Military Bases in San Diego - Postwar Era 1946-1999

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Military Bases in San Diego - Postwar Era 1946-1999

- Under Construction - At the Naval Air Station, Miramar, another expansion began in 1951 to develop the base for jet aircraft and it was commissioned as United States Naval Air Station, Miramar on April 1, 1952. It absorbed Camp Elliott's 7532 acres in 1961 and added NASA's Sycamore Canyon missle testing annex in 1972. It became the Fighter Command for the Pacific Fleet in 1973, adding the "Top Gun" Flight School, and became the Airborne Early Warning Wing Command. In 1998, the Naval Air Station was closed and it again became a Marine Corps Air Station.

Naval Training Station recruits dropped to 5000 by 1950, but expanded during the Korean War. Camp Elliott was reactivated in January 1951 and became the Elliott Annex for recruit training until 1953. Camp Elliott was reactivated in 1953 and was a retraining command until 1960, when it was transferred to the Miramar Naval Air Station. Camp Nimitz construction began in 1952 and was finished by 1955. By 1980, the size of the base had grown to 598 acres.

revised 2/13/99 by Schoenherr