On 15 September 1942, the United States Navy established a 2,000 acre lighter-than-air facility at Naval Air Station Richmond. The Navy constructed 3 huge hangers, each 17 stories high, 175 feet high, 297 feet wide, and 1,088 feet in length. Among the largest wooden structures in the world, each covered about 7 acres. The base was home to Fleet Airship Wing 2 and Airship Patrol Squadron ZP-21, consisting of 25 K class blimps. Airships from NAS Richmond searched for German submarines over the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Other station activities included training homing pigeons, helium equipment operators, and night torpedo bomber crews. Exactly 3 years to the date of the commissioning of NAS Richmond, a severe hurricane and resulting fire destroyed all 3 hangers containing 368 military and civilian aircraft, 100 automobiles and 25 airships. Winds of 170 mph to 196 mph were recorded at nearby Homestead Air Base. The facility was never rebuilt, and this area preserves concrete supports for the 51 wooden truss arches of hanger number 1 and the sole remaining massive main door support.