Naval Air Station Wildwood


Naval Air Station Wildwood was a United States Navy airport located in Lower Township, New Jersey, United States, about four miles northwest of the central business district of Wildwood, a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. Former Hangar #1 now contains the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, whose collection focuses on World War II.

History

The airport started in 1941 as NAS Rio Grande, named for its location near Rio Grande, New Jersey. Due to confusion with Rio Grande, Texas, the name was changed to NAS Wildwood in 1943. Following the end of World War II, Naval Air Station Wildwood was deemed excess to U.S. Navy requirements. It was subsequently deeded to the local government for transition to a civilian airport which is still in operation today as Cape May Airport. The surviving portions of the historic airfield, including its runways and taxiways, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.