Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Station History			Updated: 	01 Jun 08
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Station							Opened     Closed/Disestablished
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Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS)

The Integrated Undersea Surveillance System mission is multi-faceted, encompassing not 
only the operations of detection, localization and tracking of submarines and the 
collection of acoustic and hydrographic information, but also the maintenance of 
processing and communications equipment necessary to carry out the operational mission. 
Since the inception of the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) in 1954, personnel 
stationed at Naval Facilities, Naval Ocean Processing Centers, Joint Sites, training 
commands and on the COMUNDERSEASURV Headquarters Staffs in the Atlantic and Pacific 
Fleets, have pursued the Undersea Warfare mission.

Mission Statement:
To support antisubmarine warfare command and tactical forces by detecting, classifying, 
and providing timely reporting of information on submarines and other contacts of 
interest; to provide command of Naval Ocean Processing Facilities (NOPFs), to include 
direct tactical control of associated Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS) 
ships; to gather long term acoustic, oceanographic, and hydrographic information.
Source: >http://www.cus.navy.mil/mission.htm>
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Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) Early History

The modern era of sonar began in the 1920’s when there was a steady advance in applying 
underwater sound to practical needs. During this period, depth sounding by ships was 
developed and echo ranging on submarine targets received a great impetus from advances 
in electronics. Thomas Edison and other luminaries became involved in research on passive 
listening devices. Numerous scientists explored the physics and oceanography on which 
later work would be based. 

Work began in earnest at the start of World War II, when German submarines torpedoed 
Navy-escorted convoys. In the darkest days, 120 U-boats were operating in the Atlantic. 
Wolf packs frequently outnumbered escort ships by a factor of two-to-one. At one stage 
our ships were being sunk faster than we could replace them, and some of the sinkings 
occurred within sight of our coasts. Keeping supply lines open for thousands of miles 
was agonizingly difficult. 

The mobilization of the Nation’s resources turned the tide, all the shipbuilding skill, 
training ingenuity, and scientific effort that could be mustered. Without sonar, the 
U-boat threat could never have been contained. But the toll by the end of the war was 
enormous: 4,733 allied ships, 966 enemy boats, and a great loss of human life. It was 
a stiff price to pay to maintain supply lines. 

In the waning days of the conflict, the Germans developed the Snorkel submarine, a true 
submersible that could operate under diesel power at periscope depth. Its designers 
claimed cruising ranges of 20,000 miles at speeds approaching 25 knots. The Snorkel 
submarine was a weapon that far exceeded its predecessors; thus, a new challenge had 
been presented to the antisubmarine warfare community. 

In the 1940’s, even as the world was at war, experiments were conducted at the Woods 
Hole Oceanographic Institution and elsewhere which demonstrated the long-range 
propagation of sound in the ocean at low frequencies. This phenomenon is associated 
with the vertical sound speed structure and, in particular, the existence of a deep 
sound channel in most ocean areas. A system for locating fliers downed at sea was one 
of the first applications to be considered. The system was SOFAR for SOund Fixing And 
Ranging. It consisted of three or more hydrophone configurations placed near the sound 
channel axis with sufficient horizontal separation to obtain an accurate triangulation 
fix on the signal from a small explosive charge released by the flier. Several SOFAR 
stations were established, but were never used as intended. Instead, they became 
important sites for continuing research on the characteristics of sound transmission 
and noise. 

In 1946, True Magazine published a story on how the deep sound channel might be exploited 
for the passive detection of submarines. That same year, Dr. Glenn Camp of the Operations 
Evaluation Group in Chief of Naval Operations described the existence of low-frequency 
distinct line components in the radiated spectrum of diesel submarines. For classification 
of the signal he suggested the use of a visual speed analyzer developed by Dr. Ralph K. 
Potter of the Bell Telephone Laboratories. Dr. Camp promoted his idea, but nobody 
listened; he was ahead of his time. 

Early in 1949, the Naval Research Laboratory reported submarine detection ranges of 
10-15 NM in tests using SOFAR hydrophones off Point Sur, California. By the end of the 
year, ranges of several hundred miles had been achieved. That same year a SOFAR station 
was established at Bermuda by Dr. Maurice Ewing, a world-famous oceanographer and one 
of the great contributors to our knowledge of underwater sound. 

During this period the Soviet Union set out to create its own political and economic 
sphere, independent of the West. The Russians mobilized their scientific resources to 
develop first the atomic bomb and then the hydrogen bomb. The danger of nuclear war 
became a central fact of modern life and a furious arms race began. 

On the seas the admitted goal of Soviet admirals was to achieve naval supremacy, to 
use the navy as a key element of Soviet global strategy. Great emphasis was placed on 
completely modernizing naval armaments, especially the submarine force, which became 
the largest in the world. Our military leaders and analysts viewed the threat posed 
to the Free World with alarm. 

In 1949, the Committee on Undersea Warfare of the National Research Council informed 
industry about the state of antisubmarine warfare and polled organizations on what 
might be done to meet the threat. Dr. Mervin J. Kelly, then president of Bell 
Telephone Laboratories, was so impressed with the importance of the problem that he 
called on Admiral Sherman, Chief of Naval Operations, and discussed antisubmarine 
warfare in detail. Considered basic to national survival was the ability to use the 
high seas to transport men and materiel in face of the threat posed by enemy submarines. 

In a letter dated January 23, 1950, to Admiral C. B. Momsen, Assistant Chief of Naval 
Operations, the Committee on Undersea Warfare recommended that a long-term program be 
formulated to meet the submarine threat. Subsequently, Admiral Momsen and Admiral 
Solberg, Chief of Naval Research, met with Dr. Kelly and Dr. James B. Fisk, Dr. Kelly’s 
assistant and later his successor, together with Dr. Julius Stratton, provost of MIT. 
It was decided that a broad study should be conducted that summer on the security of 
overseas transport. Professor Zacharias of MIT chaired the study and Commander 
Groverman of Office of Naval Research was assigned as liaison officer. The code name 
Hartwell was adopted and the participants became known as the Hartwell Committee. 

At about the same time, the Fifth Undersea Symposium was held in Washington, DC. At 
that gathering, Professor Ted Hunt of Harvard, a renowned acoustician and director of 
the Harvard Acoustics Laboratory that contributed so much to sonar during World War II, 
presented a momentous proposal outlining new concepts in underwater detection. He 
suggested the exploitation of the deep sound channel to achieve very long ranges, 
concentration on frequencies below 500 Hz, the construction of arrays at least 20 
wavelengths long and oriented vertically to delineate ray paths, and the use of 
magnetic recorders for post-analysis of data. 

Also at that time Submarine Development Group Two at New London (the antecedent of 
the Underwater Sound Laboratory and NUSC), announced detections of diesel submarines 
using 1/8th octave filters. They found low-frequency sounds between 25 and 200 Hz 
with peaks at 100 Hz. Investigators at Woods Hole concluded that the line components 
in the spectrum were highly stable, and that, consequently, the filter bandwidth could 
be substantially reduced to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

The Hartwell Committee delivered its report in the fall and recommended the development 
of nuclear-powered submarines. It suggested the marriage of missiles with submarines, 
which led to Polaris. It urged the construction of fast, modern transport ships. It 
also targeted the detection of submarines using real time spectral analysis of radiated 
sound energy as holding most promise for the future of antisubmarine warfare. Its 
specific recommendations included the following: 

a.  The real time narrow band analysis of radiated sound;
b.  The use of low-frequency noise for underwater communication or navigation;
c.  The possible reduction of submarine-radiated signals by feeding back sound in phase 
    opposition. It was believed that low-frequency spectrum analysis would do to the 
    detection of the submarine threat what the magnetron had done for radar in 1939. 

In October of 1950 Dr. Kelly called on Admiral Sherman once again and offered the services 
of Bell Laboratories. Admiral Sherman with a letter which stated "I have directed Admiral 
Solberg, Chief of Naval Research, to proceed with arrangements with Bell Telephone 
Laboratories to institute a program of research and development in the field of low
frequency sonar." Bell Laboratories was already at work adapting Dr. Potter’s visual 
speech analyzer to the task before Dr. Kelly’s Washington visit.

Western Electric Company (WECo) wrote a proposal and went to Washington on the 29th of 
October with a letter of intent. A contract was signed a month later between ONR and 
WECo for the R&D effort. The amount was for one million dollars.

In the months that followed, rapid progress was made in confirming that prominent low 
frequency components were present in the submarine’s spectrum and that the sounds were 
of sufficient intensity to offer exceptional potential for long-range detection. At 
Sandy Hook, New Jersey, a small experimental system comprising a cable and a few 
hydrophones was installed in shallow water. The cable was terminated in a building 
owned by the U.S. Army. Despite high ambient noise due to the heavy shipping in the area, 
rudimentary range tests were conducted which demonstrated the feasibility of surveillance.

The first report on the project, which came to be called Jezebel, outlined the parameters 
for a Low-Frequency Analyzer and Recorder, or LOFAR. Bell Laboratories presented a 
working model of the spectrum analyzer with an analysis band of 1-1/2 Hz, operating 
in real time. Schemes were described for hydrophones, cables, delay lines and networks 
for simultaneously presenting multiple beams to achieve wide azimuth coverage. The first 
brass board model of a lofar was delivered in May 1951.

In July 1951, negotiations were completed with the British to acquire a seashore site 
at Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Six hydrophones were installed, three in 40 feet of water, 
two at 960 feet, and one at 1,000 feet. The first deep-water array was also installed 
off Eleuthera. It was a 40-hydrophone linear array, 1000 feet long, installed in 240 
fathoms of water. 

Early in 1952, two important events occurred. In January Captain Joseph P. Kelly (then 
Lieutenant Kelly) became project manager of Jezebel. And on the 29th of April, a group 
of flag officers visited Eleuthera. An U. S. submarine maneuvering offshore was given 
instructions to change course, speed, and depth. Final instructions called for the 
submarine to open range and make a box maneuver every 25 miles to give checkpoints. 
The admirals didn’t wait. They had seen the lofargrams and were convinced that the 
detections were real. They headed back to Washington to make Project Caesar happen. 
Besides, the National Research Council had declared lofar a breakthrough.

The initial Caesar contract directed Bell Laboratories to undertake a program aimed 
at the manufacture and installation of equipment for long-range detection and 
classification. The development was to be carried on concurrently with the research 
program. A few months later, in June of 1952, CNO directed the Bureau of Ships to 
procure six stations. The brakes were off and Caesar was on its way. 

The CNO letter suggested the following sites: Sable Island, Cape Hatteras, Bermuda 
(two arrays), Eleuthera, and Culebra, Puerto Rico. One week later CINCPACFLT wrote 
a letter to CNO saying they wanted to be kept advised of progress and offering a 
plan for wiring up the Pacific. At the end of June three major contracts had been 
put into effect, one for equipment, one for installation, and a third for the 
construction or expansion of a cable plant. And, for the first time, the low 
frequency passive detection system was called SOSUS, for SOund SUrveillance System.

Events followed in rapid succession thereafter. Wartime rules for procurement were 
still in effect, and, action followed in short order. The Simplex Cable Company was 
expanded to manufacture Caesar cables. The U. S. Navy Hydrographic Office set up a 
survey group and assigned three ships to undertake bathymetric surveys. The Maritime 
Administration released the cable ship Bullard to the Navy, who rechristened her 
the Neptune. New cable drums 15 feet in diameter and bow sheaves 12 feet across 
were installed, the largest in existence. The Albert J. Meyer was added to the 
fleet. Two lofar units were sent to England to analyze submarine signatures obtained 
by the British. 

In September of 1952, CNO increased the number of stations from six to nine, and 
changed the locations of several. The new plan called for sites at Sable Island, 
Nantucket, Cape May, Cape Hatteras, Bermuda, San Salvador, Grand Turk, and Ramey 
Field, Puerto Rico. Three more stations were added at Barbuda, Barbados, and 
Newfoundland in January 1954. Pacific expansion came in May 1954, when ten more 
stations were planned, six on the West Coast. 

Not everything went without a hitch. An array and cable were installed in the 
summer of 1954 off Grand Turk. Because of the low resolving power of fathometers 
in use at that time, the array was laid in a crack on the surface of a seamount 
and to be abandoned for later relocation. When the problem was reported, an officer 
asked Joe Kelly from CNO if the cable ship had "used a lead line." Joe quietly 
replied that the ship had only been working in a thousand fathoms of water. Much 
was new and strange in those days, even to Navy personnel.

Target IOC dates were set for the NAVFACs, one a month beginning in the fall of 
1954. Ramey was the first to come on the air, in November, roughly one month late. 
The time between the Hartwell report and the first operational system was a little 
under four years. 

Research and development work continued as other stations came into being. Major 
changes were made in bringing signals back to shore, first with multi-pair cable, 
later with coaxial transmission systems. 

In reflecting on the early years of SOSUS, what is most striking is how much was 
accomplished in remarkably short time. Certainly a major factor was serendipitous 
confluence of events, the discovery that low-frequency sounds could travel great 
distances in the ocean, the realization that submarines radiate identifiable low 
frequency energy, and the pioneering work at Bell Laboratories on visual speech 
analysis. Ease of contracting was also an important element. The Navy’s resolve 
to conduct undersea surveillance was crucial. The commitment of WECo and Bell 
Laboratories and their decision to assign some of their best people to the project 
were of considerable consequence. 

Source: <http://www.cus.navy.mil/sosus.htm>
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Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) Later History

SOSUS was so super secret and essential to the Cold War effort, the U.S. Navy did 
not reveal the highly classified SOSUS program until the early 1990s. 

SOSUS, the U.S. Navy Sound Surveillance System, has been called one of the most 
impressive engineering feats of the early Cold War. The cover story for the Naval
Facility (NACFAC) stations was that they were oceanographic research facilities, 
working on currents and temperature in sea water. 

SOSUS was a long-range, early-warning listening system protecting the U.S. against 
the threat of Soviet ballistic missile submarines. Bases were established from Nova 
Scotia to Barbados, when the system was developed with additional sites added, including 
sites on the Pacific coast, and later in Iceland and Wales.

The SOSUS program was so successful at the outset that it stymied the Soviet submarine 
program and gave a decisive edge to the West. Long cables were laid out on the ocean 
floor, some as long as 100 miles, to the edge of the continental shelf with 40 
hydrophones attached to the end of each cable. AT&T developed the technology, designed 
to detect deep-running submarines. Signals from the hydrophones were processed at the 
Naval Facility (NAVFAC) terminal facilities, and then relayed to the Norfolk Atlantic 
Command and the Pearl Harbor Pacific Command; along with data from other bases. 
Submarines could be detected thousands of miles away.

Naval personnel were trained to detect the sounds of Soviet subs and distinguish those 
sounds from other ocean sounds such as crashing waves, other ships, and whales. The 
directional and frequency bands, called LOFAR grams, were printed out on long paper 
tapes for personnel to decipher. 

Although only a few were aware of it, SOSUS played a key role in U.S. history. NAVFAC 
Hatteras first detected a Soviet submarine on June 26, 1962. Then in October 1962, 
SOSUS played a critical role in the Cuban missile crisis when it detected a Soviet 
Foxtrot submarine heading for Cuba. There were several other detections of Soviet 
submarines headed for Cuba as well. Because of the detections, U.S. planes were sent 
to the area and dropped small depth charges in the vicinity of the submarines. It was
later learned that the Soviets had nuclear torpedoes and they didn’t know about SOSUS, 
but they knew they had been detected, when they heard the planes overhead.

According to official Navy sources, the SOSUS program was dealt a serious blow by the 
Walker-Whitworth espionage ring. Starting in 1967, and for the next 18 years, John 
Walker Jr., a Naval Communications officer, sold countless Naval messages and the 
keys to decipher them to the Soviets. Some of those secrets involved the SOSUS system.
Because of this information, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Soviets embarked 
on a submarine-quieting program and by the late 1980s, the ability of the SOSUS system 
to detect submarines had deteriorated significantly. But that also coincided with the 
downfall of communism in the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. In the interim, 
Soviet submarines pulled back their areas of operations away from the U.S. coastal 
area, negating the need for listening stations along the East Coast. 

In 1963, SOSUS played a crucial role in pinpointing the exact location of the sunken 
nuclear submarine Thresher and then in 1968 detected the sunken Soviet-Golf class 
submarine sunken off Hawaii.

SOSUS exists today with several operational and standby stations. The program was 
supplemented in the 1980s by a small fleet of civilian-manned surveillance ships to 
create the Integrated Underwater Surveillance System, IUSS. The system has also been 
used to track migrating whales and to detect illegal driftnet fishing on the high seas.
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Commander, Oceanographic System Pacific (COMOCEANSYSPAC) (COSP)

On September 1, 1964, Commander, Oceanographic System Pacific (COMOCEANSYSPAC) or 
(COSP) was commissioned as a third echelon command, which would report operationally 
to Commander, ASW Force Pacific (CTF 12) and administratively to Commander in Chief, 
U.S. Pacific Fleet. COSP was to serve as the principle advisor to CTF 12 on IUSS 
issues, as well as initial coordination, designation and reporting of all Pacific 
IUSS data. The acoustic data was collected and analyzed by the personnel of the 
Pacific IUSS Naval Facilities, and relayed to other operating forces and agencies. 
In October, 1991, as a result of the declassification of the IUSS mission, COSP 
became Commander, Undersea Surveillance, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMUNDERSEASURVPAC) 
or (CUSP). CUSP was decommissioned on August 15, 1994. 

