By April 1949, NAS Jacksonville was the East Coast's aircraft capital, with more naval aircraft stationed here than at any other naval base from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean – 60 percent of the Fleet's air striking force in the Atlantic area from pole to pole. The chapel and other buildings constructed during the war years, intended for a life of only 20 years, are still in use.ĭuring the late 1940s, the jet age was dawning and in 1948 the Navy's first jet carrier air groups and squadrons came to NAS Jacksonville. Edward's) at its Birmingham Avenue location on January 17, 1943. Spellman dedicated the Catholic Chapel (St. More than 700 buildings sprung to life on the base before V-J Day (Victory over Japan), including an 80-acre (320,000 m 2) hospital and a prisoner-of-war compound which housed more than 1,500 German prisoners of war. Overhaul and Repair (O&R) facilities were built to rework the station's planes, a facility that in ensuing years would be renamed Naval Air Rework Facility Jacksonville (NARF Jax). Johns River and seaplane ramps leading from the water. Three runways over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) long were operating, as were seaplane runways in the St. Increased training and construction characterized NAS Jacksonville's response to America's entry into World War II. More than 10,000 pilots and 11,000 airmen followed their lead to earn their "wings of gold" at the air station during World War II. Prior to the commissioning, on September 7, Commander Jimmy Grant became the first pilot to land on the still unfinished runway in his N3N-3 biplane. Mason, USN, raised his command pennant as the station's first commanding officer. On October 15, 1940, Naval Air Station Jacksonville was officially commissioned, and became the first part of the Jacksonville Navy complex. Roosevelt during the commissioning ceremony of the station on October 15, 1940. Jacksonville Naval Complex Commissioning Captain Charles P. Only two are known: Charles Bennett and Ira Lane. In 1939 a group of 10 ex service men traveled to Washington at their own expense to talk the Navy, who was looking for a new base, to come and look at the old National Guard base, they did and liked what they saw. The Florida National Guard began using the site in 1928 and it was renamed Camp J. was constructed there, but the camp was decommissioned on May 16, 1919. The second largest rifle range in the U.S. The United States Army trained quartermasters and the center included more than 600 buildings by 1918 Camp Johnston was the largest of all Quartermaster mobilization and training camps. Johnston, and was commissioned on October 15, 1917. It also neighbors a small ghost town called Yukon.ĭuring World War I, the area now occupied by NAS Jacksonville, often referred to colloquially as "NAS Jax", was named Camp Joseph E. The airbase is part of the overall Jacksonville Naval Complex, a collection of Navy Bases in the Jacksonville Metropolitan Area that include Naval Station Mayport, the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field (now Cecil Airport), Naval Outlying Landing Field Whitehouse, and the Pinecastle Range Complex. Johns River and Ortega River historically called Black Point. The base sits on a piece of land between the St. NAS Jacksonville is located in Duval County, Florida, within the city limits of Jacksonville. Naval Air Station Jacksonville ( NAS Jacksonville) ( IATA: NIP, ICAO: KNIP, FAA LID: NIP) is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, United States. IATA: NIP, ICAO: KNIP, FAA LID: NIP, WMO: 722065
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |