Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic at Dam Neck c1964

Training Support Center Hampton Roads is the current name of the facility in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

, USA, which was long-known as "FTC Dam Neck". It is the home of the Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

History

Dam Neck Mills, U.S. Lifesaving Service

TSC Hampton Roads is located near the former town of Dam Neck Mills which was located in Princess Anne County (the former county is now part of the independent city of Virginia Beach). It was the site of the 19th century Dam Neck Mills Lifesaving Station of the

United States Lifesaving Service The United States Life-Saving ServiceDespite the lack of hyphen in its insignia, the agency itself is hyphenated in government documents including: and was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian effort ...

, one of five spaced at intervals along the coast in Virginia from Cape Henry south to the border of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. The U.S. Lifesaving Service merged with other agencies to form the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

in 1915. The area's lifesaving history along the coast line of the

Graveyard of the Atlantic Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname for the treacherous waters and area of numerous shipwrecks off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States, which are due to the coast's shifting sands and inlets. To a lesser degree, this nickname has ...

is commemorated at the Old Coast Guard Station Museum located in the 1903 Seatack Lifesaving Service Station (the next one north of the Dam Neck Mills station) at 24th street adjacent to the

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of brid ...

of Virginia Beach. The Old Coast Guard Station Museum has artifacts from the 1891 shipwreck of the ''Dictator'', displays of period lifesaving equipment, educational programs, and even an online
Tower Cam
, offering Internet users a similar view to those of members of the Lifesaving crews had over 100 years ago.

World War II, FTC Dam Neck

The

acquired the property during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

to train anti-aircraft gunners. Since that, the mission was expanded to include training of Combat Systems operators and maintenance technicians. One notable former tenant command was Naval Guided Missile School (NAVGMSCOL), which provided training for the Polaris,

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ...

, and Trident 1 Backfit submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) systems and various surface missile systems.

Current mission

In 2004, FTC Dam Neck was reorganized and renamed Training Support Center Hampton Roads, to align it with the U.S. Navy's "Revolution In Training". The actual training activity is the Center for Surface Combat Systems, which is headquartered in

Dahlgren, Virginia Dahlgren is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,946 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 2,653 at the 2010 census, and up from 997 in 2000. History ...

. TSC Hampton Roads supports the training mission, as its name suggests.

Tenant commands

Other tenant commands currently at Dam Neck include the

United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and commonly known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referre ...

(DEVGRU/NSWDG), Tactical Training Group Atlantic (TACTRAGRULANT), and Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division Dam Neck Activity (NSWCDD DNA). TSC Hampton Roads is also home to the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (NMITC), which trains

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

and sailors in

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

. Nearby, Dam Neck Annex is part of

Naval Air Station Oceana Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Nowadays, the station is located on 23.9 km2. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mil ...

References

External links

FTC Dam NeckHistory of the Dam Neck facilityCombat Direction System Activity, Dam Neck
{{Authority control Training installations of the United States Navy Installations of the United States Navy in Virginia Military in Virginia Beach, Virginia