Commander, Oceanographic System Pacific			01 Sep 1964	       1968
   (COMOCEANSYSPAC) (COSP) Naval Station, 
   Treasure Island, CA
Commander, Oceanographic System Pacific			       1968	15 Aug 1994
   (COMOCEANSYSPAC) (COSP), Ford Island, 
   Pearl Harbor, HI
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Commander, Oceanographic System Atlantic (COMOCEANSYSLANT) (COSL)
Commander, Undersea Surveillance (COMUNDERSEASURV) (CUS)

Commander, Oceanographic System Atlantic was first established in 1958. COSL functioned 
as Type Commander (TYCOM) for all Atlantic based Naval facilities and operated as the 
Main Evaluation of all acoustic data processed by the Atlantic sites. In October, 1991, 
the mission of IUSS was declassified and COSL became Commander, Undersea Surveillance, 
U.S. Atlantic Fleet (CUSL). In August, 1994, following the decommissioning of Commander, 
Undersea Surveillance, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CUSP), CUSL became Commander, Undersea 
Surveillance (CUS) and assumed administrative control of all UNDERSEASURV sites worldwide. 
With the decommissioning of the Readiness Training Facility (RTF) in September, 1994, CUS 
moved into the RTF building on the FCTCLANT Dam Neck VA base. On October 1, 1998, CUS was 
realigned to administrative control under COMSUBLANT, though continues to serve as TYCOM 
over IUSS assets worldwide; including three facilities, five SURTASS ships, and related 
CNO sponsored special projects.
 
Commander, Oceanographic System Atlantic		       1958	   Oct 1991
   (COMOCEANSYSLANT) (COSL), Norfolk, VA
Commander, Undersea Surveillance, U.S. Atlantic Fleet 	   Oct 1991	15 Aug 1994
   (COMUNDERSEASURVLANT) (CUSL), Norfolk, VA
Commander, Undersea Surveillance (COMUNDERSEASURV)	15 Aug 1994	   Sep 1994
   (CUS), Norfolk, VA
Commander, Undersea Surveillance (COMUNDERSEASURV)         Sep 1994	   Present
   (CUS), Dam Neck, VA
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Adak, Clam Lagoon, Zeto Point, Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Adak was commissioned on December 1, 1962. Adak, Alaska 
is a mountainous island of volcanic origin within the Aleutian chain. It is about 
twenty-five miles wide and thirty-five miles long with a very irregular coastline, 
which varies from broad beaches to sheer cliffs. A treeless island, Adak is carpeted 
with tundra, a foot-high grass with a spongy base. This environment provides a home 
to many native birds and fish and combined with introduced game, provide a sportsman’s 
paradise. There is no civilian or native community on the island, but the military, 
their dependents, the federal employees and contract support personnel once numbered 
over five-thousand. After thirty years of ASW Excellence, Naval Facility Adak was 
decommissioned on September 30, 1992. Acoustic data was remoted to NOPF Whidbey 
Island, WA. 

U.S. Naval Security Group (NSG) personnel provided communications support at 
NAVFAC Adak, to the Navy, other Department of Defense and NATO elements. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Adak AK				01 Dec 1962	30 Sep 1992
Transferred to NOPF Whidbey Island, WA. 
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Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda, Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles, West Indies

Antigua is an island in the West Indies, Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, 
the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. It is also known as Wadadli, 
which means approximately "our own". The island is roughly 54 miles in circumference, 
with an area of 108 square miles, and had an estimated population of about 69,000 
as of July 2006. It is the largest of the Leeward Islands, and the most developed 
and prosperous, due to its upscale tourism industry, offshore banking, internet 
gambling services and education services, including two medical schools.

Over 31,000 people live in the capital of St. John's. The capital is situated in 
the northwest, near VC Bird International Airport, and has a deep harbour which 
is able to accommodate large cruise ships. Other leading population settlements 
are All Saints (3,412) and Liberta (2,239), according to the 2001 Census. English 
Harbour on the southeastern coast is famed as a "hurricane hole" (protected shelter 
during violent storms) and is the site of a restored British colonial Naval Station. 
The latter is called "Nelson's Dockyard". Nelson was at the time a Captain and in 
correspondence made it clear he would prefer not to be there, but rather facing 
the French. Today, English Harbour and the neighbouring village of Falmouth are 
an internationally famous yachting and sailing destination and provisioning center. 
At the end of April and the beginning of May, Antigua Sailing Week, an annual world 
class regatta, started in 1967, brings many sailing vessels and sailors to the island.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Antigua was commissioned on August 9, 1956. The first Commanding 
Officer was LCDR R. Hinmon. As one of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, 
Antigua is considered by many to have the best climate in the Caribbean. This island, 
discovered by Columbus in 1493, is comprised of large peaks, rolling hills, and fine 
sandy beaches accentuated by rough rocky coasts. After operating for more than twenty 
seven years, NAVFAC Antigua was decommissioned February 4, 1984.

Antigua is a recognized center for on-line gambling companies. Antigua was one of the 
first nations to legalize, license and regulate on-line gaming. Some countries, most 
notably the United States, argue that because the gaming transaction is initiated in 
their jurisdictions, that the act of on-line wagering is illegal. This argument has 
been repudiated by the World Trade Organization. However in 2006. the U.S. Congress 
voted to approve the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act which criminalizes the 
operations of offshore gaming operators, which take wagers from American-based gamblers.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Antigua				09 Aug 1956	04 Feb 1984
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Argentia, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Argentia is a community on the island of Newfoundland, in the Canadian province of 
Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on a flat headland located along the 
southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula on Placentia Bay. Originally a small fishing 
village called Little Placentia, the community adopted its present name in 1904 after 
a silver deposit was located nearby. The first church and school were established in 
the village in 1831 and 1832 by Father Pelagius Nowlan, an Irish priest. The 1836 
population was 484 people in 76 houses. The community's 2001 population was 450.

War between Britain and Nazi Germany was declared on September 3, 1939 in the 
aftermath of Hitler's invasion of Poland. Argentia was selected in 1940 to be the 
location of a U.S. Navy base, being built under the U.S.-British lend-lease program, 
which saw U.S. warships loaned to Britain in exchange for selected British military 
bases (or land for new bases) in the Western Hemisphere. The reason for preferring 
the Argentia site was due to the secure deepwater anchorage offered by the adjoining 
Ship Harbour and Fox Harbour, as well as the local topography for an airfield and 
an existing railway line.

The base was urgently needed as part of the trans-Atlantic supply line which joined 
North America to Britain, in order to provide anti-submarine patrols to protect 
shipping from the German U-boat fleet. The land beneath the village was traded to 
the U.S. for construction of the base, and the residents of Argentia and Marquise 
received eviction notices. Most relocated to the nearby villages of Freshwater or 
Placentia, however what little had been paid as compensation (usually no more than 
a few thousand dollars for homeowners in Argentia) proved woefully inadequate for 
building equivalent new homes, due to severe wartime shortages of labor and 
materials. Throughout 1940-1941 the U.S. Navy constructed an airfield and Navy base 
and built an extension to the Newfoundland Railway to service their facilities, 
owing to the condition of local roads. Naval Air Station and Naval Operating Base 
Argentia, Newfoundland, were established on May 17, 1941, and were officially 
commissioned on July 15, 1941.

The reason for the rush was made clear on August 7, 1941 when the heavy cruiser 
USS Augusta (CA-31) carrying U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt arrived in the 
Ship Harbour anchorage. Roosevelt inspected the base construction progress and 
did some fishing from Augusta, over the next few days. Augusta was joined by the 
British warship HMS Prince of Wales carrying British Prime Minister Winston 
Churchill, on August 10, 1941. While in the Ship Harbour anchorage from August 
10-12, the two leaders and their delegations managed to negotiate what was called 
the Atlantic Charter, which established the basis for UK-US military cooperation 
and objectives. This history-altering agreement was signed on August 12, 1941; 
and both vessels departed for their home territories at high speed. The Atlantic 
Charter was publicly announced in a declaration on August 14, 1941, presumably 
after the Prince of Wales had returned to UK waters.

On August 28, 1941, Naval Air Station Argentia was officially commissioned by the 
U.S. Navy. Argentia would prove to be a very important base in the U.S. war effort. 
By 1943, with the U.S. fully involved in the Second World War, Argentia saw upwards 
of 10,000 U.S. personnel passing through on the way to the European Theatre. An 
adjoining U.S. Army base was established as Fort McAndrew, to provide anti-aircraft 
artillery protection for the Navy base and Naval Air Station. In 1946, Fort 
McAndrew became part of the U.S. Army Air Forces and was renamed McAndrew Air 
Force Base in 1948. On VE Day (Victory in Europe) in 1945, Argentia saw a drop 
in personnel, but by the start of the cold war in 1947-1948, personnel numbers 
rose to 7,000. By the end of the Korean War, in 1953, Argentia saw a total of 
8,500 personnel posted in the area.

In 1955, McAndrew AFB was deactivated and turned over to the U.S. Navy, and the 
U.S. Air Force moved its personnel to more remote and northern locations along 
the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, to build radar stations which would become 
part of the Pinetree Line and DEW Line systems. In the 1960s, Naval Station Argentia 
became a key node in the U.S. Navy's SOSUS underwater hydrophone system. As such, 
the base was the target for several espionage attempts by the Soviet Union. By 
1969, the total U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine contingents had dropped to 3,000 and to 
1,000 by 1971.

As facilities and structures closed, assets were transferred to the Government of 
Canada under the terms of the U.S.-Britain lend-lease program; Newfoundland having 
become a Canadian province in 1949. In 1973, Naval Air Station Argentia was closed, 
and by 1975, the entire north side of the base was out of U.S. hands. In 1994, 
Naval Operating Base Argentia, one of the U.S. Navy's most modern facilities, was 
officially decommissioned and the entire site was transferred to the Government 
of Canada, and in turn, to the private sector and the provincial government.

Its military base now closed, Argentia has all but become a ghost town. Not one 
of the original pre-war buildings remains (as they were demolished to construct 
the base), but some empty military buildings are being reused as the beginning of 
what is hoped to become an industrial park in Argentia. The airfield lies 
abandoned; it may still be usable in case of emergency, but as of 2002, the 
condition of the airfield continues to deteriorate.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Argentia was commissioned October 1, 1959 as a tenant command 
of Naval Station, Argentia, Newfoundland. From an original staff of 45 officers and 
enlisted personnel, the NAVFAC grew to a population of over 340. Of note, women were 
first stationed at NAVFAC Argentia in 1973. The first group of women consisted of two 
U.S Navy line officers, fifteen U.S Navy enlisted personnel, one Canadian officer and 
twelve Canadian enlisted personnel. From that point on, the facility enjoyed a close 
working relationship with the Canadian Forces. On June 30, 1975, the NAVFAC assumed 
duties as host command, becoming the largest NAVFAC in the IUSS with control of 8,987 
acres and five tenant commands. After thirty-five years in a fully operational status, 
NAVFAC Argentia was remoted to CFIC Halifax and ceased operations on September 30, 
1994. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Argentia, Newfoundland, 	01 Oct 1959	30 Sep 1994
   Canada
Transferred to Canadian Forces IUSS Center  		01 Oct 1994
      (CFIC) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
===================================================================================
Barbados, West Indies, Lesser Antilles

Barbados, situated just east of the Caribbean Sea, is an independent island nation 
in the western Atlantic Ocean. The country lies in the southern Caribbean region, 
where it is a part of the Lesser Antilles island chain. Its closest island neighbours 
are St. Vincent and St. Lucia to the west, Grenada to the southwest, and Trinidad 
and Tobago to the south, with which Barbados now shares a fixed official maritime 
boundary. Barbados's total land area is about 166 square miles, and is primarily 
low-lying, with some higher regions in the island's interior. The organic composition 
of Barbados is thought to be of non-volcanic origin and is predominantly composed of 
limestone-coral. The island's climate is tropical, with constant trade winds off the 
Atlantic Ocean serving to keep temperatures mild. Some more undeveloped areas of the 
country contain woodland and scrubland. Other parts of the interior, which contribute 
to the agriculture industry, are dotted with large sugarcane estates and wide, gently 
sloping pastures, with many good views down to the sea coast.

The origin of the name Barbados is controversial. It was the Portuguese that were 
the first to conquer (discover) and name the island. As early as 1511, the island 
is referred to as Ilha dos Barbados (island of the bearded ones) in an official 
Portuguese document. It is a matter of conjecture whether the word "bearded" 
refers to the long, hanging roots of the bearded fig-tree (Ficus citrifolia), 
indigenous to the island, to bearded Amerindians occupying the island, or to the 
foam spraying over the outlying reefs giving the impression of a beard.

British sailors who landed on Barbados in 1625 at the site of present-day Holetown, 
on the Caribbean coast, found the island uninhabited. From the arrival of the first 
British settlers in 1627-1628, until independence in 1966, Barbados was under 
uninterrupted British control. 

>From 1958 to 1962, Barbados was one of the ten members of the West Indies Federation.
When the Federation dissolved, Barbados reverted to its former status, that of a 
self-governing British colony. The island negotiated its own independence at a 
constitutional conference with the United Kingdom in June, 1966. After years of 
peaceful and democratic progress, Barbados finally became an independent state 
within the Commonwealth of Nations on November 30, 1966.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Barbados was commissioned on October 1, 1957. It was a small 
facility with a compliment of twelve officers and eighty-eight enlisted personnel. 
Barbados is an island located in the easternmost part of the West Indies, approximately 
600 miles southwest of Puerto Rico. The island is twenty one miles long and fourteen 
miles wide. English is the formal language, however the local people speak with a 
"Bajan" accent which is quite unique and charming. The pleasures of the island are 
similar to those of most Caribbean islands. Sea, on all sides, is available for all 
water sports; and in the evening, dancing is the national pastime. Steel bands often 
play calypso music and "flaming limbo" is an interesting dance often seen. NAVFAC 
Barbados operated for twenty two years and was decommissioned on March 31, 1979. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Barbados			01 Oct 1957	31 Mar 1979
===================================================================================
Barbers Point, Oahu, Hawaii

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Barbers Point was commissioned on August 1, 1970. The facility 
was manned by eleven officers and 80 enlisted personnel. Located at NAS Barbers Point 
on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. Naval Facility Barbers Point enjoyed perfect 
weather and all the amenities that a tropical paradise has to offer, only ten degrees 
fahrenheit separated summer and winter. NAVFAC Barbers Point was deactivated on 
October 1, 1985, after fifteen years of dedicated service. Acoustic data was remoted 
to NOPF Ford Island, HI. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Barbers Point, HI		01 Aug 1970	01 Oct 1985
   Remoted to NOPF Ford Island, HI. 
===================================================================================
Bermuda, South Hampton Parish, The Bermuda Islands (or The Somers Isles)

Bermuda (officially, The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas 
territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United 
States, it is situated around 1,100 miles northeast of Miami, Florida and 840 miles 
south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 
about 640 miles west-northwest. It is the oldest and most populous remaining British 
overseas territory, settled by England a century before the Acts of Union that created 
the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

Although commonly referred to in the singular, the territory consists of approximately 
138 islands, with a total area of 20.6 square miles. Compiling a list of these islands 
is often complicated, as many have more than one name, as does the entire archipelago; 
which, in addition to its two official names, has historically been known as "La Garza", 
"Virgineola", and the "Isle of Devils". Despite the limited land mass, there has also 
been a tendency for place names to be repeated; there are, for instance, two islands 
named "Long Island", three bays known as "Long Bay" and the town of St. George is 
located within the parish of St. George on the island of St. George (each known as 
St. George's), whereas Bermuda's capital, the City of Hamilton, lies in Pembroke 
Parish, not Hamilton Parish, on the largest island, "Main Island", which itself is 
sometimes called "Bermuda" (or "Great Bermuda").

Bermuda was discovered by the early 1500s, probably in 1503, according to some sources. 
The discovery is attributed to a Spanish explorer, Juan de Bermúdez. Both Spanish and 
Portuguese ships used the islands as a replenishment spot for fresh meat and water, but 
legends of spirits and devils, now thought to have stemmed only from the callings of 
raucous birds (most likely the Bermuda Petrel, or Cahow), and of perpetual, storm-
wracked conditions. Most early visitors arrived under such conditions, which kept them 
from attempting any permanent settlement on the Isle of Devils. 

For the next century, the island is believed to have been visited frequently, but not 
permanently settled. In 1609, a flotilla of ships left England to relieve the colony 
of Jamestown, settled two years before. The flotilla was broken up by a storm, and the 
flagship, the Sea Venture, was wrecked off Bermuda, leaving the survivors in possession 
of a new territory. The island was claimed for the English Crown, and the charter of 
the Virginia Company was extended to include Bermuda. In 1615, the colony was passed 
to a new company, the Somers Isles Company, formed by the same shareholders. The close 
ties with Virginia were commemorated even after Bermuda's separation, by reference to 
the archipelago in many Virginian place names, such as Bermuda City, and Bermuda 
Hundred. The first British coins in America were struck here.

