Although the planes are long gone, the base remains.
The hangar seen here was converted in 1977 to house the navy’s department store, the Naval Exchange. Looking nothing like a hangar on the inside (and nothing like a department store on the outside), its parking lot is what you see here: 1942 concrete, the aircraft mooring points still plainly visible today.
Despite its makeover, vestiges of hangar life remain inside. There are aircraft power outlets, and storage rooms that were once offices have hideous green paint from the 1950s.
2 thoughts on “P5M Marlins of VP-50, NAS Whidbey Island, 1957”
That’s actually not the hangar that became the base exchange. It was much bigger, located at the far southern end of the parking ramp. It was demolished back in the 90’s, and the parking lot is now a ‘park and ride’ for Seattle transit buses.
Oh, I bet you’re thinking about the old hangar at Sand Point (NAS Seattle). I shopped there many a time, and yes, it was torn down about 20 years ago. On the other hand, the NAS Whidbey exchange is indeed located in the former seaplane hangar seen in the photo (I bought shoes there last Friday).
The Jive Bomber 
That’s actually not the hangar that became the base exchange. It was much bigger, located at the far southern end of the parking ramp. It was demolished back in the 90’s, and the parking lot is now a ‘park and ride’ for Seattle transit buses.
LikeLike
Oh, I bet you’re thinking about the old hangar at Sand Point (NAS Seattle). I shopped there many a time, and yes, it was torn down about 20 years ago. On the other hand, the NAS Whidbey exchange is indeed located in the former seaplane hangar seen in the photo (I bought shoes there last Friday).
LikeLike