During World War II, the U.S. Navy established bases for lighter-than-air craft, or blimps, to defend coasts and shipping lanes against German submarine activity. Because of its location on the flat Texas coastal plain, Hitchcock was chosen as the site of one of nine new blimp bases. Construction began in 1942, and the facility was commissioned on May 22, 1943. The buildup of military personnel brought an economic boom to the community. The base included forty-seven buildings, among them a massive hangar for six blimps, administration buildings, warehouses, living quarters, and recreational facilities. In addition to regular patrols, aircraft from the base assisted with hurricane relief efforts and war bond drives. In 1944, when the blimps were no longer needed, the base was redesignated for other purposes. After the war, some buildings were used by private interests, and after hurricane damage in 1961 the blimp hangar was razed.