After the dissolution of the Somers Isle Company, Bermudians rapidly abandoned 
agriculture for shipbuilding, replanting farmland with the native juniper (Juniperus 
bermudiana, also called Bermuda cedar) trees that grew thickly over the whole island. 
Establishing effective control over the Turks Islands, Bermudians deforested their 
landscape to begin the salt trade, that would become the world's largest. The salt 
trade remained the cornerstone of Bermuda's economy for the next century. Bermudian 
sailors applied their efforts to far more lucrative trades, than supplying salt. 
Whaling, privateering, and the merchant trade were all pursued vigorously. The 
Bermuda sloop became highly regarded for its speed and manoeuvrability. 

After the American Revolution, the British Royal Navy began improving the harbours and 
built the large dockyard on Ireland Island, in the west of the chain, as its principal 
Naval base, guarding the western Atlantic Ocean shipping lanes. British attacks during 
the War of 1812 were planned and launched from Bermuda, the Royal Navy's 'North American 
Station'. British soldiers based in Bermuda were sent to attack Baltimore and Washington. 
In 1816, Bermuda's Royal Naval Dockyard was fortified against possible U.S. attacks. 
Today, the "Maritime Museum" stands on the site of the Old Commissioner's house in the 
Royal Naval Dockyard, and houses artifacts of the base's military history.

As a result of Bermuda's proximity to the southeastern U.S. coast, it was regularly 
used by Confederate States blockade runners during the American Civil War to evade 
Union Naval vessels and bring desperately needed war goods to the South from England. 
The old Globe Hotel in St. George's, which was a center of intrigue for Confederate 
agents, is preserved as a museum, open to the public. In the early twentieth century, 
as modern transport and communication systems developed, Bermuda became a popular 
destination for wealthy American, Canadian and British tourists. The Smoot-Hawley 
Tariff Act, enacted by the United States against its trading partners in 1930, cut 
off Bermuda's once-thriving agricultural export trade, primarily fresh vegetables 
to the U.S. This event spurred the overseas territory to develop its tourist industry, 
which is second only to international business, in terms of economic importance to 
the island.

Due to its strategic location in the North Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda was vital to the 
Allies' war effort during both World Wars of the twentieth century, serving as a 
marshalling point for trans-Atlantic convoys, as well as a Naval and Air Base 
during the World War II.

In May 1940, the U.S. requested base rights in Bermuda from the United Kingdom, but 
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was initially unwilling to accede to the 
American request, without getting something in return. In September, 1940, as part 
of the 'Destroyers for Bases Agreement', the United Kingdom granted the U.S. base 
rights in Bermuda. Bermuda and Newfoundland were not originally included in the 
agreement, but both were added to it, with no war material received in exchange. 
However, one of the terms of the agreement was that the airfield the U.S. Army was 
to build in Bermuda, would be used jointly by the U.S. and the UK. The base was in
fact, held jointly for the duration of the war. Construction began in 1941, of two 
air bases consisting of 1,400 acres of land, largely reclaimed from the sea. On
April 7, 1941, the U.S. Naval Operating Base, Bermuda, was established. RAF 
Transport Command relocated to Bermuda from Darrell's Island in 1943. For many years, 
Bermuda's bases were used by the U.S. Air Force and, later, by U.S. Navy planes 
patrolling the Atlantic for enemy submarines, first German and, later, Soviet. 
Although leased for 99 years, U.S. forces withdrew in 1995, as part of the wave of 
base closures following the end of the Cold War.

Canada operated a war-time Naval base, called HMCS Somers Isles, on the old 
Royal Navy base at Convict Bay, St. George's, Canada also established a radio-listening 
post at Daniel's Head, in the West End of the islands, in the 1940's. In the 1950s, 
after the end of World War II, the British Royal Naval Dockyard and the military 
garrison were closed. A small supply base continued to operate within the dockyard 
area until it, too, was closed in 1995, along with the American and Canadian bases.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Bermuda was commissioned on June 1, 1955, making it the oldest 
continuously operating U.S. command at the time of its decommissioning in 1992. The 
NAVFAC was located on the west end of Bermuda in South Hampton Parish, adjacent to 
the island’s very scenic south shore. Naval Facility Bermuda experienced numerous 
composition and equipment upgrades during its long operational tenure. In September, 
1987, NAVFAC Bermuda weathered Hurricane Emily, with no loss of operational capability. 
Naval Facility Bermuda’s fifteen officers, 155 enlisted personnel, 2 foreign national 
civilians and one resident contractor served until NAVFAC Bermuda’s decommissioning 
on September 30, 1992, after thirty seven years of continuous operations.

The U.S. maintains the largest diplomatic mission in Bermuda, comprising both the 
U.S. Consulate and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Services at the Bermuda 
International Airport. The U.S. is by far Bermuda's largest trading partner, providing 
over 80 percent of total imports, and 85 percent of tourist visitors. There is an 
estimated $100 billion of U.S. capital in the Bermuda insurance/re-insurance industry 
alone. An estimated 12-15 percent of Bermuda residents are U.S. citizens. American 
diplomatic presence is seen as an important element in the Bermuda political landscape.
 
Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Bermuda				01 Jun 1955	30 Sep 1992
===================================================================================
Brawdy, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom

NAVFAC was co-located with RAF Brawdy, a Royal Air Force station near Haverfordwest, 
the second largest town in Pembrokeshire, after Milford Haven. in southwest Wales. 
The name of the town means "ford used by bucks" from Old English hæfar (he-goat or 
buck). In local dialect, it is pronounced "har-ford". It seems certain that such an 
obvious strategic location would have been settled in some way from the earliest times. 
However, there is no documentary or archaeological evidence for the existence of a 
settlement on the site before the twelfth century, when the first Norman castle was 
established. This occurred around 1110. It was constructed by Tancred, a Flemish 
marcher lord. The town grew rapidly, initially around the castle and St Martin's 
church (the settlement being called Castletown). It received its first town charter 
from William Marshall, 1st Earl of Pembroke, some time between 1213 and 1219, and 
obtained the lucrative trading privileges of an English borough. It traded both by 
land and sea, and had a busy tidal quay on the river below the "New" bridge. At 
least ten guilds operated, and there was significant woolen cloth manufacture. On 
April 30, 1479, the town was designated a county corporate by a charter of Edward, 
Prince of Wales, with the aim of supporting a campaign against piracy in local 
waters. It shared this distinction only with Carmarthen and a few towns in England, 
and remained officially "The Town and County of Haverfordwest" until the abolition 
of the borough in 1974.

During the Civil War, the burgesses of the borough supported Parliament, while the 
ruling gentry were royalist. As a result there was considerable conflict, and the 
town changed hands five times. There followed a period of stagnation, in which the 
comparative status of the town declined. Haverfordwest today has the air of a typical 
small country market town, but the center still conveys the feel of the important 
medieval borough. The badly run-down riverside area has been renovated and Bridge 
Street has been pedestrianised, so the area now affords pleasant walks and interesting 
shops. Culturally, the town has always been essentially English in language, but 
because the town markets traded the goods of Welsh farmers to the north and east, 
there has always been a significant Welsh-speaking minority, and the air of a 
"frontier" town. The suburb of Prendergast seems to have originated as an extra-
mural Welsh dormitory, dating from the times when all agricultural trade had to pass 
through the borough, but no Welshman was allowed within the walls after nightfall. 
Prendergast is still significantly more Welsh in nature than the town proper.

The Pembrokeshire base was officially opened on February 2, 1944, as a satellite 
station for nearby RAF St. David's. St. David's airfield, opened in the previous
year, accommodated 58, 502 and 517 Squadrons, all of which flew the Halifax
aircraft on meteorological duties and anti-submarine operations. With three
squadrons operating from the same base, space was at a premium. Within days of
the opening of RAF Brawdy, the local area was raided by a large force of enemy
planes (called Junkers). Fortunately, the majority of the raiding force was
intercepted and destroyed over St. Bridges bay. It is presumed that one returing
Halifax was caught up in ensueing combat, for only a single main wheel was ever
found of the aircraft and it's crew.

On completion of the new base at Brawdy, 517 Squadron was the first to take up
residence. On November 1, 1945, Brawdy took over the running of St. David's
airfield, a reversal of the earlier situation, and on November 30, 1945, 517
Squadron moved to Chivenor, in North Devon.

On January 1, 1946 the station was handed over to the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal 
Navy, and became a Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS). RNAS Brawdy was initially used 
as a Relief Landing Ground for RNAS Dale. In July, 1947, the airfield was closed
and placed in a 'care and maintenance' status. On July 7, 1952, 849 Squadron was
reformed at Brawdy. Brawdy was recommissioned as HMS Goldcrest on September 4,
1952, and extensive modernization of the airfield took place over the next three
years. In 1960, RNAS Brawdy took on a training role. Also in 1960, the runway was 
extended by 500 feet, and three new hangars were built for the Naval Aircraft 
Support Unit. From 1963 to May 1970, Naval Hawker Hunter aircraft flew from Brawdy 
with the 738 and 759 Squadrons. Following a decision to decommission the Navy's 
aircraft carriers, the last Navy flight at Brawdy took place on December 1, 1970, 
and the Royal Navy's tenure at Brawdy came to a close. The Royal Navy left in early 
1971 and the base was allocated to the Department of the Environment. >From 1971 to 
1974, no military operations took place.

In February 1974, the Royal Air Force returned with D Flight of 22 Squadron taking 
up residence with their Whirlwind HAR10 search and rescue helicopters. On September 
4, 1974, 229 Operational Conversion Unit (later the Tactical Weapons Unit) joined 
D Flight, having been forced to relocate after the closure of RAF Chivenor. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Brawdy, Wales, a U.S. Navy SOSUS (Sound Surveillance 
System) station, was built adjacent to the RAF base, and was officially 
commissioned on April 5, 1974. SOSUS was the U.S. Navy's passive sonar Anti-
Submarine Warfare (ASW) effort, part of the Integrated Undersea Surveillance 
System (IUSS). The facility enjoyed a close working relationship with the armed 
forces of the United Kingdom for 21 years. U.S. Naval Security Group (NSG) 
personnel, stationed at NAVFAC Brawdy, provided communications support to the 
Navy, other Department of Defense activities and NATO elements. 

In January, 1992, the Ministry of Defence announced their intention to cease jet 
flying operations at RAF Brawdy. The last training flights took place at Brawdy 
in August, 1992. The RAF withdrew in 1992 and the base, now known as Cawdor 
Barracks, is currently occupied by the Royal Signals, as the main electronic 
warfare base of the British Army.

A thriving major facility within the IUSS, the positive effects of continued 
growth were evident in every arena: Operations Technology, Communications, 
Construction, Security, Manpower, Community Outreach Programs, Administration, 
Supply and Retention. Welsh roads leading to NAVFAC Brawdy may well have been 
narrow and winding, but those that led from the station were wide open and ever 
expanding. Twenty-one years of coordination and cooperation afforded Brawdy a 
proud place within the legacy of IUSS. Four hundred U.S. and UK sailors, civilians 
and officers were employed at NAVFAC Brawdy, in the land of stormy beauty, castles 
and dragons. NAVFAC Brawdy operations were remoted to the Joint Maritime Facility 
(JMF) St. Mawgan and NAVFAC Brawdy was deactivated on October 1, 1995.

NAVFAC Brawdy, Wales, UK				05 Apr 1974	01 Oct 1995
   Remoted to JMF St. Mawgan, UK
===================================================================================
Cape Hatteras, Hatteras Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that 
protrudes the furthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of 
the Atlantic coast of North America, making it a key point for navigation along 
the eastern seaboard. The cape is actually a bend in Hatteras Island, one of the 
long thin barrier islands that make up the Outer Banks. Hatteras Island lies twenty 
five miles off the coast of North Carolina with miles of sand dunes, salt marshes, 
freshwater swales and a beautiful maritime forest.

The Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci set foot on the beach here in the 16th century. 
Four hundred years later, the wreckage of ships destroyed by German U-boats washed 
up on the same beaches. Blackbeard the Pirate once terrorized shipping from his base 
at Ocracoke. Today, the only terrifying aspect of a trip to Hatteras island is a 
wait at the ferry docks. 

Hatteras Island is part of North Carolina's Outer Banks and includes the villages of 
Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras. It contains the largest 
part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge 
also makes up a large chunk of Hatteras Island. The refuge’s mission is primarily 
that of protecting wildlife, but it is also open to visitors to enjoy environmentally 
friendly recreation like hiking, birding, paddling and enjoying the beach. 

Hatteras Island is almost entirely in Dare County, North Carolina, but there is a 
very small sliver of about 45 acres, which extends southwest into Hyde County. The 
island is one of the longest in the contiguous United States, measuring 42 miles 
along a straight line from end to end, or roughly 50 miles along the curve of the 
land. About 75 percent of Hatteras Island is undeveloped, and much of that land is 
accessible to the public for activities like fishing, water sports and observing 
nature. Naked sand dunes, wide beaches, thick maritime forest and vast marshlands 
are left in their natural state. Hatteras Island is known for world-class sport 
fishing, surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding, and is known as "The blue marlin 
capital of the world."

The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station in Rodanthe is the most complete existing 
example of the life-saving stations that were built along the coast in the late 
19th century. The 1874 station was one of the original life-saving stations built 
along the Outer Banks, and it operated until 1954. The station has been restored, 
and it is a museum and historic site.

The black-and-white spiral-striped Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is one of the most 
famous lighthouses in the nation. The first lighthouse at the cape was built in 
1803. It was replaced by the current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in 1870, which at 
193 feet (207 1/2 feet from the bottom of the foundation footer to the top of the 
spire, on the roof); and is recognized by the National Park Service as the tallest 
lighthouse in the U.S. The lighthouse is one of several on the North Carolina coast 
that are still operational. The lighthouse construction consisted of approximately 
1,250,000 bricks, and there are 268 steps to reach the light at the top.

Other places of interest include the Frisco Native American Museum, a small museum 
which preserves the Native American history of Hatteras Island; and the Graveyard 
of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras Village. 

In 1953, a 72-mile stretch of the Outer Banks from Nags Head to Ocracoke Island was 
set aside as the nation's first National Seashore. Today, most of Hatteras Island 
remains protected by that designation and is a one of the country's most visited 
National Parks. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore encompasses some of the most 
historic and environmentally fragile real estate in the world.        

The narrow barrier islands of Cape Hatteras National Seashore are in a constant 
state of change. Tides, waves and currents provide daily, sometimes subtle changes, 
while storms can provoke more sudden changes to the islands. The people who lived 
and worked on these narrow barrier islands experienced the changes wrought by 
storm and tide, and often made a living in close relationship with the sea.   
Life abounds on the seashore. From the sea turtles nesting on sandy beaches, to 
the deer seeking shelter in the maritime woods, the seashore provides a home and 
habitat for creatures large and small, on land and in the water: a rich variety 
of plant and animal life.  

Wind is an everyday occurrence on the Outer Banks, and can range from gentle 
southwest breezes to strong northeast storm winds. Local weather changes rapidly 
and can be very unpredictable. Summer days are usually warm and humid, and are 
often broken by fast-moving but severe thunderstorms. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Cape Hatteras was commissioned on January 11, 1956. It was 
located near Buxton, North Carolina, adjacent to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. The 
island is a sandy spit, separated from the mainland by Pamlico Sound, known for its 
frequent and severe storms. The Diamond Shoals surrounding the island claimed more 
than 600 ships over the years, resulting in Hatteras being called the "graveyard of 
the Atlantic". Although considered relatively isolated, personnel enjoyed movies, 
bowling, surf and pier fishing, fresh water fishing and hunting. NAVFAC Cape 
Hatteras operated for over twenty six years and was decommissioned on June 30, 1982.

In 1999, as the receding shoreline had come dangerously close to Cape Hatteras 
Lighthouse, the lighthouse was lifted and moved inland over a distance of 2900 feet. 
Its distance from the seashore is now 1500 feet, about the same as when it was 
originally built. Most of the 1400 feet of beach lost since the relocation of the 
lighthouse was due to Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Cape Hatteras is also infamous for 
being frequently struck by hurricanes that move up the East Coast of the United 
States. The strike of Hurricane Isabel in 2003 was particularly devastating for 
the area. Isabel devastated the entire Outer Banks and also split the two small 
towns of Frisco and Hatteras in half. North Carolina Highay 12, which provides a 
direct route from Nags Head to Hatteras Island, was broken in half by the hurricane. 
Hurricane Isabel nearly demolished the small villages of Cape Hatteras. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Cape Hatteras, NC		11 Jan 1956	30 Jun 1982
===================================================================================
Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May is a cape and peninsula which is the southernmost point of the state of 
New Jersey. It runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware 
Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Many people go to Cape May for tourism, shopping, and 
for the beach. The cape is named for Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, a Dutch explorer and
Captain, who was working for the Dutch East India Company. The town's history dates 
back to its founding in 1620 by Captain Mey. 

