Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Naval Air Station Whidbey Island ( NASWI ) is a naval air station located in two sections near Oak Harbor , on Whidbey Island , in Island County , Washington . It was commissioned as an active U . S . Navy installation on 21 September 1942 . The main portion of the base is called Ault Field in memory of Commander William B . Ault , who was listed ' missing in action ' during the Battle of the Coral Sea ( 1942 ) . Ault Field is located approximately three miles north of Oak Harbor . The other section of the air station is known as the Seaplane Base . Originally home to PBY Catalina flying boats , the air station ' s main Navy Exchange and DeCA Commissary are located here , as is most of the Navy housing on the island . A lightly utilized satellite airfield , Naval Outlying Landing Field ( NOLF ) Coupeville , is located on central Whidbey Island at , roughly nine miles south of Ault Field . Primarily utilized for Field Carrier Landing Practice ( FCLP ) by carrier - based jet aircraft , this field has no permanently assigned personnel and falls under the command of the Commanding Officer of NASWI . NASWI currently supports MH - 60S Seahawk helicopter , EA - 18G Growler , EA - 6B Prowler , P - 3C Orion , EP - 3E ARIES II and C - 9 Skytrain aircraft . History . On January 17 , 1941 , almost 11 months before the U . S . entered World War II , the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations asked the Commandant of the 13th Naval District to find a location for the re - arming and refueling of Navy patrol planes operating in defense of Puget Sound , should such defense be necessary . Lake Ozette , Indian Island , Keystone Harbor , Penn Cove and Oak Harbor were considered and later rejected because of mountainous terrain , bluff shore front , inaccessibility , absence of sufficient beaches and lee shores . But within 10 days , the commanding officer of Naval Air Station Seattle ( NAS Seattle ) recommended the site of Saratoga Passage on the shores of Crescent Harbor and Forbes Point as a base suitable for seaplane takeoffs and landings under instrument conditions . A narrow strip of land tied Oak Harbor to what is now Maylor ’ s Point Capehart Housing . Dredging , filling , and running water and power lines to the city was under way when at the end of November came the word to find a land plane site . On December 8 , three workers started a topographic survey of what would become Ault Field , about four miles to the north . Actual construction of Ault Field started on 1 March 1942 . The first plane landed there on 5 Aug , when LT Newton Wakefield , a former civil engineer and airline pilot , who later became the air station ' s Operations Officer , brought his SNJ single - engine trainer in with little fanfare . Everyone was busy working on the still - incomplete runway . On September 21 , 1942 , the air station ' s first Commanding Officer , CAPT Cyril Thomas Simard , read the orders and the watch was set . U . S . Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was duly commissioned . A year later , on 25 Sep 1943 , the land plane field was named Ault Field , in memory of CDR William B . Ault , missing in action in the Battle of the Coral Sea . Following the recommendation of the Interdepartmental Air Traffic Control Board , an area 2½ miles southeast of Coupeville was approved as an auxiliary field to serve NAS Seattle . Survey work began in February 1943 , and work started in March . Outlying Field ( OLF ) Coupeville was in use by September . At Ault Field , the earliest squadrons of aircraft were F4F Wildcat s , which came aboard in 1942 , followed by F6F Hellcat s . Later that year , PV - 1 Ventura s arrived for training . By the end of 1943 , all F4Fs were gone , replaced by the F6F Hellcat . In 1944 , SBD Dauntless dive - bombers became the predominant aircraft at Ault Field , while at the Seaplane Base , several PBY Catalina and PBM Mariner seaplanes were aboard in the summer of 1944 , augmented by a few land - based B - 26 s that arrived earlier that year to be used in towing targets . After World War II ended , operations slowed at war ’ s end and it was almost certain that NAS Whidbey Island would be earmarked for decommissioning . Many naval air stations across the United States were closing because they couldn ’ t meet the requirements of the post - war Naval Aviation ; 6 , 000 - foot runways were now the minimum standard and approach paths had to be suitable for radar - controlled approaches in any weather . Taken out of reduced operating status , NAS Whidbey had a new lease on life and expansion and construction accelerated with the Korean War . P2V Neptune patrol bombers , which arrived in the late 1940s , would eventually make up six patrol squadrons at NAS Whidbey . Patrol Squadron FIFTY ( VP - 50 ) moved from NAS Alameda , California in June 1956 , returning seaplanes to NAS Whidbey . Flying the P5M - 2 Marlin , patrol squadrons dominated the Seaplane Base until the late 1960s along with the seaplane - tender , USS Salisbury Sound . During the Korean War , patrol plane activity was stepped up again with several Naval Air Reserve units being called up and redesignated as active duty squadrons . By the end of the war , there were six VP ( Patrol ) squadrons and two Fleet Air Support squadrons based at Whibdey . In 1955 , VP - 29 returned from deployment to the Pacific and was redesignated as Heavy Attack Squadron Two ( VAH - 2 ) , the first heavy attack squadron on the West Coast , the " heavy " designation reflecting its concentration on nuclear weapons delivery . Later that year , it moved to NAS North Island in San Diego in order to transition to the A - 3D Skywarrior . In 1958 , the Heavy Attack Squadron Six ( VAH - 6 ) ( " Heavy - 6 " ) Fleurs , moved from NAS Moffett Field , California , where they had been the Navy ' s second nuclear attack squadron . As part of CVG - 61 / CVW - 6 , the squadron then made several WestPac deployments aboard the USS Ranger ( CVA - 61 ) prior to transferring to CVW - 8 for operations in the Mediterranean aboard the USS Forrestal ( CV - 59 ) . Transferred to NAS Sanford , Florida , VAH - 6 was redesignated Heavy Reconnaissance Squadron Six ( RVAH - 6 ) in September , 1965 , commencing the squadron ' s transition to the A - 5 Vigilante . In early 1965 , patrol squadrons began to leave NAS Whidbey ; VP - 47 transferred to NAS Moffett Field , California and VP - 17 to NAS Barbers Point , Hawaii . In July 1969 , the patrol community appeared to be reviving with the delivery of the P - 3 Orion as a replacement for the venerable P - 2 Neptune , but in September 1969 , VP - 2 and VP - 42 were deactivated . On 1 March 1970 , VP - 1 transferred to NAS Barbers Point , ending seaplane patrol operations by active forces at NAS Whidbey Island . This also brought Fleet Air Wing Four to an end on 1 April 1970 , leaving Patrol Squadron SIXTY - NINE ( VP - 69 ) , a Naval Air Reserve squadron , as the sole remaining maritime patrol squadron at NAS Whidbey Island . Then in the 1970s and beyond , 16 A - 6 Intruder squadrons were based at NAS Whidbey Island . Whidbey was now the West Coast training and operations center for these all - weather , medium - attack bomber squadrons . In October 1970 , Heavy Attack Squadron 10 ( VAH - 10 ) was redesignated Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 129 ( VAQ - 129 ) , the Navy ’ s first EA - 6B squadron and the sole fleet replacement squadron for Navy and Marine Prowler crews . With the exception of a forward deployed EA - 6B squadron at NAF Atsugi , Japan and a sole Naval Air Reserve EA - 6B squadron ( VAQ - 209 ) at Andrews AFB / NAF Washington , Maryland , NAS Whidbey Island supports all of the U . S . Navy ’ s Prowler squadrons . In July 2009 , VAQ - 129 accepted its first EA - 18G Growler aircraft . Based on the F / A - 18F Super Hornet , the Growler will eventually replace all EA - 6B Prowlers in the U . S . Navy ' s inventory . In late 1993 , with the pending closures of NAS Moffett Field , California and NAS Barbers Point , Hawaii additional P - 3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft came aboard NAS Whidbey Island , along with the associated staffs of Commander , Patrol Wings , U . S . Pacific Fleet ( COMPATWINGSPAC ) and Commander , Patrol Wing TEN ( COMPATWING 10 ) . With the closure of NAS Agana , Guam , Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron ONE ( VQ - 1 ) also arrived at NAS Whidbey Island in 1994 with its EP - 3E Aries II aircraft . VQ - 1 was placed under the claimancy of COMPATWING 10 and the wing was subsequently redesignated Commander , Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing TEN ( COMPATRECONWING 10 ) . With the disestablishment of Reserve Patrol Wing , VP - 69 was also placed under COMPATRECONWING 10 claimancy . In 1997 The last Pacific Based A - 6E Intruder Squadron VA - 196 " Milestones " decommissioned following a lengthy deployment for WESTPAC 1996 . AMSCMC Command Master Chief Sean Miner blew the Final Bosun ' s whistle and all plank owners from this squadron were reassigned to their new duty station . One member of this squadron , Jason " Charlie " Madsen was commended for spearheading a NAS Whidbey Island landscaping project by volunteering to remove unwanted trees from the area in front of the enlisted barracks buildings . The tree removal eventually led to the formation of a base wide landscaping volunteer group whom were affectionatley dubbed the " Whidbey Pilgrims " . Another member of this squadron , Floyd " Shaky D " Dankert would later know fame in a Seattle Based Rock Band " Floyd and the little drummer boys . " Present day . In all , there are 17 active duty squadrons and 2 Ready Reserve squadrons currently based at NAS Whidbey Island . The air station also maintains a Search and Rescue Unit , flying three Sikorsky MH - 60S Nighthawks . With the addition of the MH - 60S , Navy Search and Rescue provides 24 day and night maritime , inland and mountainous rescue support for Department of Defense personnel and the greater Pacific Northwest community . The SAR Unit ( 360 ) 257 - 2681 provides 15 minute alert coverage Monday through Thursday from 0800 - 0200 or last plane on deck , Friday 0800 - 2200 or last plane on deck and 30 minute alert coverage at all others times of the year . Additionally , SAR has organic SAR Medical Technicians on all missions it performs . NASWI SAR primarily serves military aircrews , but missions aiding civilians in distress are often approved and executed . Over 50 tenant commands are also located at NAS Whidbey Island , providing training , medical and dental , and other support services , including a Marine Aviation Training Support Group ( MATSG ) for Whidbey ’ s staff and student Marine Corps personnel . The base also continues its long - standing role as a center of activity for Naval Air Reserve operations and training in the region .