Why Are The Wooden Blimp Hangars So Special?
A general shortage of steel forced engineers to consider
alternative building methods and materials during the second world war. Although timber was a natural choice, the need
for hangars was so great, that there was little time for testing various design applications.Never before, had anything like this been attempted. The sheer volume required to house a squadron of airships was so large, that engineers first constructed a scale model. This model was needed to convince iron workers, that it was indeed possible to build such a large free-standing structure entirely out of wood.
Less than half of the seventeen original timber hangars still exist today. Fortunately, many of the remaining hangars are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hangar B at NAS Tillamook, joined the ranks on March 29, 1989 (NRIS#89000201).