Cape May is the oldest seaside resort in America, with historical roots dating back 
to the 1700s. The entire city was designated as a National Historic Landmark on 
May 11, 1976, and many of the buildings throughout the town are original Victorian 
structures, that have been maintained in pristine condition. Cape May, is also a city 
located at the southern tip of the Cape May peninsula, in Cape May County, New Jersey.

What is now Cape May was originally formed as the borough of Cape Island by an Act 
of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1848. It was reincorporated as Cape Island 
city on March 10, 1851, and finally became Cape May city as of March 9, 1869. In 1859, 
the Cape May Lighthouse was constructed. Today, the lighthouse is a prominent land mark 
and a popular tourist attraction.

Sewell Point has a long history of Naval presence. During the American Revolution and 
throughout the nineteenth century, Cape May Sound was used as a harbor of refuge. In 
1917, the Navy established a "section base" in Cape May, to provide training, vessel 
support and communication facilities for coastal defense. Initially, the Navy converted 
an abandoned amusement center, built along the oceanfront, for military use. The old 
skating rink became the mess hall and sleeping quarters, the stage was made into a 
galley, the "human roulette wheel" and the "barrel of fun" became a brig. A U.S. Navy 
seaplane and LTA (lighter-than-air, airship, or blimp) patrol base was constructed on 
the eastern-most part of Cape May. The base was established on October 6, 1917 and was 
commissioned as a Naval Air Station on December 4, 1917. During the First World War, 
Cape May operated 12 seaplanes and 1 dirigible. 

When the old wooden structure burned down in 1918, the Navy built standard military 
facilities along the harbor front. Some of these buildings still stand today. Modern 
training facilities have replaced most of the original Naval Base buildings, During 
World War I, the base was adapted to accommodate dirigibles. The largest hanger 
in the world, 700 feet long and over 100 feet tall, was built to accommodate an 
airship under construction in Britain. Unfortunately, the ZR-2 crashed into the 
English Channel on its trial run test flight. Interest diminished and the structure 
was never used for dirigibles. After World War I, NAS Cape May was closed in 1922.

In 1924, the U.S. Coast Guard occupied the base and established air facilities for 
planes used in support of U.S. Customs Service efforts. During the Prohibition era, 
several U.S. Coast Guard cutters were assigned to Cape May to foil rum-runners 
operating off the New Jersey coast. After Prohibition, the Coast Guard all but 
abandoned Cape May, leaving a small air/sea rescue contingent. For a short period of 
time (1929-1934), part of the base was used as a civilian municipal airport. 

With the advent of World War II, the U.S. Navy returned to Cape May, to train 
aircraft carrier pilots. The over the water approach simulated carrier landings at 
sea. More acreage was filled in and a larger airstrip was constructed. Cape May was 
recommissioned as a Naval Air Staion by the U.S. Navy in 1940. During the Second 
World War an enemy aircraft lookout tower and an antisubmarine surveillance station 
were built, and they are still standing today.  

The Coast Guard also increased its Cape May forces for coastal patrol, anti-submarine 
warfare, air/sea rescue and buoy service. Early in the war, blimps from Lakehurst's 
ZP-12 used Cape May to patrol the approaches to the Delaware Bay. Several fixed-wing 
Navy scouting squadrons were also based at Cape May. At its height during WW2, the 
Cape May airfield consisted of a total of 5 paved runways (the largest was 3,825 feet 
long), 2 blimp mooring circles, parking aprons, hangars, and seaplane ramps. The peak 
complement of the station, in 1944, was 1,339 personnel. In 1946, the Navy relinquished 
the base to the Coast Guard. Post 1946, the airfield was designated as Coast Guard Air 
Station (CGAS) Cape May.

In 1948, all entry level training on the east coast was moved to the U.S. Coast Guard 
Recruit Receiving Station in Cape May. The Coast Guard consolidated all recruit 
training functions in Cape May in 1982. The U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, 
NJ is the nation's only Coast Guard Recruit Training Center. Currently over 350 military 
and civilian personnel and their dependents are attached to USCG Training Center Cape May.

The U.S. Army built Battery 223 in 1942, as part of the "1940 Harbor Defense Program". 
Located in Cape May Point, New Jersey, it was originally 900 feet inland with the top 
of the structure at ground level. The earth and sod covering provided camouflage and 
protection. A sister bunker is located across the bay in Lewes, Delaware, at Cape 
Henlopen State Park. Battery 223 was operational at Cape May Point from 1944 to 1947. 

After World War II, the guns were removed, and the Army installation was transferred 
to the U.S. Navy. A "radar station" was placed on top of the emplacement. Numerous 
barracks and support buildings were built in 1954-1955. Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Cape 
May, New Jersey, was commissioned on August 15, 1955; and was destroyed during the Ash 
Wednesday Storm of March, 1962. The Navy abandoned the Cape May Point installation in 
May, 1962. All of the NAVFAC equipment was shipped by LST, 12 miles across the Delaware 
Bay to Lewes, Delaware; and reactivated on the site of Fort Miles, Delaware. Naval 
Facility Lewes was commissioned on May 1, 1962, following the deactivation of Naval 
Facility Cape May. NAVFAC Lewes was decommissioned on September 30, 1981, after 26 
years of service. 

Today, what remains of the Cape May Point facility are part of the Cape May Point
State Park.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Cape May, NJ			15 Aug 1955	01 May 1962
   Moved to:
Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Lewes, DE			01 May 1962	30 Sep 1981
===================================================================================
Centerville Beach, Ferndale, California

Naval Facility Centerville Beach, was located in Humboldt County, Northern California,
near the cities of Ferndale and Eureka. The base at Centerville Beach was the site 
of a Naval Air Station, and the Eureka airport. Centerville Beach was a thirty-acre 
U.S. Navy base used for oceanographic research and undersea surveillance. The site 
was decommissioned in 1993. Through the historic town of Ferndale, past idyllic 
farmhouses and picturesque landscapes with cows grazing, past Centerville Beach 
and up a winding road, overlooking the Pacific Ocean was the Centerville Naval 
Facility. As of 2006, the base is a ghost-town and is completely deserted, with 
boarded up buildings still standing, and no plans for its future use.

Many shipwrecks occurred off the often fogbound and rugged coast of Humboldt County. 
A state shipwreck database lists over 350 vessels that were wrecked, foundered, 
stranded, heavily damaged, or in collisions between the 1850s and the 1950s in 
Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino Counties. One of the most catastrophic shipwrecks 
was the loss of the Northerner on January 6, 1860. North bound from San Francisco, 
the steamer struck a submerged rock off Cape Mendocino (on what today is known as 
the Lost Coast) and was wrecked with the loss of 17 passengers and 21 crewmembers. 
The ship used the last of her steam to get to Centerville Beach (near Ferndale) 
where the 65 people still on board were rescued. The Centerville Beach Memorial 
Cross, State Historic Landmark #173, was erected there in honor of those who lost 
their lives in this tragedy. As the Redwood Coast Region was settled and maritime 
traffic increased accordingly, the number of shipwrecks and other tragedies also 
grew alarmingly.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Centerville Beach was commissioned on March 25, 1958. From 
the original compliment of ninety five personnel in sixteen buildings, it grew to 
280 personnel and twenty four major structures. The facility was located approximately 
260 miles north of San Francisco and 100 miles south of the Oregon border. It was 
situated on thirty seven acres of rolling pasture land, on a 320 foot cliff overlooking 
the Eel River Valley to the North, and bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the West. In 
addition to its operational responsibilities, NAVFAC Centerville Beach was also the 
location of the IUSS Readiness Training Facility (RTF) from 1978 to 1985. After 
weathering three earthquakes in 1992, NAVFAC Centerville Beach was re-terminated at 
NOPF Whidbey Island and decommissioned on September 30, 1993, after nearly thirty 
five years of service. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Centerville Beach, CA		25 Mar 1958	30 Sep 1993
   Remoted to NOPF Whidbey Island, WA
===================================================================================
Centerville Beach, Ferndale, California

Temporarily established in 1978 at NAVFAC Centerville, California, the mission of the 
Readiness Training Facility (RTF) was to develop and conduct functional and operational 
team training on advanced systems for officer and enlisted personnel assigned to 
the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS), and to manage the Navy’s 
Surveillance Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (SURTOPS) Program. 
Upon completion of modern schoolhouse facilities and a twelve-million dollar 
operational laboratory, the Navy officially established the permanent site of the 
Readiness Training Facility at Dam Neck, VA on February 14, 1985. Since establishment, 
over 2,000 students have passed through the RTF, including members of the Canadian 
Armed Forces. The RTF offered six formal courses of instruction, the Mobile Training 
Team (MTT), the Tactical Training Team (TTT) and the pinnacle in training environments, 
the Operational Training Laboratory (OTL). The RTF continued its vital role in the 
operational performance and tactical effectiveness of the IUSS until it was 
decommissioned on September 30, 1994.

Readiness Training Facility, Centerville Beach, CA	       1978	14 Feb 1985
   Moved to:
Readiness Training Facility, Dam Neck, VA		14 Feb 1985	30 Sep 1994
===================================================================================
Coos Head, Coos Bay, Oregon Bay Area (Coos Bay, North Bend and Charleston), Oregon

Coos Bay is an S-shaped inlet, approximately 10 miles long and 2 miles wide, on the 
Pacific Ocean coast of southwestern Oregon. The city of Coos Bay, once named 
Marshfield, was renamed for the bay and is located on its inner side. The Port 
of Coos Bay is the largest and deepest port between San Francisco, California 
and the Columbia River. Coos Bay is located in northern Coos County. Other 
communities on the bay include North Bend and Charleston. Most of the fishing and 
pleasure boats that call Coos Bay home are docked in Charleston. The Coos River, 
which begins in the Coast Range, enters the bay from the east. The bay and the 
communities along it are an important port region for Oregon, with timber from the 
surrounding forests being one of the major products shipped from the area.

Now the largest incorporated city in Coos County, Coos Bay was established in the 
1850s as Marshfield, named for the Massachusetts birthplace of its founder, J.C. 
Tolman.  The town was incorporated in 1874, but in 1944 its name was changed to 
Coos Bay by a vote of the residents.  Years later, the cities of Empire and Eastside 
merged with Coos Bay, and today all exist as one city.  With a current population 
of 15,470, Coos Bay continues to be the commercial center of Oregon's south coast.

There has been a settlement on Coos Bay since 1853, when the town of Marshfield was 
founded there and named after the Massachusetts hometown of its founder, J. C. Tolman.
By 1866 the inhabitants, who were reliant on the sea for their income, had built the 
Cape Arago Light. The setting up of a post office in 1871 and the arrival of the 
Coos Bay Wagon Road in the town a year later, connected Coos County with the Umpqua 
River valley in neighbouring Douglas County, on the other side of the Coast Range 
of mountains. This wagon road, although long gone in its original form, is still 
partially in existence since the route of Oregon Route 42 roughly follows the original 
right of way.

1908 saw the first automobile to arrive in the town via the Coos Bay Wagon Road, where 
previously the inhabitants had relied on imports by ship or lesser trails. In 1916, the 
Southern Pacific Railroad to Eugene arrived in Marshfield. This enabled quick links 
for the first time with what was then the state's second largest city, and onwards to 
the rest of the west coast through the Southern Pacific Railroad's ever-expanding network.

In 1922 disaster struck Marshfield, when a fire in the business district burned down a 
large part of the immediate area. The 1934 West Coast longshore strike did not leave the 
town untouched. While violence of the scale seen in San Francisco between the unions and 
police was not witnessed in the Coos Bay area, its long-lasting effects did leave their 
mark on the local shipping industry.

By 1944 there was widespread discontent among the populace with the name of their town.
Rather than keeping the name of a town in far-away Massachusetts, the residents voted 
to change the name of the town to Coos Bay, which better suited the town, given its 
location on the Oregon coast.

Coos Bay, North Bend and Charleston are known as Oregon's Bay Area. With the largest 
natural harbor between Seattle and San Francisco, Coos Bay is a major shipping and 
manufacturing center. Until the recent lumber shortages, it was also the largest 
timber shipping port in the world. North Bend, along with Coos Bay, forms the largest 
urban area on the Oregon Coast. Travelers on U.S. 101 will see foreign vessels coming 
into the docks, massive wood chip piles for paper production and formerly bustling 
lumber mills. Charleston, nine miles west on Cape Arago Highway, is an old waterfront 
fishing village. It is also a premier sports fishing harbor, and one of the state's 
busiest commercial fishing ports.

Recreation is also a favorite pastime in the bay area. Three spectacular state parks 
offer many diversions to visitors. Sunset Bay State Park, located southwest of 
Charleston on the Cape Arago Highway, has a small, protected bay surrounded by 
picturesque cliffs. It is suitable for swimming, which is unusual for the Oregon 
coast. Divers, surfers and boaters also enjoy the warm bay waters. Year round 
camping is available, as well as hiking. Watching the sunset over the ocean from 
the cliff side trail, which connects the three parks, is a popular activity. The 
park is near one of the three golf courses in the Bay area.

Shore Acres State Park is the former grand estate of pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder 
Louis J. Simpson. Simpson built a luxurious summer home on a scenic bluff high above 
the Pacific Ocean, which was later destroyed by fire in 1921. Currently, the park's 
attractions include beautiful gardens featuring trees, shrubs and flowering plants 
from around the world. The garden features year round displays of scenic and floral 
beauty, in addition to the annual "Holiday Lights at Shore Acres" event in December. 
A fully enclosed observation building was constructed on the site of Simpson's home, 
offering magnificent views of towering waves, rugged cliffs and glimpses of migrating 
whales from December through June. 

Located on a 134 acre narrow coastal promontory jutting half a mile into the ocean, 
Cape Arago State Park offers wild vistas of the pounding sea, as well as of Oregon's 
sea stacks. Picnic tables are scattered about the bluffs, and hiking trails lead to 
numerous tide pools along the beach. This park is also a good place to view marine 
mammals such as seals, sea lions and whales.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Coos Head was commissioned on May 13, 1958. The facility 
was situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the entrance to Coos Bay, 
Oregon, the finest natural harbor between San Francisco and Seattle. Naval Facility 
Coos Head had an allowance of twelve officers, ninety-five enlisted and 15 civilians 
until 1987. Decommissioned after twenty nine years in a fully operational status, 
NAVFAC Coos Head was remoted to NOPF Whidbey Island on November 30, 1987. 

in the 1990s, Coos Bay, Oregon was also the site of the Coos Head Air National Guard 
Station, the home of the 104th Air Control Squadron, of the Oregon Air National Guard, 
and the U.S. Air Force Reserve. The station was closed in 1996, and the 43-acre Coos 
Head property has been abandoned ever since. Located near the Charleston headlands, 
known for its sweeping vistas of the Oregon coastline; the Coos Head base has been 
declared excess by the General Services Administration (GSA), and has has been a 
coveted parcel of land. The disposal of the property had been delayed, partly due 
to benzene that leaked from underground storage tanks owned by the military and 
contaminated the groundwater. The government has worked for several years to clean 
up the spill sites. The property was not cleared for disposal until 2006. 

Contenders for the Coos Head property include Coos County; the Confederated Tribes 
of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; and the Oregon Coastal Environments 
Awareness Network (OCEAN). Coos County has promoted the property as a good economic 
development tool, that could be used to build a resort area, with restaurants, a 
high-end hotel and beach front housing. The tribes said they plan to build a Native 
American Educational and Interpretive Center on the Coos Head property.

The Oregon Coastal Environments Awareness Network (OCEAN) organization has offered to 
help to develop the parcel of land. OCEAN's membership is a diverse group, and the board 
includes representatives from the Southwestern Oregon Community College, the U.S. Forest 
Service, the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, the Oregon Institute of Marine 
Biology, the South Slough National Estuarine Reserve and the U.S. Bureau of Land 
Management.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Coos Head, OR			13 May 1958	30 Nov 1987
   Remoted to NOPF Whidbey Island, WA
===================================================================================
Dam Neck, Virginia

Temporarily established in 1978 at NAVFAC Centerville, California, the mission of the 
Readiness Training Facility (RTF) was to develop and conduct functional and 
operational team training on advanced systems for officer and enlisted personnel 
assigned to the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS), and to manage the 
Navy’s Surveillance Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (SURTOPS) 
Program. Upon completion of modern schoolhouse facilities and a twelve-million dollar 
operational laboratory, the Navy officially established the permanent site of the 
Readiness Training Facility at Dam Neck, VA on February 14, 1985. Since establishment, 
over 2,000 students have passed through the RTF, including members of the Canadian 
Armed Forces. The RTF offered six formal courses of instruction, the Mobile Training 
Team (MTT), the Tactical Training Team (TTT) and the pinnacle in training environments, 
the Operational Training Laboratory (OTL). The RTF continued its vital role in the 
operational performance and tactical effectiveness of the IUSS until it was 
decommissioned on September 30, 1994.

Readiness Training Facility, Centerville Beach, CA	       1978	14 Feb 1985
   Moved to:
Readiness Training Facility, Dam Neck, VA		14 Feb 1985	30 Sep 1994
===================================================================================
Dam Neck, Virginia

Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) Dam Neck was commissioned in September, 1979, 
and is a tenant command of Fleet Combat Training Center, Atlantic (FCTCLANT). In the 
early days, NOPF Dam Neck was a very small facility with limited operational capability. 
NOPF Dam Neck was established as part of a major consolidation of the Western Atlantic 
arrays. Today, NOPF is one of only two IUSS facilities worldwide that processes, analyzes 
and reports fixed sensor and mobile sensor, or SURTASS, data. NOPF routinely conducts 
operations throughout the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean, North Atlantic, and Norwegian 
Sea. In 1984, NOPF Dam Neck received and installed its first SURTASS suite and USNS 
Stalwart became part of Task Group 84.0. Since that time, several T-AGOS vessels have 
come and gone through the Atlantic SURTASS compliment. 25 officers, 225 enlisted and 9 
civilian personnel currently comprise the facility.  

Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) 			   Sep 1979	Present
   Dam Neck, VA
===================================================================================
Eleuthera, Harbour Island, Bahamas, West Indies

Eleuthera is an island in the Bahamas, lying 50 miles east of Nassau. It is very long 
and thin, 110 miles long and in places little more than a mile wide. The population 
is 8,000 (2000 census). 

The original population of Taino, or Arawaks, was mostly deported by the Spanish to 
work in the mines of Hispaniola, where they died out by 1550. The island is believed 
to have been unoccupied until the first European settlers (puritan pilgrims) arrived 
in 1648 from Bermuda. These settlers, known as the 'Eleutherian Adventurers,' gave 
the island its current name -- "eleutheria" means 'freedom' in Greek, while Eleuthera 
means 'free.' Some people think that Chistopher Columbus may have come to Eleuthera 
before any other islands in the West Indies.

The principal settlements are Governor's Harbour (the administrative capital), Rock 
Sound, Tarpum Bay (the last remaining fishing village) Harbour Island with its unusual 
pink sandy beaches, and Spanish Wells. The island is particularly noted for the 
excellence of its pineapples and holds an annual Pineapple Festival in Gregory Town.

During World War II, on May 1, 1942, a U.S. Naval Base and U.S. Naval Auxiliary Air 
Facility, Great Exuma, Bahama Islands, were established. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Eleuthera, Bahamas was commissioned on September 1, 1957, 
with a compliment of 150 officers and enlisted men. Approximately twenty Pan-American 
Airway, RCA and Western Electric personnel and 45 Bahamian employees also supported 
the base. Eleuthera made history on June 30, 1970; it was the first facility to employ 
women in oceanographic research. As for recreation, Eleuthera is surrounded by warm, 
crystal clear water filled with fresh fish, making water sports a most popular 
pursuit. Other entertainment included golfing, spelunking, beach combing, nightly 
movies, and the "Carib Club". NAVFAC Eleuthera was decommissioned on March 31, 1980 
after 23 years of service.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Eleuthera, Bahamas		01 Sep 1957	31 Mar 1980
===================================================================================
Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii

Ford Island is located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It is connected to the 
main island by the Ford Island Bridge (Admiral Clarey Bridge), which was opened in 
1998. Before the bridge was built, Ford Island could only be reached by a ferry boat 
for cars and foot passengers, which ran at one hour intervals. Tourists were unable 
to visit the island without a military ID or being invited by a resident. Now, 
civilians are able to visit the USS Missouri museum there. The island houses several 
Naval facilities. It also has two main groups of military housing, Nob Hill and Luke 
Field (established in 1919). 

Ancient Hawaiians called the island Moku-umeume - the isle of attraction. It is 
named after Dr. Seth Ford, a Boston physician who practiced medicine at the Hawaiian 
Insane Asylum and the U.S. Marine Hospital from 1861-1866. When Ford died, the island 
was sold to the Honolulu Plantation. The U.S. Army purchased it during World War I 
for $236,000. It was transferred to the U.S. Navy in 1923. At the height of World 
War II more than 40,000 people lived and worked on the 450 acre island. The island 
was in the center of the Pearl Harbor Attack, because of the battleship moorings 
surrounding the island. Damage to structures on Ford Island during the Pearl Harbor 
attack was surprisingly minimal. A bomb landed (probably by mistake) in the courtyard 
of the medical building, and windows in some buildings were shattered by the force 
of explosions on ships.

The Naval Station was decommissioned in 1962. The island was declared a National 
Historic Landmark in 1964, and was listed in the National Register of Historic 
Places in 1976. Several motion pictures were filmed on Ford Island, including "In 
Harm's Way" starring John Wayne, "Tora Tora Tora", and the 2001 Michael Bay picture 
"Pearl Harbor". There is a monument to the USS Utah on the island. The Pacific Aviation 
Museum, which opened on December 7, 2006, is located on Ford Island. 

Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) Ford Island, HI was established on February 23, 
1980, with limited data collection commencing in September, 1981. The command was 
commissioned October 1, 1981 with eleven officers and 102 enlisted personnel. At its 
peak of operations, NOPF Ford Island was comprised of 28 officers, 283 enlisted 
personnel, two remote site detachments (Midway Island and Barbers Point) and six 
SURTASS ships, maintaining continuous watch of the Pacific Ocean. The command 
mission was fulfilled through the professional, coordinated and dedicated efforts 
of the operations analysts, maintenance technicians, communicators, supply and 
administrative support personnel stationed there, until its decommissioning on 
October 1, 1994.

Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) 			23 Feb 1980	01 Oct 1994
   Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, HI
   Commissioned						01 Oct 1981	01 Oct 1994
===================================================================================
Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii

The IUSS Operations Support Center (IOSC) Detachment, Pacific was established at Ford 
Island, Pearl Harbor, HI, was commissioned in 1984; and was co-located with (NOPF) 
Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, HI. IOSC Detachment Ford Island was decommissioned on 
October 1, 1994.

IUSS Operations Support Center (IOSC) 			       1984	01 Oct 1994
   Detachment, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, HI
===================================================================================
Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos Islands

Grand Turk Island is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is the largest 
island in the Turks Islands (not the Caicos), with 18 square kilometres. It contains 
the territory's capital, Cockburn Town. The island is the administrative, historic, 
cultural and financial center of the country, and has the second largest population 
of the islands at approximately 3,720 people.

The island was named after a species of indigenous cactus, which have a distinctive 
cap, reminiscient of a Turkish fez. Early visitors of note were Ponce De Leon 
(official discoverer of the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1512), possibly Christopher 
Columbus, and Lord Nelson, the famous British Admiral who battled the French as a 
young lieutenant. Worldwide attention was focused on Grand Turk in 1962 when Astronauts 
LtCol John Glenn and CDR Scott Carpenter were welcomed back to terra firma here on 
the island after completing their space flights in their Friendship 7 Mercury and 
Aurora space crafts. A replica of the Friendship 7 is on display in Grand Turk at 
the entrance to the Grand Turk Island airport. Since then Grand Turk has been visited 
by former President Lyndon Johnson and Queen Elizabeth on their respective tours of 
the Caribbean. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Grand Turk was commissioned on October 23, 1954; and was 
decommissioned on March 31, 1979.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Grand Turk,			23 Oct 1954	31 Mar 1979
   Turks and Caicos Islands
===================================================================================
Guam, Ritidian Point, Agana, Guam, Marianas Islands

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Guam, Marianas Islands, was commissioned on December 3, 1968. 
It was located at the base of a 500-foot cliff at the northern most point of Guam. 
This area, called Ritidian Point, is one of the most beautiful on the island. The 
Naval Facility was manned by ten officers, 100 enlisted personnel, and one civilian 
contractor. NAVFAC Guam’s outstanding performance, dedication and commitment throughout 
the years earned it the title "Best in the West." NAVFAC Guam was decommissioned on 
September 30. 1992. 

Ritidian Point is now part of the Guam National Wildlife Refuge, including a National
Park and the site of one of Guam's most pristine sandy beaches. The Guam National 
Wildlife Refuge was established in 1993, to protect and recover endangered and 
threatened species, and protect wildlife habitat. The refuge is composed of 771 
acres (371 acres of coral reefs and 400 acres of terrestrial habitat) owned by 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and 22,456 acres (mostly forest) owned by the 
Department of Defense in Air Force and Navy installations, that are classified as 
refuge overlay. The Ritidian Unit of the Guam Refuge was created from the facilities 
of the Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Guam, after it was decommissioned in 1992. The transfer 
included buildings as well as habitat.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Guam				03 Dec 1968	30 Sep 1992
===================================================================================
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

The Town of Halifax was founded by the British government on June 21, 1749, and placed
under the command of Governor Edward Cornwallis. The outpost was named in honour of 
George Montague-Dunk, the 2nd Earl of Halifax, who was the President of the British 
Board of Trade. 

The need for a permanent settlement and British military presence on the central 
Atlantic coast of peninsular Nova Scotia was recognized. British General Edward 
Cornwallis was dispatched by the Lords of Trade and Plantations to establish a city 
at Chebucto (Halifax Harbor), on behalf of and at the expense of the Crown. Cornwallis 
sailed in command of 13 transports, a sloop of war, 1,176 settlers and their families.
 
Halifax was ideal for a military base, as it has what is claimed to be the second 
largest natural harbour in the world and could be well protected with batteries at 
McNab's Island, the North West Arm, Point Pleasant, George's Island and York Redoubt. 
In its early years, Citadel Hill was used as a command and observation post, prior 
to changes in artillery, which could range out into the harbour.

The town proved its worth as a military base in the Seven Years War as a counter to 
the French fortress Louisbourg in Cape Breton. Halifax provided the base for the 
capture of Louisbourg in 1758 and operated as a major Naval base for the remainder 
of the war. The Sambro Island Lighthouse was constructed at the harbour entrance in 
1758. A permanent Naval Yard was established in 1759. For much of this period in the 
early 1700s, Nova Scotia was considered a frontier posting for the British military, 
given the proximity to the border with French territory and potential for conflict.

The local environment was also very inhospitable and many early settlers were ill
suited for the colony's virgin wilderness on the shores of Halifax Harbour. The 
original settlers, who were often discharged soldiers and sailors, left the colony 
for established cities such as New York and Boston or the lush plantations of the 
Virginias and Carolinas. However, the new city did attract New England merchants 
exploiting the nearby fisheries and English merchants such as Joshua Maugher who 
profitted greatly from both British miliary contracts and smuggling with the French 
at Louisbourg. The military threat to Nova Scotia was removed following British 
victory over France in the Seven Years War.

After a protracted struggle between residents and the Governor, the City of Halifax 
was incorporated in 1841. The City of Halifax (1841-1996) was the capital of the 
province of Nova Scotia, and the largest city in Atlantic Canada. Halifax was also 
the shire town of Halifax County. On April 1, 1996, the government of Nova Scotia 
dissolved the City of Halifax, and amalgamated the four municipalities within Halifax 
County and formed Halifax Regional Municipality, a single-tier regional government 
covering that whole area. Today the area of the former City of Halifax is now referred 
to as an unincorporated "provincial metropolitan area" and the area is considered  
"Halifax Nova Scotia" as a valid place name for civic addressing along with the 
other 208 communities that make up the Halifax Regional Municipality

The Canadian Forces IUSS Center (CFIC) Halifax, Nova Scotia was commissioned on 
October 1, 1994. The Center was a joint Canadian/U.S. Navy manned and operated facility, 
which replaced the IUSS capability located at NAVFAC Argentia. It was fully operational 
by May, 1995 and was responsible for providing information to both Canadian Commander, 
Maritime Forces Atlantic and Commander, Undersea Surveillance. CFIC Halifax (Trinity) 
responsibilities were transferred to Commander, Maritime Forces Atlantic in April 1999, 
through which Canada remains fully committed to supporting IUSS with P-3 aircraft and 
ASW assets in the Canadian arsenal. Canadian Forces "Ocean Op" personnel continue to 
serve with pride at NOPF Whidbey Island. 

   Remoted from NAVFAC Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada			30 Sep 1994
Canadian Forces IUSS Center (CFIC) Halifax, 		01 Oct 1994	   Apr 1999
   Nova Scotia, Canada
   Remoted to NOPF Whidbey Island, WA
===================================================================================
Keflavik, Iceland

U.S. Naval Facility Keflavik, a U.S. Navy SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System) station, 
was the oldest operating SOSUS site in the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System 
(IUSS). NAVFAC Keflavik was officially established in 1966, exactly one year after 
the decision was made to deploy SOSUS to the Norwegian Sea. SOSUS was the U.S. Navy's 
passive sonar Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) effort.

The facility's operational mission was to detect, track and report acoustic data in 
the Norwegian Sea. As a frontline deterrent, NAVFAC Keflavik played an integral role 
in forward deployed tactical anti-submarine warfare operations, giving real-time 
locating data to the Tactical Support Center coordinating the ships and aircraft 
prosecuting a submarine contact. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Keflavik, Iceland was commissioned on March 1, 1966 with a 
compliment of nine officers and sixty-nine enlisted personnel. At its peak of 
operations, the command grew to 15 officers and 163 enlisted personnel. The Naval 
Facility was located in the midst of a lava rock field and came to be known by many 
as the "Dark Side of the Moon"; particularly fitting in the winter months when 
darkness prevailed. Once off the base however, the island of Iceland was a 
sightseer's paradise, where numerous glaciers, hot springs, geysers, waterfalls, 
and natural formations abounded. Over the years, Naval Facility Keflavik earned a 
global reputation for outstanding professionalism and stellar conduct of its 
operational mission. U.S. Naval Security Group (NSG) personnel, stationed at NAVFAC 
Keflavik, provided communications support to the Navy and other Department of 
Defense and NATO elements. NAVFAC Keflavik was decommissioned on December 13, 1996, 
after over 30 years of continuous service. 

NAVFAC Keflavik, Iceland				01 Mar 1966	13 Dec 1996	
===================================================================================
Lewes, Delaware

Lewes is located in coastal Sussex County, Delaware. Often called Lewistown in olden 
days, Lewes has a frontage on the Delaware Bay, and an Atlantic oceanfront at Cape 
Henlopen. The history of the community commenced in 1631 with the ill-fated and short
lived commercial settlement of Swanendael by the Dutch. In 1682, William Penn chose 
Lewes as the name for the seat of the county that he simultaneously dubbed Sussex. 
In 1791, the county seat of Sussex was transferred to Georgetown, a new community 
established expressly for the purpose. An excellent source the the early history
of Lewes is located at: <http://www.lewestown.com/lewes_history/military.html>.

The Delaware Breakwater East End Lighthouse was completed in 1855, was automated in 
1950, and was purchased in 1997 by the State of Delaware, and placed on the National 
Register of Historic Places. The National Harbor of Refuge lighthouse, located at the 
outer breakwater off Cape Henlopen, was built in 1926 and automated in 1973. Currently 
maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, the lighthouse is visible from the Cape May-Lewes 
Ferry.

The earliest U.S. Navy presence in the Lewes area was during World War I. The 
Delaware Breakwater Quarantine Station, which was established in 1884, was located 
at Cape Henlopen, on the southeastern corner of the Delaware Bay. From 1917-1918, 
the U.S. Navy used the station as a Navy Patrol Base. A U.S. Naval Radio Station, with
a co-located Navy Direction Finding Station, was established at Cape Henlopen, from 
1917 to 1918. After WWI, the Navy abandoned the base. The facility was kept in a state 
of readiness until it was officially abandoned in 1926. The last of the station's 
buildings were removed in 1931. For a history of the Delaware Breakwater Quarantine 
Station, see the article at the following link: 
<http://www.lewestown.com/lewes_history/breakwater_quarantine.html>.

The Navy presence at Fort Miles dates back to 1941 when the Navy established a Harbor 
Entrance Control Post, during World War II. On August 8, 1941, the concealed 
fortification on Cape Henlopen that had been under construction for several months 
received its name. The Harbor Entrance Control Post for Bay and River Delaware was 
christened Fort Miles, in honor of the late Lieutenant General Nelson Appleton Miles 
(1839-1925) who was Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Army from 1895 until his retirement 
in 1903. Fort Miles, just outside the city of Lewes, DE; covered more than one thousand 
acres of dune land. Army engineers began surveying the sandy Cape Henlopen. Soon tents 
for soldiers began to spring up, as buildings for housing the men were hastily 
constructed. The encampment was also known as Camp Henlopen. Official government papers 
referred to the fort that was built beneath the dunes as the Cape Henlopen Military 
Reservation. 

