Contact Information
The Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) is operated under the US Department of Defense. It is specifically under the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for wing aircraft and has been since the 1960s. The army depot operates inside of the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. As of today, CCAD is the largest facility of its type in the world and has become a training base for most active duty Army Reserve, National Guard and Army personnel. Much of the depot is designed specifically for repair, modification, recapitalization, retrofit, testing, modeling and overhauling aircraft engines and other engines, helicopters and other parts for rotary wing aircraft. There are very few facilities in the world as dedicated to the development of rotary wing aircraft as the Corpus Christi Army Depot.
History of Corpus Christi Naval Air Station and Depot
Before World War II ever started, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station was a place where Navy aviators trained to fly carrier-based aircrafts and sea planes. The facilities would continue to be operated as an aircraft facility until 1959. The Corpus Christi Naval Air Station was quite vacant for a number of years in the 1960s. The Army eventually took over the large hangars and other facilities that were located in a 15-acre tract of land. This began the Army Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Center (ARADMAC) in 1961. It was tasked with fixing up battered helicopters, rebuilding engines and maintaining engines and airframes of the latest rotary wing aircraft models.
The first Huey UH-1 helicopter was overhauled at the Corpus Christi Army Depot in 1962. By the late 1960s, the facility had swung into full operation and provided all kinds of repair and services to over 400 helicopters. It was a rather large facility and the only one of its kind in the US at the time. Towards of the middle of the 1960s, Navy seaplane tender ships were recommissioned by the Army to construct the first floating helicopter maintenance facility, which was named the USNS Corpus Christi Bay. The ship patrolled the Southeast Asian waters throughout the Vietnam War and was armed by ARADMAC personnel. This ship was eventually deactivated in 1975.
After the Vietnam War, the name of the area dedicated to overhauling and repairing rotary wing aircraft was changed to the Corpus Christi Army Depot and had over 3,000 civilian employees. Along with military personnel, they supported the rapidly increasing number of Army helicopters in facility’s inventory. Today, helicopter support and repair services are still provided at the facility.
Currently at Corpus Christi Army Depot
Corpus Christi Army Depot is a valuable asset to the US military. It is valued at over $746 million and comprises 154 acres at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. CCAD employees often support different operations such as Operation Desert Storm, Hait, Bosnia, Somalia and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In the 1990s, CCAD also began work on the Navy SH-60B Seahawk, Air Force MH-60 Pavehawk and Marine AH-1 Super Cobra. Work is almost exclusively done for the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy UH-1N helicopters at the Corpus Christi Army Depot. In September 2000, the depot joined its first partnership with a private industry business known as the General Electric Aircraft Engines. The CCAD began providing engineering, logistical and technical parts support for the T700 engine line. Since that time, the depot has also entered other partnerships with Boeing, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and Honeywell International.
Housing at Corpus Christi Army Depot
Housing at the depot for active duty personnel is handled in one of two ways. You can stay on base and rent or personnel can live off post, where it’s easier to rent or buy. There are special basic allowances for housing and rates for each option. If you decide to rent on post, you can call the housing office at 361-961-3336. There are significant wait times to rent on base, so it’s important that you start the process early. There is a ton of information available on the Corpus Christ Army Depot housing website including a home buyer’s guide to the area and a MLS listings search for available homes if you plan to stay off base. Some communities are the area including Port Arkansas, Robstown, Kingsville, Ingleside, Taft and Sinton.
Temporary lodging is also available at the Navy Lodge, which is located at the Corpus Christi Naval Station specifically at 9604 Ocean Drive. Reservations are available ay any time of day. Individuals interested in temporary lodging can call 361-939-6630. Others might choose to stay at the nearby Breezeway Inn, which offers reservations 24 hours a day. To reach this lodging facility, call 361-961-2388.
Camping facilities are also available near the depot. Individuals interested in stay at the camp grounds can call the Camping Reservations Office at 361-961-1293.
