Naval Air Station Jacksonville, located in Jacksonville, Florida, is the third-largest naval installation in the United States. The base was opened on October 15, 1940 and was credited with the city's economic "boom" in the 1950s and 1960s.
An important training ground, the installation served as a key center for equipping troops fighting in World War II, and later the Korean War and Vietnam War. Today, 23,000 civilian and active-duty personnel are employed on the base. The installation is considered to be one of the hubs for naval activity in the U.S. South, outdone only by Naval Air Station Pensacola.
The men and women of NAS are active participants in their neighborhoods serving on community action committees and boards, as youth sport coaches, PTA members, lay leaders in their churches, scout leaders and as members and leaders of other civic and social organizations.
Both NASJacksonville and NS Mayport face community concerns for aircraft and helicopter noise; in both cases the concerns reflect the growing prosperity of the communities, which have permitted (in fact, virtually encouraged) residential development in waterfront areas adjacent to the air stations.
The NASJacksonville radar traffic pattern overflies upscale suburbs on the east side of the St. Johns River, while NS Mayport air operations, especially by the MH-53, are the source of complaints from newly established upscale communities on the riverfront northwest of the installation.
Jacksonville's Architectual Heritage by Wayne Wood holds a treasure trove of historical photos of Jacksonville's urban landscape.
While Jacksonville did not witness the bloody battles which ravaged the country during the effort to prevent its division and, ultimately, to end slavery, it was important to both sides as a southern port.
What later became NASJacksonville was known as Camp Johnston during World War I. The complex had more than 600 buildings and the second largest rifle range in the country.
Feeds |
Contact