Fort Miles continued as a U.S. Army post after WWII, was U.S. Army recreation center
from 1945, and was quite active as a training post during the Korean War in 1950. It 
was then used to support anti-aircraft gun firing units and for reserve component 
training. In 1958, the Army decided to close Fort Miles. The Army retained 190 acres of 
land, which comprised the Fort Miles U.S. Army Recreation Center, which remained active 
until 1962. The Army officially transferred 593 acres to the Department of the Navy for 
a Naval Oceanographic Research Station on February 13, 1961. In 1961, the Navy took 
control of the batteries and bunkers, for use as a Naval Radio Station, active from 
1962 to 1976. The Naval Oceanographic Research Station was the covername for the 
Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) station, commissioned as NAVFAC Lewes.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Cape May, New Jersey, was commissioned on August 15, 1955; 
and was destroyed during the Ash Wednesday Storm of March, 1962. All of the Naval 
Facility equipment was shipped by LST, 12 miles across the Delaware Bay to Lewes, 
Delaware; and reactivated on the site of Fort Miles, Delaware. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Lewes was commissioned on May 1, 1962, following the 
deactivation of Naval Facility Cape May. The Lewes base was built with an initial 
appropriation of $1.4 million. Under the U.S./Canada Personnel Exchange Program 
(PEP), which began in July, 1972, Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), and later Canadian 
Forces personnel, were stationed at NAVFAC Lewes. In September, 1977, LCDR Peggy 
Frederick took charge as the first woman to assume command of an IUSS Naval Facility. 
During its heyday, the Lewes base was staffed by as many as eight officers, 125 
enlisted personnel, and from three to 16 civilians. SOSUS operated out of a terminal 
building at Herring Point from 1962 to 1981, when the base closed. Part of the cable 
still remains, as does the foundation of the Herring Point communications facility. 
NAVFAC Lewes was decommissioned on September 30, 1981, after 26 years of service. 

In 1964, The U.S. Department of Defense declared 543 acres at Cape Henlopen as 
surplus property and the State of Delaware established Cape Henlopen State Park.

Cape Henlopen State Park is a 5,193 acre Delaware state park on Cape Henlopen in 
Sussex County. Cape Henlopen State Park has a 24-hour and year-round fishing pier as 
well as campgrounds. The remainder of the park is only open from sunrise to sunset, 
and includes a bathhouse on the Atlantic Ocean, an area for surf-fishing, a disc golf 
course, and bicycle and walking paths. The beach at Herring Point is a popular 
surfing spot.

Today, Cape Henlopen State Park today is spread over the sands and along the 
seashore of the former Fort Miles. Today, tents shelter campers, not soldiers. The 
pier that accommodated the laying of mines on the harbor floor is used by local 
fishermen. Of the observation towers dotting the coastline, enduring World War II 
relics, one has been fashioned as a visitor attraction. The tower, rising 70 feet 
skyward, allows those who climb the 115 steps of the spiral metal staircase, to 
view the peaceful domain that formerly was Fort Miles (1941-1962); and the former 
U.S. Naval Facility Lewes (1962-1981).

On April 5, 2005, the State of Delaware acknowledged the pivotal role that Lewes 
played in defending Delaware River and the Bay from the British Navy. One hundred 
ninety years ago, the sleepy coastal town of Lewes was bombarded by a squadron of 
the Royal Navy, for refusing the British request for provisions. The ceremony was 
held at the War of 1812 Park, Front Street in Lewes. Two markers were dedicated, 
one at the War of 1812 Park, site of the main fort at Lewes during the conflict, 
and one at the Cannonball House, so named because it suffered damage during the 
bombardment. A cannonball still remains in the house's foundation as a memorial. 

On July 28, 2007, the former NAVFAC Lewes Administrative Building was dedicated 
as a Delaware State Historical Site. A plaque bearing the seal of the former NAVFAC 
Lewes was unveiled and christened during a short ceremony. The site and the remains 
of some of the support facilities are slowly being restored, and their locations 
are marked prominently with plaques noting their purpose and significance during 
NAVFAC Lewes’s period of operation. Leading this effort is CAPT William Manthorpe, 
USN (Retired); of Rehoboth Beach, a member of the Fort Miles Historical Association. 
A veteran of IUSS, SOSUS, and a resident of the Delaware Coast, CAPT Manthorpe, 
along with the local IUSS Alumni, have enthusiastically pursued preserving what’s 
left of NAVFAC Lewes as an important piece of SOSUS history. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Cape May, NJ			15 Aug 1955	01 May 1962
   Moved to:
Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Lewes, DE			01 May 1962	30 Sep 1981
===================================================================================
Midway Islands, Midway Atoll, Hawaiian Archipelago

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Midway was commissioned on January 13, 1969. It was located 
in the Pacific Ocean, 3000 miles west of San Francisco. Midway Atoll is made up of 
two main islands surrounded by white, sandy beaches and a calm lagoon. The island 
is halfway across the Pacific with the international dateline only 140 miles to the 
west. Midway Island is best known for the famous Battle of Midway in 1942, which was 
the turning point of World War II in the Pacific. The atoll is volcanic in nature 
with a land area of about 5 square miles. No native population existed on Midway, 
and the 2,500 residents consisted of U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Civil Service 
personnel and dependents. In 1908, Midway was annexed to the United States. NAVFAC 
Midway was decommissioned on September 30, 1983, after twenty-four years of service. 
Acoustic data was initially remoted to NAVFAC Barbers Point, HI. NAVFAC Midway Island 
acoustic data was re-routed from NAVFAC Barbers Point, HI to NOPF Ford Island, HI 
later in 1983.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Midway Islands			13 Jan 1969	30 Sep 1983
   Remoted to NAVFAC Barbers Point, HI			30 Sep 1983
   Remoted to NOPF Ford Island, HI			       1983
===================================================================================
Nantucket, Tom Nevers Field, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts

Nantucket is an island 30 miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Together with the 
small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, 
Massachusetts. The region of Surfside on Nantucket is the southernmost settlement in 
Massachusetts. Siasconset, referred to as "Sconset", is the closest point in the U.S. 
to Portugal and Spain. The island, fifteen miles long and four miles wide, is 
surrounded by eighty eight miles of sandy beaches. The Gulf Stream and encircling 
ocean modify the climate, producing warmer winters and cooler summers. The mild 
weather, combined with quaintness and charm, makes the island a tourist destination 
and summer colony, with a summer population of 30,000. The National Park Service has 
designated the entire island as a National Historic District, paying particular note 
to the settlements of Nantucket and Siasconset. The island features one of the highest 
concentration of pre-Civil War structures in the U.S.

Also nicknamed "The Grey Lady", Nantucket takes its name from a word in an Eastern 
Algonquian language of southern New England, originally spelled variously as natocke, 
nantican, and nautican. The meaning of the term is uncertain, though it probably meant 
"in the midst of waters".

The island's beginnings in western history can possibly be traced to its conjectured 
sighting by Norsemen in the 11th century. But it was not until 1602 that Captain 
Bartholomew Gosnold of Falmouth, England sailed his bark Concord past the bluffs of 
Siasconet and really put Nantucket on the map. The island's original inhabitants, the 
Wampanoag Indians, lived undisturbed until 1641 when the island was deeded by the 
English (the authorities in control of all land from the coast of Maine to New York) 
to Thomas Mayhew and his son, merchants of Watertown and Martha's Vineyard. Nantucket 
was part of Dukes County, New York until 1691, when it was transferred to the newly 
formed Province of Massachusetts Bay and split off to form Nantucket County. The 
entire area of the New York county had been purchased by Thomas Mayhew Sr. of 
Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1641, buying out competing land claims. The earliest 
English settlement in the area began on neighboring island Martha's Vineyard.

As Europeans began to settle Cape Cod, the island became a place of refuge for regional 
Indians, as Nantucket was not yet settled by Europeans. The growing population of Native 
Americans welcomed seasonal groups of Indians who traveled to the island to fish and 
later harvest whales that washed up on shore. The history of Nantucket's settlement 
by the English did not began in earnest until 1659, when Thomas Mayhew sold his 
interest to the "nine original porchasers": Tristram Coffin, Thomas Macy, Christopher 
Hussey, Richard Swayne, Thomas Bernard, Peter Coffin, Stephen Greenleafe, John Swayne 
and William Pike; for the sum of thirty Pounds, and two beaver hats, one for Thomas 
Mayhew, and one for his wife. Their purpose was to raise sheep as well as to find 
refuge from the religiously intolerant Puritans. 

Nantucket was formerly the world's leading whaling port, and still serves as home port 
for a small fishing industry. In 1672, looking for an additional source of revenue, 
the islanders recruited whaling men to settle on the island and teach islanders how 
to capture whales and obtain the oil. Whales were abundant at the time and could be 
captured close to shore. Eventually, though, aggressive hunting of the whales 
diminished their coastal population and whalers had to venture further out to sea to 
find them. by 1700, the island population consisted of approximately 800 Native 
Americans and 300 European settlers.

Although the great fleet of whaling vessels was almost destroyed during the Revolutionary 
War and again during the War of 1812, Nantucket rebounded from adversity. From 1800-1840, 
Nantucket was the "Whaling Capital of the World" and was the third largest city in 
Massachusetts. By the Civil War, whaling was in decline and the island suffered great 
economic hardships. Not only had the whales been overhunted, but petroleum and other fuels 
replaced whale oil. The hardships were worsened by the 1846 "Great Fire" that, fueled by 
whale oil and lumber, devastated the main town, burning some 36 acres. It left hundreds 
homeless and poverty stricken, and many people left. 

As a result, after 1850, the economy declined, the population decreased rapidly and 
Nantucket was left under-developed and once again isolated; until the mid-20th century. 
But in true Nantucket fashion, the islanders turned this adversity to their advantage. 
This very isolation preserved the charm and beauty of Nantucket, and kept many of the 
pre-Civil War buildings intact. Enterprising developers began buying up large sections 
of the island and restoring them, to create an upmarket destination for the wealthy in 
the Northeastern U.S. By the 1950s, tourists eventually discovered "The Far Away Island". 
Nantucket has more buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places than 
any other place in Massachusetts and more than 800 houses are still standing that were 
built before the Civil War.

The cobblestones that pave many Nantucket streets were originally used as ballast on the 
empty returning ships that delivered whale oil to England and the Pacific. The pineapple, 
a symbol of welcome and hospitality, also dates back to whaling days when sea captains 
brought this tropical fruit home to Nantucket and displayed it to announce that they had 
returned and guests were welcome.

In the 1960s, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard considered seceding from the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1977, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard actually 
attempted (unsuccessfully) to secede from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 
The secession vote was sparked by a proposed change to the Massachusetts 
Constitution, which reduced the islands' representation in the Massachusetts 
General Court.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Nantucket was commissioned on August 1, 1955 and was located 
at Tom Nevers Field, the southernmost tip of the island, approximately twelve miles 
from the town of Nantucket, MA. The NAVFAC operated for 21 years and was decommissioned 
on June 30, 1976. 

What is today known as the Kennedy Bunker is what's left of the former Navy Base at 
Tom Nevers Field. From the outside, the bunker is a mound, covered by grass and brush. 
It became town property after the Navy left Nantucket in 1976 and the town subsequently 
bought the base's roughly 40 acres of land for $525,000 in 1980. The bunker was built 
in June, 1962, specifically for President John F. Kennedy, as a hardened facility to
protect the President, while he vacationed at his family compound on Cape Cod. Planners 
looked for a secure facility that would not be a primary target and was only minutes 
away by helicopter. They found it at the small Naval facility, twenty-five miles 
offshore, on the island of Nantucket. 

The Nantucket Parks and Recreation Department oversees the grounds of the former Navy 
Base, and has jurisdiction over the Kennedy Bunker, and leases it to the Nantucket 
Hunting Association; who currently maintains the historic bunker. What's left of the 
Navy base is today enjoyed by islanders for recreational purposes. The demolition 
derby is an anticipated annual event, as is the county fair; and the softball and 
baseball diamonds are used most nights in the summer. The Navy's other buildings have 
gone over the years, victims of either neglect or erosion, but the Kennedy Bunker 
remains. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Nantucket, MA			01 Aug 1955	30 Jun 1976
==================================================================================
Norfolk, Virginia

The IUSS Operations Support Center (IOSC), located on Naval Amphibious Base, Little 
Creek in Norfolk VA, is responsible for all aspects of logistic and technical life 
support for world-wide IUSS in-service assets, including eleven SURTASS ships, three 
IUSS Fixed Sites. The IOSC provides array support to all Navy combatant ships.
 
Additionally, the IOSC acts as the In-Service Engineering Agent (ISEA) for the IUSS 
program. As ISEA, the IOSC manages and directs the support of contractors world-wide, 
acts as the liaison to field activities and laboratories, and provides configuration 
management, engineering change, technical documentation, preventative maintenance, 
RM & A, and Planning and Engineering for Repairs and Alterations (PERA) support. 
Resident Navy commands within IOSC include, SPAWAR Systems Center (SSCC), Charleston, 
SC; Navy Array Technical Support Center (NATSC), and Military Sealift Command (MSC). 
There are also a variety of ontractor companies working at the IOSC. 

IUSS Operations Support Center (IOSC)			       1984	Present
   NAB Little Creek, Norfolk VA
==================================================================================
Pacific Beach, Washington

Pacific Beach, a city located in western Washington State near the Pacific Ocean, 
is still a small beach community with a population of less than 500 people. 

Annually, thousands of tourists enjoy Pacific Beach State Park, which is a 10-acre 
camping park with 2,300 feet of ocean shoreline with brisky fresh air, salty mist 
and incredible views. Pacific Beach, combined with its close neighbor to the north, 
Moclips, is referred to by the North Beach Business Association as "Washington's 
best kept secret." The most obvious draw to the region is the almost two miles of 
flat, wide-open Pacific Coast beach that stretches between the two towns 30 miles 
northwest of Hoquiam. Both are on state Route 109 between Ocean Shores and Taholah.

The history of the North Beach is a long story of hospitality to strangers. The 
whole area served as common ground for many Northwest Indian tribes, long before the 
advent of the white man. Certain tribes such as the Quinault, Queets, Copalis, and 
Humptulips, now a part of the Confederate Tribes of the Quinault Indian Nation, 
held permanent camps in the area. They were hosts in their own camps and hosts in 
the land around, to the Hoquiams, Satsops, Lower Chehalis, Shoalwater, Quilieutes, 
and Chinook Indian bands, who held seasonal homes in the North Beach area.

As the white man arrived, in the form of the Russian Fur Company, Hudson Bay Company 
and the American Fur Company; the Native Americans played host, and helped build the 
white man's fur trade industry, into their long established and vast trading system. 
Travel was also a part of the Quinault peoples' lives. Fur routes for the coastal 
canoe nations were more extensive than where the rivers carried them. The Quinault 
people were also part of the vast pre-white era trading enterprise that stretched 
from above the Canadian border into Mexico.

Following the fur traders and otter hunters, the homesteaders, drawn by various 
Homestead Acts, made their way from Bakers Bay on the Columbia River and from the 
end of the Oregon Trail, on up the Cowlitz area to the North Beaches. Had it not 
been for the friendliness, and the river and survival skills of the Native American 
people, many of the homesteaders would never have survived. Since the early settlers 
were busy putting in crops, burning down trees, and just trying to survive, the 
Native Americans served as their bankers, their postal service, and suppliers, 
running needed supplies from the Olympia and Astoria area to the North Beach.

While dairy farming flourished in the areas of Humptulips and Newton, well into the 
1950's, the majority of the farming homesteaders sold out to the timber companies, 
who sought to fill in the checkerboarded land they had purchased from the railroad 
companies. Those who continued to live on the beach went to work in the woods. 
Logging began in the early 1880's on the North Beach with the use of oxen. The 
largest timber company to call the area home was the Pennell-Carlisle Timber 
Company at Carlisle; now defunct, with hardly a trace of its previous existence. 
The company cut so much cedar out of the North Beach, that Joe Creek ran red into 
the sea. Originally, Pacific Beach was called Joe Creek.

Aloha Mill and Shake Company employed hundreds of North Beach residents over the 
years of its existence. Both communities boasted rail stations, theaters, dance 
halls, pool halls, schools, everything each needed to be a totally self-sufficient 
town. Copalis Logging Company, at Copalis Crossing, was never the innovator of 
world wide changes in the industry like Aloha, but it did logging like no one else 
had ever done. Aloha and M.R. Smith Shake and Shingle Company at Moclips were both 
known all over the U.S. for the quality of their products. The James Jackson Mill 
at Moclips also supplied livelihoods for many families.

The woods industry was often shut down for such things as big blows, hoot-owl 
(fire season) or supply problems. This provided the impetus for canneries. The 
largest number of canneries were located at Copalis Beach. Ocean City, Pacific 
Beach, Moclips, and Taholah canning labels for razor clams were familiar, certainly 
all over the Northwest and many were known throughout the U.S.

Besides its early manifestation as a sawmill town, Pacific Beach has always been a 
resort destination of sorts, ever since a man named Henry J. Blodget first settled 
that part of the coast in 1863. Henry Blodgett, a trapper and hunter, homesteaded 
160 acres and eventually gave part of his land to his hunter friend P. H. Roundtree, 
with the stipulation that Roundtree build a $500 home. Roundtree built an $800 house, 
which later became the site of the Pacific Beach Hotel. 

