NAAS/NAS Chase Field |
Point of Contact = Squadron Duty Officer (SDO).
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ATU-213 - 1958 Provided by Art Jorgensen PHCS (Ret.) |
ATU-223 |
Heritage-Patches Unknown ------ Beeville Municipal Airport 1943 - 1946 -- Beeville Naval Air Station (Leased - satellite field for NAS Corpus Christi) 1952 - 1993 -- NAAS/NAS Chase Field ATU-203, ATU-213 & ATU-223 were departments in the NAATC command structure until August 1960. |
Sources David Weber Art Jorgensen, PHCS (Ret.) |
Commanding Officers No info yet. |
Awards No info yet. |
Base Tail ID No info yet. |
Hosted Units No info yet |
Aircraft
Unknown- - - Grumman F9F-8 Cougar Unknown- - - Grumman F9F-8B Cougar Unknown- - - Grumman F9F-8T Cougar |
Events I was stationed at Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Chase Field, Beeville, TX as my first duty station right out of boot camp in 1958. I was a non-designated Airman Apprentice when I was assigned to ATU-213 and worked in the Planning Office. We kept track of airframe and engine hours on large Plexiglas boards and downed A/C for scheduled inspections (checks). We had not only F9F-8T’s but F9F-8B’s but also just F9F-8’s (straight eights). I believe we had a total of 89 A/C in ATU-213. At the time the ATU’s were departments in the air station command structure. Also on station were ATU-203 which flew F9’s and ATU-223 which had F11F Tigers. I am attaching a copy of my ATU-213 patch and two aerials of the air station. Beeville #2 has a flight of four ATU-213 F9F-8T’s with runways in the foreground. I wanted to be a Photographer’s Mate and trained at the photo lab at night. Just before the ATU’s were commissioned as VT’s I got a transfer from ATU-213 to the operations department photo lab. After the squadrons were commissioned I had to request a change of duty station via BUPERS and I transferred to Adak, AK in December 1960 and bid farewell to the Cougars. I retired in 1988 as a Senior Chief Photographer. |
Photos Aerial view of Chase Field Aerial view of four ATU-213 F9F-8T Cougars over Chase Field. Off-Duty Photos No info yet. |