Naval Auxiliary Air Station Vernalis CA, then & now ...

[Mark Allen M]

NAAS Vernalis served as an auxiliary station to Naval Air Station Alameda. It also housed German POWs during World War II.
The link below will give you a nice overview of NAAS Vernalis.
http://californiamilitaryhistory.org/NAASVernalis.html

[JohnB]

If you look closely in the top photo, there is a guy in a 2017 Ram pickup trying to tow a Hellcat off the flightline.

[ALOHADAVE]

Over northern California, a group of five Bearcats went on a field carrier landing practice flight, July 17, 1945 in preparation for their upcoming deployment when tragedy struck. The flight crews were still getting familiar with their new planes as they flew along in a loose formation at 2000 feet altitude returning to Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Santa Rosa from NAAS Vernalis in the central California valley. Ensign Robert V. Clark was flying in F8F-1 Bearcat serial number 94794 and had a total of 86.3 hours of training in the Bearcat. The sun was low on the horizon when Ensign Clark was seen to commence a barrel roll facing into the sun. The pilot in the number four position saw him attempt a recovery by pulling through when the plane was on its back. Unfortunately, Ensign Clark was killed when he was unable to pull through and the plane crashed after a vertical dive into the rugged foothills east of Mt. Diablo.
Full story with pictures of wreckage that still remains at the site.
https://pacaeropress.websitetoolbox.com/post/f8f-bearcat-mt-diablo-site-stories-6359253?highlight=bearcat&pid=1278199297
See this link to “Grumman F8F Bearcat, Mt Diablo Foothills” crash site photos by Colson Johnson
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colsonj8sphotos/sets/72157631727133862/