A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the completion of a recapitalization for Hangar 5 on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, May 24.

The $55.8 million renovation, dubbed military construction project 169, was a three-phase project which began in Jan. 2008 to facilitate the ongoing transition from the EA-6B Prowler to the EA-18G Growler. The completed hangar will accommodate five Growler squadrons, the Electronic Attack Weapons School and Commander, Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CVWP). There are currently three safe-for-flight EA-18G squadrons on the installation.

“In the end, the entire project lasted only 1,036 days; back in the olden days when I was a young man, these things would take many, many years, probably half a decade, to execute. We’ve significantly shortened that,” said Capt. Pat Rios, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest (NAVFAC NW) commanding officer. According to Capt. Gerral David, NAS Whidbey Island commanding officer, this marks the second time the hangar’s configuration has changed to accommodate a different aircraft platform since being built in 1954. The hangar was originally built to facilitate the P-2V Neptune, then the Prowler and, now, it’s the home of the Growler.

Rear Adm. James Symonds, commander Navy Region Northwest was the guest speaker at the event. According to Symonds, as the NAS Whidbey Island transitions to new aircraft, the Growler and the upcoming P-3C Orion to the P-8A Poseidon transition. Symonds said hangar recapitalization projects like this one are critical to the base’s support for those new aircraft.”

“We are the only organization who does what we do in all of the DoD and, if you take a look at what we’re doing out there today in the name of overseas contingency operations, it doesn’t take long before you realize that there’s no shortage of work in our world. The role of electronic attack is greatly expanding in overseas contingency operations. We support troops on the ground and save lives every day; our mission is unique and critically important and these facilities are a great enabler to carrying out our mission,” said Capt. Tom Slais, commodore of CVWP.

According to David, the hangar will be named Haviland Hangar in honor of Cmdr. Willis Haviland, a former Naval aviator, who received the Navy Cross, and served during World Wars I and II, as well as being the executive and commanding officer of NAS Whidbey Island during its commissioning period.