United States Navy purchased the property in 1921 for use as an airship station and renamed it Naval Air Station Lakehurst. The Navy's lighter-than-air program was conducted at Lakehurst through the 1930s. It was the site of the 1937 LZ 129 Hindenburg airship disaster. During World War II, anti-submarine patrol blimps were operated from Lakehurst. Since the 1950s, Aviation Boatswain's Mates have been trained at Lakehurst to operate catapults and arresting systems on aircraft carriers. Lakehurst conducts the unique mission of supporting and developing the Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment and Support Equipment for naval aviation. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and the Advanced Arresting Gear system that will replace the existing steam catapults and the Mk-7 arresting gear are being developed and tested at Lakehurst at full-scale shipboard representative test facilities here. Lakehurst organizations NAVAIR NAWCAD Center for Naval Educational Training, CNATT Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 21 (NMCB 21) Army 1st Brigade Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Battalion EAGLE FLAG 1st Battalion (Assault), 150th Aviation Regiment, NJARNG Source: History The Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. Education The U.S. Census Bureau lists "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst" in Burlington County as having its own school district. Students attend area school district public schools, as the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) does not operate any schools on the joint base. Students in Lakehurst are zoned to Lakehurst School District and Manchester Township High School (of Manchester Township School District). Students on McGuire and Dix may attend one of the following, with all siblings in a family taking the same choice: North Hanover Township School District (Pre-Kindergarten through grade 6), Northern Burlington County Regional School District (grades 7-12), and Pemberton Township School District (K-12). References External links Go.MDL.com – 87th Force Support Squadron Buildings and structures in Burlington County, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Ocean County, New Jersey Joint bases of the U.S. Department of Defense Military installations in New Jersey 2009 establishments in New Jersey Wrightstown, New Jersey New Hanover Township, New Jersey North Hanover Township, New Jersey Pemberton Township, New Jersey Springfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey Jackson Township, New Jersey Manchester Township, New Jersey Plumsted Township, New Jersey