In 1902, the Northern Pacific Railway got the right of way to Pacific Beach from 
the Aberdeen-Hoquiam area. The town of Pacific Beach eventually was plotted, as 
the population surged with the advent of the railroad. The rutted and mostly wood 
plank roads in those days were practically impassable. The beach soon became a 
popular destination for Sunday train excursions by folks from Aberdeen and Hoquiam, 
even from as far away as Seattle. 

In 1903, P. H. Roundtree began plotting the town and decided on the Pacific Beach 
name. Other names considered were Bluffton, Illahee Beach, Roundtree and Ocean View. 
In the early 1900's, a hotel known as the Quinault Inn was built on the bluff in 
Pacific Beach. Early photographs indicate this may have been the beginning of the 
Pacific Beach Hotel. In 1906, the Pacific Beach Hotel opened and prospered as a 
resort destination. Carl Cooper was the proprietor of the Pacific Beach Hotel and 
once owned the Breakers Pavilion in Moclips. Later, Cooper owned the Motor Village 
and a ranch style "resort" near Copalis Crossing. At the Pacific Beach Hotel, over 
the years, several wings were added to the original building. Electricity and hot 
water were eventually included. 

The U.S. Navy has been part of the local area since moving into the Pacific Beach 
Hotel during WWII, and turning the hotel into a regional headquarters and Officers 
quarters. Anti-aircraft and gunnery recruits trained here and sharpened their aim 
by blasting targets pulled by Navy planes out of Westport. After WWII, the facility 
was offered to the local community for $1, but because the community was not 
incorporated, the sale was not legally possible, and the base sat idle until 1950. 
In the early 1950's, the Navy demolished the building, that was at one time, the 
Pacific Beach Hotel.

Flat and unprotected from Pacific storms, Pacific Beach and Moclips are about as 
close to the ocean beach as any town in Washington. Geographically, Moclips might 
even be considered actually on the beach. Besides being ravaged by several major 
fires early on, Moclips has been decimated by fierce storms over the years, 
especially a big one that blew through in 1911.

Pacific Beach and Moclips, became popular vacation and day-trip destinations. 
Razor clams were plentiful, surf fishing was productive and picnicking on the 
beach was popular. In 1913, it was not uncommon for more than 5,000 people to 
day-trip by train to Pacific Beach and Moclips. Of course, clam digging meant 
tourists. The first well-known tourist facilities such as the 285 room Moclips 
Hotel were brought in by the Railroads, who had the money to promote rail travel, 
and the desire to provide lines into timber rich areas. Other turn-of-the-century 
hotels were located at Pacific Beach, Copalis and the train stop inn at Gray Gables 
on the way to the North Beaches. Another tourist attraction was the spa at Iron 
Springs.

Two of the first tourist cabin parks were McIntyre's at Copalis and the Anderson 
Cabins at Ocean City. Literally hundreds of cabins were built on the North Beach.
During the 1950's, the upswing in tourism along the North Beach spurred the 
development of Ocean Shores as a resort area that experienced many boom and bust 
cycles, before settling down into a more steady growth. The Quinault Indian 
Nation built a casino on the southern end of the North Beach area, developing 
a working marina and planning for additions to the hospitality industry at Ocean 
Shores.

>From the early 1950's, to 1955, the U.S. Air Force operated the Pacific Beach 
base as a radar station. In 1957, after two more years of idleness, Naval 
Facility Engineering Command engineers arrived and began redeveloping the base. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Pacific Beach, Washington was commissioned as a shore 
activity on May 14, 1958. The Commanding Officer’s house was built on the site of 
the once-famous Pacific Beach Hotel, the Northwest’s most romantic Honeymoon 
Hotel in the early 1900s. NAVFAC Pacific Beach had an allowance of 12 officers, 
115 enlisted and 15 civilians. After twenty-nine years in a fully operational 
status, NAVFAC Pacific Beach was remoted to NOPF Whidbey Island and decommissioned 
on September 1, 1987. 

In late 1987, the unoccupied facilities at Pacific Beach were developed into a 
Morale, Welfare, Recreation (MWR) and Education Support Center, Resort and 
Conference Center. The lodging part of the resort is open to active duty, retired 
and reservist military personnel, as well as all Department of Defense and federal 
employees. Authorized users can sponsor family members and friends. The Windjammer 
Restaurant and bar, gift shop and bowling alley are open to the public. Vintage 
1950's guest cottages are named after U.S. presidents.

NAVFAC Pacific Beach, WA				14 May 1958	01 Sep 1987
   Remoted to NOPF Whidbey Island, WA
===================================================================================
Point Sur, Big Sur, California

Big Sur is located along Highway One approximately 150 miles south of San Francisco 
and 300 miles north of Los Angeles. Historically, the name Big Sur, was derived 
from that unexplored and unmapped wilderness area which lays along the coast south 
of Monterey. It was simply called El Sur Grande, The Big South. Today, Big Sur 
refers to that 90-mile stretch of rugged and awesomely beautiful coastline between 
Carmel to the north and San Simeon to the south. Highway One winds along its length 
and is flanked on one side by the majestic Santa Lucia Mountains and on the other 
by the rocky Pacific Coast.

Although there were two Mexican land grants awarded in the 1830's, which included 
most of the area north of the Big Sur Valley, neither grantee settled on the land. 
A few years after the American occupation, in 1853, California settlers were offered 
unappropriated public lands, in 160-acre parcels, for occupying and improving the 
land.

It was little more than a century ago, when the first permanent settlers arrived in 
Big Sur. In the following decades, other hardy persons followed and staked out their 
homesteads. Many of the place names seen by the modern visitor to Big Sur are the 
historic family names of people who became landowners in this fashion, by what was 
called preemption. The landmarks bear the names of many of those early settlers; Mt. 
Manuel, Pfeiffer Ridge, Post Summit, Cooper Point, Dani Ridge, Partington Cove and 
others. These people were among the first to struggle with the extremely difficult 
conditions encountered by early settlers. Some of their descendants still live in 
Big Sur. Grizzly bears and mountain lions were ever ready to snack on their live-
stock, the cycle of summer droughts and winter rains was poorly understood at first 
and many crops were lost, and outside supplies were almost unknown. At the turn of 
the century, Big Sur had a larger population than it does today. A vigorous redwood 
lumbering industry provided livelihoods for many. The Old Coast Trail, which had 
been the only link between homesteads, was still little more than a wagon trail. 
Steamers transported heavy goods and supplies and harbored at Notley's Landing, 
Partington Cove, and the mouth of the Little Sur River.

Navigation was treacherous, and in 1889, the Point Sur Lighthouse Station began 
sending its powerful beam to protect ships from the hazards of the coastline.

Point Sur, just south of Monterey, is a large volcanic rock jutting from the Pacific
Ocean. The point is over 360 feet above sea level, and was originally only 10-12 
feet wide at the top. As is the case with many of the California lighthouses, 
construction was difficult. Part of the top was blasted off the rock to allow for 
building construction. Five hundred feet of railway track and a corduroy road (a 
road composed of wooden planks) were built to transport granite and materials to,
and up onto the rock. A 395-step staircase was originally the only access by foot. 

The Point Sur Lighthouse site was carved out of solid volcanic rock, and is located 
at Moro Rock, near Big Sur, California. Point Sur is the only complete turn-of-the-
century lightstation open to the public in California, and is on the National Register 
of Historic Places. The lightstation is part of Point Sur State Historic Park. 

Point Sur began to have significant amounts of offshore traffic beginning in 1849, 
the time of the California Gold Rush. This caused an increased number of shipwrecks 
in that area. Throughout its history, Point Sur has been a navigational hazard, to 
which many shipwrecked captains can attest. In the 1880s, lighthouses and lightships 
provided invaluable warnings to the many ships that traveled close to shore, 
especially during rough weather, when protruding headlands could provide them with 
much-needed shelter. It took mariners 11 years of petitioning the U.S. Lighthouse 
Service Board before $100,000.00 was allocated for Point Sur in 1886. Three years 
later, on August 1, 1889, the lightstation keys were turned over to the first 
keeper. He and three assistants staffed the lighthouse and fog signal 24 hours a day.  

The four keepers and their families lived an isolated life. The trail to Monterey was 
long and often treacherous, so trips were rare. The U.S. Lighthouse Service provided a 
horse and wagon to get mail and supplies from Pfeiffer's Resort (now Pfeiffer Big Sur 
State Park). Each family was allotted a garden area for fresh vegetables. Bulk supplies 
such as coal, firewood, animal feed, and some food came on a 'lighthouse tender' about 
every four months. One function of these long, broad ships was to service remote 
lightstations inaccessible by land. The tender would anchor south of the lightstation 
and send in a 20-foot whaler towing a skiff, both loaded with supplies. The sacks and 
barrels were hoisted in cargo nets to a platform at the base of the rock. They were 
then secured to a flat railcar and winched up to the dwelling area using a steam-driven 
donkey engine. Like most remote lightstations, Point Sur was very self-sufficient. As 
the years passed, life became increasingly less isolated at Point Sur, especially 
following the completion of Highway One in 1937. Two years later, the U.S. Coast Guard 
assumed responsibility for all aids-to-navigation. Lighthouse Service employees were 
absorbed into the new program, and allowed to become either members of the U.S. Coast 
Guard or remain civil service employees. 

In the 1960s, the U.S. Coast Guard began automating lightstations in an effort to make 
more efficient use of their personnel. The lighthouse was automated in 1972. In 1974, 
the last keeper left Point Sur, and a U.S. Coast Guard crew serviced the lighthouse 
regularly. In 1984, the Light Station (except the lighthouse) was transferred to the 
California Department of Parks and Recreation. In 2004, the Point Sur Lighthouse was 
officially transferred from the Coast Guard to the California State Parks. 

On February 12, 1935, the 785-foot U.S. Navy Dirigible Macon crashed into the Pacific 
Ocean off Point Sur. Two of the crew of 83 died in the disaster, which signaled the 
end of the era for Navy airships. The wreckage was not located until 1990, when divers 
from the U.S. Navy and Monterey Bay Aquarium photographed the wreckage. 

In 1937, the present Highway One was completed, after eighteen years of construction 
at a considerable expense, even with the aid of convict labor. The highway has since 
been declared California's first Scenic Highway. Electricity did not arrive in Big 
Sur until the early 1950's, and it still does not extend the length of the coast or 
into the more remote mountainous areas. The proximity of the Pacific Ocean provides 
for a temperate climate. 

The scenic qualities and the natural grandeur of the coast which result from the 
imposing geography, the rich vegetative compositions, and the dramatic meetings of 
land and sea are the area's greatest single attraction to the public. Big Sur has 
attained a worldwide reputation for its spectacular beauty. Hiking, backpacking and 
scenic driving are major recreational activities.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Point Sur, CA was commissioned on January 8, 1958; and was 
located 25 miles south of Monterey, California along scenic Highway 1; and 1/4 mile 
north of the Lighthouse Station at Point Sur. During its 26 years of operation, 
NAVFAC Point Sur provided continuous support to Undersea Surveillance. The facility 
was manned by ten officers, 96 enlisted and 18 civilians. NAVFAC Point Sur was 
decommissioned on October 1, 1984, upon remoting to NAVFAC Centerville Beach. 

The former Naval Facility (except for one building retained by the U.S. Navy), was 
transferred to California Department of Parks and Recreation in 2000. It is now the
Point Sur State Historic Park. The Dept of State Parks occupies some of the former
NAVFAC housing units.

Just a few yards from the Point Sur shoreline sits a group of dilapidated buildings. 
An empty guard shack keeps ghostly watch over broken windows and rusted gates. However, 
for a handful of scientists in Monterey, it might as well be paradise. As recently as 
October, 2007; a group of scientists from the Naval Postgraduate School, in Monterey 
have been lobbying Navy brass and members of Congress, to turn what was formerly the 
Point Sur Naval Facility, into a research lab. At the height of the Cold War, the 
former secret Naval Facility at Point Sur had one main purpose -- keeping track of 
Soviet submarines at sea. During World War II, researchers discovered that in deep 
water, sounds carried for hundreds, even thousands of miles. The SOSUS cable and 
hydrophones are still there, but they haven't worked in five years. So, the Monterey
oceanographers from the Naval Postgraduate School are trying to convince the Navy 
that repairing the SOSUS cable, and replacing the buildings with new labs, could be 
done in two years, and cost less than ten million dollars. 

Why reactivate the cable? The scientists at the Naval Postgraduate school insist that 
future commanders who train there, are going to be on Navy ships, making decisions 
about combat situations; and are going to be using active and passive sonar to make 
those decisions. Knowledge of the ocean environment and acoustics could be essential.
In addition, geologists could listen to, and research underwater earthquakes and 
volcanic eruptions. Marine biologists could listen to whales and other sea mammals 
as they migrate, and determine environmental conditions in their habitat. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Point Sur, CA			08 Jan 1958	01 Oct 1984
   Remoted to NAVFAC Centerville Beach, CA
===================================================================================
Ramey, Ramey AFB, Punta Borinquen, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

The former Ramey AFB, and now the Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is located on 
the Punta Borinquen site, at the Rafael Hernandez Airport, on the northwest tip of 
Puerto Rico. The closest city is Aguadilla, just 10 minutes to the south. 

The earliest structure, the Point Borinquen lighthouse, was built in 1889. The current
lighthouse is located on the Coast Guard Base at Aquadilla. This lighthouse was built 
in 1920, after the first Point Borinquen Lighthouse was demolished by a tsunami in 1918. 
The ruins of the 1889 lighthouse are near the station. The lighthouse was automated in 
1976. The keepers house is now two apartments, which are rented out as vacation quarters 
for military personnel. In addition, rooms in the 16 guest cottages of The Villas Punta 
Borinquen vacation quarters are located nearby, at the Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen; 
and are also available as vacation quarters for Coast Guard personnel and their families.

In 1939 the site for a major new Air Force Base was selected at Punta Borinquen. 
This site was located the northwest corner of the island, 212 feet above sea level. 
It was some 60 miles west of San Juan and six miles north of Aguadilla, the nearest 
settlement. The Punta Borinquen lighthouse was on the site. Some 3,796 acres covered 
by sugar cane, had been purchased at a cost of $1,215,000. 

By mid-September, 1939, the first troops arriving at what quickly became known as 
"the cane patch", were personnel of the 1st platoon, Company B, 65th Infantry. These 
Puerto Rican troops had been dispatched from Henry Barracks in Cayey. They pitched 
their tents on what was later to become Aircraft Hangar #5. Several weeks later, 
the remainder of Company B arrived at the site, and by 15 October, construction work 
had begun on administrative buildings, housing and a hospital. Designated Borinquen 
Army Air Field, Major Karl S. Axtater assumed command on November 2, 1939. 

In mid-November, the very first Air Corps unit to be stationed at Army Air Borinquen 
Field, the 27th Reconnaissance Squadron, arrived at the field. The six officers and 
160 enlisted men had departed Langley Field, VA., on November 17, 1939.

In January, 1948, Borinquen Army Air Field was renamed Ramey Air Force Base, in honor 
of Brigadier General Howard K. Ramey (1896-1943), who was killed in the South Pacific 
on a reconnaissance mission during World War II. An excellent and extremely detailed 
history of Ramey AFB can be found at <http://www.rameyafb.org/history.html>.

The birth of the Oceanographic System began in 1953 as construction of Naval Facility 
(NAVFAC) Ramey commenced. It was built below the cliff of the former Borinquen Army 
Air Field, built in 1939 (renamed Ramey AFB in 1948), on the northwest corner of the 
island. On October 23, 1954, the first Commanding Officer, LCDR D. E. McGuire, USN, 
arrived and took command. On February 28, 1955, NAVFAC Ramey AFB, PR (designated 
Station Charlie) became the first operational NAVFAC. 

Ramey Air Force Base was an important Strategic Air Command installation in Puerto 
Rico during the early Cold War, hosting the 72d Bombardment Wing. The 60th Bomb 
Squadron, while assigned to the 72nd Bomb Wing, operated B-52's out of Ramey from 
August, 1959 to June, 1971; when B-52 operations ceased at Ramey.

U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is a direct descendant of Coast Guard Air 
Station San Juan, which was located on the Isla Grande Naval Station. The Coast 
Guard Air Station relocated from San Juan to Punta Borinquen in November, 1971; to 
what was then part of Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, and became known as Coast 
Guard Air Station Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard took possession of an outstanding 
hangar with adjacent support facilities. In 1974, the Air Force discontinued its 
operation at Ramey turning the facilities over to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 
and the U.S. Navy. 

Throughout 1972, Ramey AFB deactivated and the various units readied for closure. 
Some groups transferred out intact, while others gradually were phased out. The Air 
Force controlled the base until early 1974, when all remaining active units were 
dissolved. The Base had been formally closed in 1973. The main installation of Ramey 
AFB consisted of 3,139.55 acres. In February, 1974, the bulk of Ramey AFB proper 
(3,138 acres) was declared excess by the (General Services Administration (GSA). In 
July, 1974, the Air Force transferred 303 acres to the Navy. Of the remaining 257 
acres, the Navy transferred 57+ acres to the Army, and 129 acres to the Coast Guard. 
In December 1974, the Air Force transferred 21 acres of land to the Coast Guard, 
which still utilizes the area.

