Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jacksonville) is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

., effective 2007-10-25

Location

NAS Jacksonville is located in Duval County, Florida, within the city limits of Jacksonville. The base sits on a piece of land between the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

and Ortega River historically called Black Point. 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 Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier-size vessels, ship's intermediate maintenance activity (SIMA) and a military airfield (Admi ...

, the former

Naval Air Station Cecil Field Naval Air Station Cecil Field or NAS Cecil Field was a United States Navy air base, located in Duval County, Florida. Prior to October 1999, NAS Cecil Field was the largest military base in terms of acreage in the Jacksonville, Florida area. NA ...

(now

Cecil Airport Cecil Airport is a public airport and commercial spaceport located in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority and services military aircraft, corporate aircraft, general aviation, and air cargo. T ...

Naval Outlying Landing Field Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to: People * Charles S. Whitehouse (1921-2001), American diplomat * Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor * E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883-1965), American diplomat * Elliott Whitehouse (born 1993), ...

, and the Pinecastle Range Complex. It also neighbors a small ghost town called

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

History

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the area now occupied by NAS Jacksonville, often referred to colloquially as "NAS Jax", was named ''Camp Joseph E. Johnston'', and was commissioned on October 15, 1917. The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

trained

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

s and the center included more than 600 buildings; by 1918 Camp Johnston was the largest of all Quartermaster mobilization and training camps. The second largest rifle range in the U.S. was constructed there, but the camp was decommissioned on May 16, 1919. The

Florida National Guard The Florida National Guard is the National Guard force of the state of Florida. It comprises the Florida Army National Guard and the Florida Air National Guard. The United States Constitution charges the National Guard with dual federal and st ...

began using the site in 1928 and it was renamed ''Camp J. Clifford R. Foster''. 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. Most of their names are lost to history. Only two are known: Charles Bennett and Ira Lane.

Jacksonville Naval Complex Commissioning

On October 15, 1940, Naval Air Station Jacksonville was officially commissioned, and became the first part of the Jacksonville Navy complex. On the same date, Captain

Charles P. Mason Charles Perry Mason (January 12, 1891 – August 15, 1971) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice admiral. An early naval aviator, he distinguished himself as Commanding officer of aircraft carrier , ...

, USN, raised his command pennant as the station's first commanding officer. 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. 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. Increased training and construction characterized NAS Jacksonville's response to America's entry into World War II. Three runways over long were operating, as were seaplane runways in the

and seaplane ramps leading from the water. 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). More than 700 buildings sprung to life on the base before

V-J Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...

(Victory over Japan), including an hospital and a prisoner-of-war compound which housed more than 1,500 German prisoners of war. Archbishop (later Cardinal) Francis J. Spellman dedicated the Catholic Chapel (St. Edward's) at its Birmingham Avenue location on January 17, 1943. The chapel and other buildings constructed during the war years, intended for a life of only 20 years, are still in use. During 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. 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. Fleet Air Wing Eleven made its move to the base, bringing with it Patrol Squadron THREE (VP-3) from NAS Coco Solo, Panama and Patrol Squadron FIVE (VP-5) from NAS San Juan, Puerto Rico. The now famous U.S. Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron, the

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

, who had called NAS Jacksonville home but later moved to NAS Corpus Christi in the late 1940s, performed a last air show at the station on April 29, 1950, before forming the nucleus of an operational fighter squadron,

VF-191 Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191) was an aviation unit of the United States Navy. It was established in 1943 and disestablished in 1978. The squadron was nicknamed ''Satan's Kittens''. A second VF-191, bearing the same designation and nickname was esta ...

