World War II

In August 1942, the United States Navy began building the air station on 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) in the northern part of the county. Named NAS Glynco as an abbreviation of Glynn County, Georgia, it was initially constructed as an operational base for lighter-than-air airships, more commonly known as blimps.

In 14 months, workers at the new air station built two enormous wooden hangars, measuring 1,058 feet (322 m) long, 297 feet (91 m) wide and 182 feet (55 m) tall, to house an eight-ship fleet and to provide maintenance for blimps from other bases. Airship Patrol Squadron 15 (ZP-15), a subordinate unit of Fleet Airship Wing ONE at NAS Lakehurst / Maxfield Field, New Jersey was subsequently based at NAS Glynco and was the principal unit based at the air station during World War II. Capable of sustained flight and state-of-the-art electronic submarine detection, blimps flew thousands of hours on coastal and maritime patrol, as well as convoy escort duty, protecting vulnerable ships delivering essential war materials. This convoy escort program has often been cited as one of the most successful defense operations of the war.

A runway for fixed-wing aircraft was also constructed at NAS Glynco, as multiple units on the base continued to contribute to significant advances in the development of new communications and electronics equipment, as well as new search and rescue procedures.

Postwar/Cold War

NAS Glynco was originally slated for decommissioning in 1949 when tensions in Korea prompted the Navy to reconsider the value of the airship's anti-submarine warfare capabilities. As a result, the base was retained in an active status and a full complement of blimps returned to NAS Glynco, primarily under Airship Patrol Squadrons 2 (ZP-2) and 3 (ZP-3). In addition, airship pilot training for previously designated heavier-than-air Naval Aviators from the fixed-wing and rotary-wing communities was conducted by the Airship Training Unit (ZTG) at NAS Glynco, which had moved from NAS Lakehurst in 1954. Other training functions followed. However, the Navy began to slowly dismantle the airship program and disestablished ZP-2, ZP-3 and ZTG in 1959. The mammoth blimp hangars finally succumbed to the effects of time and climate and the unique landmarks were demolished in 1971.

Cold War/Vietnam War

As lighter-than-air operations declined, fixed-wing aircraft operations increased as NAS Glynco's runway was increased in length to slightly over 8,000 feet (2,400 m). In the 1960s, as the Navy expanded the role of Naval Aviation Observers, later redesignated as Naval Flight Officers (NFO), for the next generation of carrier-based multi-crew aircraft, NAS Glynco assumed added responsibility for advanced NFO training. The former Naval Air Technical Training Center Glynco was disestablished and Training Air Wing EIGHT (TRAWING 8), reporting to the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas was established at NAS Glynco in NATTC's place. Training Squadron 86 (VT-86) was subsequently established as a subordinate command to TRAWING 8 in order to provide advanced training for U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps NFOs slated for eventual assignment as Radar Intercept Officers (RIO) in the F-4 Phantom II and F-14 Tomcat, Bombardier Navigators (B/N) in the A-3 Skywarrior, A-5 Vigilante and A-6 Intruder, Reconnaissance Attack Navigators (RAN) in the RA-5C Vigilante, Reconnaissance Systems Officers (RSO) in the RF-4B Phantom II, Electronic Warfare Officers in the EA-3B Skywarrior, Electronic Countermeasures Officers in the EA-6A Intruder and EA-6B Prowler, Combat Information Center Officers (CICO) in the E-2 Hawkeye, and as Tactical Coordinators (TACCO) in the S-3 Viking. While at NAS Glynco, VT-86 operated a combination of 24 T-39 Sabreliner, 20 A-4C Skyhawk, 2 EC-121K Warning Star, and 12 TS-2A Tracker aircraft.

During this time, the Navy also examined adding three additional runways and enlarging NAS Glynco into a Master Jet Base. Although this expansion was never executed, it was later employed at other installations, such as Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia; Naval Air Station Miramar, California; Naval Air Station Lemoore, California and the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida.

In March 1962, NAS Glynco's mission expanded when the Navy's enlisted air traffic control schools transferred from Naval Air Technical Training Unit (NATTU) Olathe at Naval Air Station Olathe near Gardner, Kansas The Air Traffic Control Schools Division of Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) Glynco was subsequently established, providing "A" School, "B" School and "O" School instruction for U.S. Navy enlisted personnel in the Air Controller (AC) rating and similar training for enlisted U.S.