These remarkable pictures preserve a moment in time -- the ghostly remains of an abandoned US naval base used for blimp squadrons during the Second World War. The buildings, situated in Tillamook Bay, Oregon, were constructed in 1942, part of the offensive against Japanese forces in the Pacific. The complex was decommissioned in 1948, left as a rusting reminder of a more savage time, now cloaked in the verdant colours of the encroaching forest.
"It's amazing to think that such an important base has been so spectacularly forgotten," said photographer Johnny Joo, 25. “I could only get into one of the old ammunitions bunkers -- it was the only one that had a hole big enough for me to fit through. The others were locked and sealed up tight with overgrowth and giant locks so it may remain a mystery as to what is inside,” he added. “My favourite thing on the property was definitely the old ammunitions bunkers because of their overgrowth and how they have been so spectacularly forgotten. The entire land and property has a very unique history. When you stand inside and look up it seems incredible that someone could have constructed that, especially at that time."
The blimps housed at the base each held crews of 10 people, the buoyant machines patrolling the US coast against attacks from enemy submarines.