(Satan's Kittens), which was assigned to combat in Korea. The "Blues" would not return to the station for more than two years. In the early 1950s, Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) Jacksonville was also reactivated and included nine different schools. In the mid-1950s, an air traffic control center for joint use by the Navy, Air Force, and Civil Aeronautics Administration was approved and completed at a cost of $325,000. Major changes also occurred as parking ramps were added shore-based aircraft hangars and a -long taxiway was built. With the station's continuing growth, the Navy was having a tremendous impact on the economic growth in the Jacksonville and Duval County area. The station had over 11,000 military personnel assigned, along with 5,000 civilians and an annual payroll of more than $35 million. In March 1959, Marine Attack Squadron ONE FOUR TWO (VMA-142) of the Marine Corps Reserve relocated to NAS Jacksonville from the closing MCAS Miami, along with the associated Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment (MARTD). VMA-142 would remain at NAS Jax until its relocation to nearby

NAS Cecil Field Naval Air Station Cecil Field or NAS Cecil Field was a United States Navy air base, located in Duval County, Florida. Prior to October 1999, NAS Cecil Field was the largest military base in terms of acreage in the Jacksonville, Florida area. NA ...

in 1978. On July 1, 1957, The

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...

established a Phase III Mobile Radar station at NAS Jacksonville with the 679th Aircraft Warning and Control Squadron operating

AN/FPS-3 The AN/FPS-20 was a widely used L band early warning and ground-controlled interception radar system employed by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command, the NORAD Pinetree Line in Canada, the USAF CONAD in the continental United States ...

AN/FPS-8 The AN/FPS-8 Radar was a Medium-Range Search Radar used by the United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight ...

, and

AN/MPS-14 The AN/FPS-6 Radar was a long-range height finding radar used by the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command. The AN/FPS-6 radar was introduced into service in the late 1950s and served as the principal height-finder radar for the United St ...

radars as part of the integrated ADC radar network. It was designated as ADC site M-114. In 1962

AN/FPS-66 The AN/FPS-20 was a widely used L band early warning and ground-controlled interception radar system employed by the United States Air Force Air Defense Command, the NORAD Pinetree Line in Canada, the USAF CONAD in the continental United States, ...

radar and a pair of

AN/FPS-6 The AN/FPS-6 Radar was a long-range height finding radar used by the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command. The AN/FPS-6 radar was introduced into service in the late 1950s and served as the principal height-finder radar for the United Stat ...

heightfinder radars were added. During 1962 M-114 joined the

Semi Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. S ...

(SAGE) system, and the squadron was re-designated as the

679th Radar Squadron The 679th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 20th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. It was inactivated on 31 July 1981. The unit was ...

(SAGE) on 1 October 1962. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-114. In addition to the site at NAS Jacksonville, the 679th operated several "Gap Filler" remote sites to extend its radar coverage at Bunnell, FL and Blythe Island, GA. In 1963 M-114 became a joint-use facility with the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

(FAA). It performed routine general radar surveillance until 30 September 1981 when the site was inactivated.

Growth and Consolidation

In 1970, a major reorganization of the Naval Reserve resulted in three separate Naval Air Reserve flying squadrons, identical to their active duty Regular Navy counterparts, being activated at NAS Jacksonville. These squadrons consisted of Attack Squadron TWO ZERO THREE (VA-203), Patrol Squadron SIXTY-TWO (VP-62) and Fleet Logistics Support Squadron FIFTY-EIGHT (VR-58). VA-203 would later relocate to

in 1977, with the remaining reserve squadrons joined by Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron SEVENTY-FIVE (HS-75) in 1985 following its relocation from

NAS Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove or NASJRB Willow Grove was a Naval Air Station owned by the U.S. Navy and located in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States four miles (6 km) northwest of the ce ...

