]

Blimp base remains.

WW 2 Blimp Base Remains

There are a lot of signs that say private road and no trespassing. We were able to see it and get a picture but it's at what appears to be a business and you get the feeling they don't want you there.

[Laura, 06/28/2015]
WWII Blimp Base

The four pillars are pretty much the only thing left. The blimp hanger was built in 1942. After the war it was used for a number of purposes until 1961, when it was damaged beyond repair by Hurricane Carla.

[Evans, 03/17/2015]
WW 2 Blimp Base Remains

When I was a kid in the 1960s the Goodyear blimp was often tied here when not in use. I saw it many times.

[Native Texan, 09/09/2013]

The four giant pillars that supported the door for the airship hanger are all that remain of this once-mighty blimp base. That, and the memories of the former kids who saw the blimps.

Historical view of blimp hangar.

WW 2 Blimp Base Remains

Remains of a WW 2 Blimp Base. Recently purchased and renovated for a business. For decades this has been a somewhat puzzling site to drivers along FM 2004 near Galveston. Four gigantic pillars rise out of the prairie in the middle of nowhere. Very impressive!

[L Samuel, 10/05/2010]

The LTA (lighter than air) base was built in 1943-44 to dispatch blimps for German U-boat spotting in the Gulf of Mexico. By the time it was operational, the U-boats were no longer a problem. The giant pillars from the blimp hangar were too expensive to demolish, so here they remain.


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