, Pennsylvania. In 1973, with the assignment of Helicopter Antisubmarine Wing One, the station's primary mission became antisubmarine warfare. Accompanying the wing were five helicopter squadrons which are still based here today. With the new wings and squadrons, opportunities grew for both sea duty and shore duty assignment to NAS Jacksonville. The station's popularity grew and it became one of the most requested duty station for sailors and officers in Naval Aviation throughout the Navy. A piece of history and Navy and Marine Corps tradition was lost in 1986 when the last unit of Marines left NAS Jacksonville. Marine Barracks Jacksonville had been one of the first groups to arrive at the base in 1940, but left due to mission realignments and a reduction in Marines authorized for Marine Corps Security Force duties at U.S. Naval installations. Force reductions continued in the 1990s and early 2000s with the elimination of P-3 squadrons (VP-24, VP-49, VP-56) and H-60 squadrons (HS-1, HS-9, HS-75). With the BRAC-directed closure of

NAS Brunswick Naval Air Station Brunswick , also known as NAS Brunswick, was a military airport located southeast of Brunswick, Maine, with a number of Navy-operated maritime patrol aircraft. As of November 28, 2009, the last aircraft ( P-3 Orions) left. The ...

, Maine by mid-2011, Patrol Squadron EIGHT (VP-8), Patrol Squadron TEN (VP-10), Patrol Squadron TWENTY-SIX (VP-26), Special Projects Patrol Squadron ONE (VPU-1) and Fleet Logistics Support Squadron SIXTY-TWO (VR-62) began relocating to NAS Jacksonville in 2007 with their P-3 and C-130T aircraft, with all of these squadrons in place at NAS Jacksonville by late 2010.

Current operations

The installation is one of the central hubs for naval activity in the

U.S. South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, with over 50,000 civilian employees, contractors and active-duty personnel employed. NAS Jacksonville is also home to Patrol Squadron THIRTY (VP-30), the Navy's largest aviation squadron and the only

P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.P-8 Poseidon The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN). Th ...

aircraft, and commenced training flight crews and maintainers in this replacement for the P-3C in 2012, with all U.S. Navy patrol squadrons eventually slated to transition to this new platform. In addition, NAS Jacksonville is home to Naval Hospital Jacksonville, under Navy Medicine, which supports all medical programming across naval installations in Florida, including providing the command structure for five Base Health Clinics (BHCs) from Jacksonville to Key West. Finally, support facilities at NAS Jacksonville include its being an Aviation Maintenance training facility for several aviation ratings (facilitated by the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Jacksonville), an additional outlying field (OLF Whitehouse) for pilot training, a maintenance depot employing more than 150 different trade skills capable of performing maintenance as basic as changing a tire to intricate micro-electronics or total engine disassembly, a Fleet Industrial Supply Center, a Navy Family Service Center, a DeCA commissary,

Navy Exchange Navy Exchange is a retail store chain owned and operated by the United States Navy under the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM). The Navy Exchange offers goods and services to active military, retirees, and certain civilians on Navy installati ...

, and recreational facilities for both single sailors and families of the Active, Reserve and Retired military communities. NAS Jacksonville houses a facility to train pilots for the

Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton is an American high-altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under development for the United States Navy as a surveillance aircraft. Together with its associated ground control station, it is an ...

. In addition to that NAS Jacksonville has trained foreign aircrews including that of

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

's New Squadron 725.

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast Fleet Readiness Center Southeast is a U.S. Navy maintenance, repair and overhaul depot-level facility located onboard Naval Air Station Jacksonville with intermediate-level detachments at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and ...

is the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) maintenance, repair and operations depot for NAS Jacksonville. The depot was originally founded as Naval Air Rework Facility (NARF) Jacksonville. With the growth of NAS Jacksonville into a major military aviation hub, the facility underwent a major change to keep up with the growth, thus being renamed to Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP) Jacksonville. Around the 1990s, NAVAIR underwent a major reorganization, converting all of its naval air depots into Fleet Readiness Centers, now directed under the Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers (COMFRC); thus, NADEP Jacksonville was renamed Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, and became the depot for all of the Southeastern United States. Staffed at over 5,000 DoN Civilian Employees, Contractors, and Military personnel, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast is the largest employer in Northeast Florida/Southern Georgia region.

Tenant Commands

Aviation Units

Patrol Squadron 30 (VP-30) '' Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11'' ''Commander, Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Detachment Jacksonville''

Navy Reserve Wings

Commander, Naval Reserve Readiness Command Region Eight '' Commander, Fleet Logistics Support Wing'' '' Commander, Maritime Support Wing''

Shore-Based Units and Components

Commander, Naval Region Southeast Coastal Riverine Squadron 10 Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) Naval Aviation Forecast Component Jacksonville

Material Commands

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Naval Facilities and Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP)

Other Units

Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) *Naval Hospital Jacksonville **Naval Branch Clinic Jacksonville **Naval Branch Dental Clinic Jacksonville Naval Air Reserve / Navy Operational Support Center Jacksonville ( Navy Reserve) Navy Entomology Center of Excellence Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14 Navy Oceanographic Anti-Submarine Warfare Detachment (NOAD), Jacksonville Surface Rescue Swimmer School (SRSS) Aircraft Carrier Tactical Support Center (CV-TSC)

(NEXCOM) Southeast District Transient Personnel Unit

Other Federal Agencies

Defense Logistics Agency (DoD) *DRMO Jacksonville U.S. Customs and Border Protection (DHS)
Jacksonville Air and Marine Branch

Gallery

File:Curtiss SNC-1 NAS Jax Jan 1942.jpg,

Curtiss-Wright CW-22 The Curtiss-Wright CW-22 was a 1940s American general-purpose advanced training monoplane aircraft built by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It was operated by the United States Navy as a scout trainer with the designation SNC-1 Falcon. Design a ...

at NAS Jacksonville on January 8, 1942. File:JRM-3 Philippine Mars VR-2 NAS Jax 1950.jpg,

Martin JRM Mars The Martin JRM Mars is a large, four-engined cargo transport flying boat designed and built by the Martin Company for the United States Navy during World War II. It was the largest Allied flying boat to enter production, although only seven ...

moored off NAS Jacksonville in 1950. File:P-8A Poseidon of VP-16 takes off from NAS Jacksonville 2013.JPG,

Boeing P-8 Poseidon The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN). Th ...

departing NAS Jacksonville. File:US Navy 090506-N-3013W-012 Former President of the United States George H. W. Bush greets sailors from Naval Air Station Jacksonville at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass during Military Appreciation Day.jpg,

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

greeting NAS Jacksonville sailors. File:US Navy 080901-N-1522S-005 A helicopter crew prepare to depart Naval Air Station Jacksonville.jpg, A Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 11 prepares to take off. File:US Navy 091026-N-5549O-255 President Barack Obama delivers remarks to an audience of Sailors and Marines before introducing President Barack Obama during a visit to U.S. Naval Air Station Jacksonville.jpg,

President Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

delivers remarks to an audience of Sailors and Marines at NAS Jacksonville. File:US Navy 021101-N-2329H-255 The U.S Navy^rsquo,s flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, take flight.jpg, The

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

performing their annual show at NAS Jacksonville.

Accidents and incidents

* 3 May 2019:

Miami Air International Flight 293 Miami Air International Flight 293 was a military charter from Guantanamo Bay to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, operated by Miami Air International. On May 3, 2019, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating the flight overran the runway on landi ...

, a

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...

, hydroplaned and experienced a

runway excursion A runway excursion is a runway safety incident where an aircraft makes an inappropriate exit from the runway. Runway excursions include runway overruns, where an aircraft is unable to stop before it reaches the end of the runway. Runway excursio ...

upon landing at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The airplane came to rest in the shallow waters of

, sustaining substantial damage. All 143 passengers and crew on board the plane survived, although 21 people aboard had minor injuries.

References

Naval Air Station Jacksonville
GlobalSecurity.org. retrieved 2006-10-26

External links

* * {{Authority control Jacksonville, Naval Air Station Buildings and structures in Jacksonville, Florida Military in Jacksonville, Florida Military Superfund sites Military installations in Florida Airports in Jacksonville, Florida Semi-Automatic Ground Environment sites Superfund sites in Florida Westside, Jacksonville 1940 establishments in Florida Military installations established in 1940