With the closing of Ramey Air Force Base in 1974, the NAVFAC was recommissioned as 
Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Punta Borinquen on January 1, 1974. NAVFAC Punta Borinquen 
was decommissioned on April 30, 1976; marking 22 years of service in Puerto Rico.  

In July, 1976; the Coast Guard assumed the host role and the responsibility for the 
station complex, formerly part of Ramey Air Force Base and later Naval Station 
Roosevelt Roads West Annex. This alternative was chosen by the Commandant of the 
Coast Guard over three other options, including discontinuance of air operations 
in Puerto Rico, building at Roosevelt Roads, or building at San Juan Airport. Coast 
Guard Station Pueto Rico was re-designated as Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen. 
The name is derived from the Taino Indian name for the island of Puerto Rico. 

Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen consists of the hanger, the support buildings 
adjacent to the hanger, and the housing area. The housing area presently has 225 units. 
Also included in the boundaries of the station are a clinic and dispensary, and a Coast 
Guard Club with adjoining swimming pool. The La Plaza complex contains a station 
library, community center, exchange, mini-mart, package store, gymnasium and other 
fitness facilities, chapel, theater, and a preschool and daycare center. The Air 
Station has a complement of approximately 35 officers, 165 enlisted and 150 civilian 
employees. The remainder of the base housing is occupied by various U.S. Army, U.S. 
Air Force, U.S. Navy, and Federal Agency personnel. 

The Air Station operates within the San Juan SAR Sector, an area of over one million 
square miles. The primary mission, search and rescue, is but one facet of the multi-
mission responsibility. Of special note was the unit’s significant response to the 
devastation left by Hurricane Hugo. This was truly a "Team Effort". Other duties 
include support for aids to navigation, law enforcement, surveillance for illicit 
drug traffic, air interdiction of drug trafficking, and marine environmental 
protection. The Air Station prosecutes approximately 300 Search and Rescue cases 
and flies approximately 450 law enforcement sorties per year. 

The Coast Guard Air Station originally utilized three HU-16 Albatross aircraft and 
two HH-52A helicopters to effect its search and rescue missions. Three HH-3F 
helicopters replaced these aircraft in March, 1973. The need for a long range law 
enforcement reconnaissance aircraft resulted in the addition of three HU-25A Falcon 
jets to the Air Station’s inventory in late 1983 and early 1984. In 1985, four new 
HH-65A short range rescue helicopters replaced the three HH-3Fs. The HU-25A Falcon 
Jets were replaced by the HC-103H Hercules in 1987. The Air Station currently 
operates three C-130s along with its complement of HH65As. 

In addition to being home to the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station, the Rafael Hernandez 
Regional Airport civilian facility is also home base to the U.S. Air Force 141st Air 
Control Squadron (141 ACS), Punta Borinquen Radar Site; the Puerto Rico Army National 
Guard, the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland 
Security and a U.S. Customs & Immigration Service Border Protection Facility. The 
airport has the longest runway of any aviation facility in the Caribbean and South 
America, measuring 13,000 feet or more than two miles long (including its overrun) 
and is surrounded by over 1,200 acres of undeveloped land. Aguadilla has an enormous 
economic development potential. 

The Airport covers approximately 1,508 acres of land, including what was previously 
the airfield portion of Ramey Air Force Base. In 1978, the airfield portion was 
transferred to Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA), which has operated it since that 
time as a commercial airport. The Airport was formerly known as Borinquen Airport 
until it was renamed Rafael Hernández Airport. The Airport is informally known as 
Aguadilla Airport. 

The 141st Air Control Squadron (ACS), located at Punta Borinquen, is a mobile radar 
command, control and communications element of the U.S. Air Force Theater Air Control 
System. The 141st ACS is capable of providing various services, as tasked by the Puerto 
Rico based Control and Reporting Center (CRC); or as a deployed unit, operating directly 
subordinate to an Air Operations Center. Primary mission functions include establishing 
long and short haul communications, providing continuous surveillance, assisting in air 
rescue operations, providing aircraft control and advisory services, establishing 
and maintaining data links, gathering and forwarding intelligence products, providing 
identification and classification of airborne objects, and providing threat warnings 
to forward, lateral, and subordinate users, including Army air defense units. In 
addition, the 141st ACS has been directly tasked to support the DoD Counterdrug 
Operations in the Caribbean, Central, and South America Region.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Ramey, Puerto Rico		18 Sep 1954	01 Jan 1974
Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Punta Borinquen, Puerto Rico	01 Jan 1974	30 Apr 1976
===================================================================================
San Nicolas Island, California 

San Nicolas Island (sometimes shortened as San Nic or SNI), lies in the Santa Barbara 
Channel, located 75 miles west of Los Angeles, and 65 nautical miles southwest of the 
Point Mugu complex. San Nicolas, a 14,562 acre, 22.753 square mile island, is one of 
the smallest of the eight Channel Islands, larger only than Santa Barbara and Anacapa 
Islands. Only eight miles long and about three and a half miles across at its widest 
point, it is the farthest from the mainland, The other Channel Islands are Anacapa 
Island, San Clemente Island, San Miguel Island, Santa Barbara Island, Santa Catalina 
Island, Santa Cruz Island and Santa Rosa Island.

Like its eastern neighbor San Clemente Island, San Nicolas Island is a U.S. Navy owned 
and operated island. The Channel Islands are part of Ventura County, California. San 
Nicolas Island is used as a weapons testing and training facility; and is the corner-
stone in the Sea Range. Because of its instrumentation, isolated environment, shoreline 
characteristics, land mass and depth of surrounding waters; San Nicolas Island is ideal 
for conducting littoral warfare testing and training exercises, including tri-service 
and theater warfare exercises. It is also an excellent environment for conducting 
classified operations. 

Although the island is officially uninhabited as of the 2000 U.S. Census, it is 
estimated that the number of military and civilian personnel on the island numbers at 
least 200 at any given time. The main support facilities include a 10,000 foot runway, 
an air terminal, housing, a power plant, a fuel farm and other necessary base support 
functions. The San Nicolas Island complex provides complete housing, dining, recreation, 
transportation, public works and logistics support and project billeting.

The island, first discovered in 1543 by the Spanish explorer Ferrer, was named for Saint 
Nicolas by the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno after he sighted the island on the 
saint's feast day (December 6) in 1602.

San Nicolas Island was originally the home of the Nicoleño people, who were probably 
related to the Tongva of the mainland and Santa Catalina Island. The Nicoleños were 
present until 1835, when they were evacuated to the mainland by the padres of the 
California mission system; after a series of conflicts with Russian-led Aleutian fur 
trappers decimated their population. Within a few years of their removal from the 
island, the Nicoleño people and their unique language became extinct.

During the 1800s, smugglers used the island to avoid custom duties. The island was also 
used by fisherman, as well as for sheep and goat grazing. Although low scrub oaks 
originally covered the landscape, most were destroyed by the goats.

In the 1920s or early 1930s, the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) built two emergency 
dirt landing strips 2300 and 2100 feet long. In January, 1933, the CAA relinquished the 
airstrips and the U.S. Navy took over ownership of the island. In 1939, a Naval Weather 
Station was established issuing daily weather reports to NAS San Diego.

In late 1942, the U.S. Army Air Corps developed a requirement to build an interceptor 
base for the air defense of Southern California. The Navy gave the Army permission to 
build the base providing the Navy could also use the facility. By the time construction 
reached completion, the Army no longer had a need for the base, turning it over to the 
Navy. Used for patrol aircraft, training, and other activities, San Nicolas Naval 
Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) was commissioned on September 26, 1944, an auxiliary of 
NAS San Diego. In November 1944, ACORN 46 trained at the station followed by ACORN 45. 
The ACORNs, Seabee units from Port Hueneme, built and operated small standardized 
advanced air bases. PB4Ys from Camp Kearny used the base for training and staging 
until the end of the war. Carrier aircraft from Southern California stations also 
utilized the airfield for training.

NAAS San Nicolas consisted of the island's entire 13,370 acres, with a single Army-
built 6250 x 150-foot runway. Station complement numbered 121 officers, 312 enlisted 
men, and nine civilians, with barracks for 100 officers and 346 enlisted men. A 30-
man dispensary and an auditorium with a 300-person capacity also existed. The station 
aircraft were usually a Grumman J4F Widgeon amphibian and a TBF Avenger. Following 
the war, the Navy decided to locate all testing of pilotless aircraft and missiles 
on the West Coast. The site chosen was Pt. Mugu, 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles. 
San Nicolas Island was a major factor in this choice, since it was an ideal location 
for placement of radar and telemetry equipment to observe missile testing in Pt. 
Mugu's 100-mile long range. Initially, the Navy spent $5 million upgrading the 
facilities. San Nicolas was officially disestablished as an NAAS on December 15, 
1946, and was recommissioned as a Naval Auxiliary Landing Field (NALF), an auxiliary 
station subordinate to Pt. Mugu.

Between 1957 and 1973, and in 2004, U.S. military research rockets were launched 
from San Nicolas Island in support of other missile tests from Vandenberg AFB or 
Point Mugu, CA. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) San Nicolas Island was commissioned on October 31, 1957. 
San Nicolas was occupied solely by the U.S. Navy with the Naval Facility located on 
the eastern shore about mid-island. Although dependents were not authorized on the 
island, numerous recreational facilities and activities kept assigned personnel busy, 
including fishing, movies, bowling, pool, softball, football, tennis, basketball, 
hiking, volleyball, racquetball, handball, swimming, a movie theater and a recreation 
center. Diving for abalone shells, unique to the waters, was a special treat. NAVFAC 
San Nicolas Island operated for twenty-six and a half years and was decommissioned on 
March 2, 1984 when accoustic data was remoted to NAVFAC Centerville Beach. 

Navy Outlying Field (NOLF) San Nicolas Island is capable of supporting C-5's, the 
10,000 foot runway, 2 hangers, and associated airfield support facilities are located 
near the southwest edge of a 500 foot mesa. The runway is lighted and equipped with 
arresting gear, and has a ground control approach systems (ILS). The Barge Landing 
on the beach landing area is used to barge cargo too large or bulky for aircraft. 
Cargo can be off-loaded and trucked to the main compound or one of the many project 
areas. CV-440 aircraft operate from Naval Air Weapons Center (NAWC) Pt. Mugu, to Navy 
Outlying Field San Nicolas Island; and from Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island to 
Naval Auxiliary Landing Field (NALF) San Clemente Island. 

The San Nicolas Island Vandal Launch Pad/Launch Complex, part of the Pacific Missile 
Test Range, is capable of supporting Tomahawk missile and Vandal missile target 
launches. Many of the targets routinely used on the Sea Range are launched from either 
the Surface Launch Complex at Point Mugu, or from additional specialized launch 
facilities on San Nicolas Island. 

The west end of San Nicolas Island provides a secured area for missile targets and 
is often used for Strategic Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and land attack missile 
operations. The Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS) is a remote controlled ship with Sea 
Sparrow, Remote Attack Missiles (RAM), and the Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) defense 
systems and various target acquisition systems. It provides an open-ocean, integrated, 
self-defense platform, without the safety constraints associated with a manned ship. 

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) San Nicolas Island, CA		31 Oct 1957	02 Mar 1984
   Remoted to NAVFAC Centerville Beach, CA
===================================================================================
San Salvador, San Salvador Island, Bahamas Islands, West Indies

San Salvador Island, also known as Watling Island, is located 450 miles southeast of 
Fort Lauderdale, is one of the easternmost island of the Bahamian archipelago. San 
Salvador is one of the 700 islands of the Bahamas island chain. The island is 
approximately 5-6 miles wide by 10 miles long, and is surrounded by some of the most 
prolific fringing reefs in the Caribbean. It has a small population of about 1000 
people. The island is actually the peak of a submerged mountain, whose bottom reaches 
about 15,000 feet to the ocean floor. San Salvador is surrounded by 4000 meter deep 
waters. The main road, called the Queen's Highway, renders views of the shoreline, 
beaches, tourquoise water, cays and reefs. San Salvador has varying terrain and a 
rocky shoreline. There are low areas which abound with tropical plants and fruit 
trees, and there are rolling hills, elevated cliffs, grottos and caverns. 

It is believed that Christopher Columbus set foot on San Salvador during his voyage 
to discover the New World. The island was originally called Guanahani by the native 
Lucayan Indians, but Columbus renamed it San Salvador (translates to Holy Savior). 
Columbus's records noted that "The beauty of these islands surpasses that of any 
other and as much as the day surpasses the night in splendor". There are four 
monuments that mark the exact spot where Columbus landed on October 12, 1492. 
Some believe however, that he landed on Long Bay where a stone cross stands. 

When Columbus landed on the island he was greeted by peace-loving Arawak Indians. 
Pigeon Creek was one of the largest Indian villages in The Bahamas. The Arawaks had 
made their way from the lowlands of South America, sometime between 1000 and 1300 A.D. 
Also called Lucayans, they were the first inhabitants of these islands. These gentle 
people thought Columbus and his men were gods from the sky. Soon they were carried 
off by the Spanish to work as slaves in the mines of Cuba and Haiti. 

The geography of the Bahamas attracted many well-known pirates, such as the infamous 
Blackbeard, Henry Morgan, and Anne Bonney; who dominated the islands for 70 years 
(1648-1718) in what was known as "The Golden Age of Piracy." Their chief occupation 
was luring unsuspecting ships into the treacherous, shallow waters, then pouncing on 
and plundering them like insects trapped in a spider's web. Britain, which claimed 
the islands in 1670, remained powerless against their predations for almost 50 years, 
until the first governor, Woodes Rogers, drove them out in 1718. Britain then 
recognized the Bahamas as a colony.

In 1680, a British pirate named John Watling, (alternately referred to as George 
Watling), Captain of the ship "Most Holy Trinity" supposedly chose San Salvador Island 
as his retreat. He renamed it Watling Island. Watling’s Castle, the ruins of the late 
18th century Loyalist plantation house, are located on the south end of the island, a 
likely spot for a pirate's stronghold. The substantial ruins at Sandy Point, include 
the three story Great House, kitchen, slave quarters, barns and and boundary walls. 
The yard containing the main house was on a ridge overlooking the slave quarters, 
which were generally huts. There is a wall built by the slaves to separate the 
property and also as pens for cattle. The ruins are the largest of as many as ten 
estates, with similar walls, which are found all over the island. Land was still 
fertile and farming was done. The Lookout Tower, near Watling's Castle, which 
overlooks French Bay, has been restored.

Privateering, a government-sanctioned form of piracy practiced during Britain's war 
with Spain and the American Revolution, brought periods of prosperity to the islands. 
Spain entered the fray on the side of the Americans and briefly retook The Bahamas 
in May, 1782. A year later, under the Treaty of Versailles, it once again became a 
British colony.

Many British Loyalists were granted land by the British government, but never came 
to the island; some had grants on several islands. Burton Williams, a British Loyalist, 
was granted 40 acres of marsh-land in an area known as 'Run the Risk'. He built the Big 
Fortune Hill Plantation, a cottage plantation at Fortune Hill, in the late 1780's. 
Before long he owned hundreds of acres in the Storrs Lake area. He practically became 
the overseer of the island, until his death in 1852. The ruins of the Fortune Hill Great 
House and slave quarters can still be seen here. 

Following Britain's defeat in the American Revolutionary War, southern loyalists 
brought their slaves to the islands and grew cotton under the Crown's protection. 
Troubled times in neighboring America often meant prosperity for The Bahamas. In 
1861, during the American Civil War years, the Union Navy blockaded the islands 
in an attempt to cripple the Confederacy, and Bahamians grew rich running Confederate 
cotton to English mills and sending military equipment to Confederate rebels. Hard 
times followed the end of the Civil War until Prohibition and the "Roaring Twenties" 
transformed The Bahamas into a base for rum-running. But after Prohibition was 
repealed, the islands again lapsed into economic stagnation. 

In 1925, the Bahamian government changed the name back to San Salvador. At that time, 
the name San Salvador was transferred from another place, now called Cat Island, and 
given to Watling Island. The name San Salvador was given to Cat Island during the 
17th and 18th centuries.

Prosperity did not return until World War II, when the Bahamas served as an air and 
sea way-station in the Atlantic. Shortly after, the new industry of tourism changed 
the priorities in the islands. For the first time, the beauty and life of the islands 
were recognized as an asset. When Cuba was closed to U.S. tourists in the 1950's, 
the Bahamas forged ahead to become one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. 

After WWII, the island of San Salvador had become impoverished. The Williams family 
(mentioned anove) had pretty much abandoned San Salvador, except for one decendent, 
Thomas Burton, who had inherited some of the property, He sold it to the U.S. Navy 
in the early 1950's. 

U.S. Naval Facility (NAVFAC) San Salvador was commissioned on September 18, 1954. 
NAVFAC San Salvador was located north of Grahams Harbour at Riding Rock Point. San 
Salvador Island was an arid, isolated duty station, with a twelve month tour of duty. 
With the exception of the climate, San Salvador was very sparse in amenities. NAVFAC 
San Salvador operated for sixteen years before its decommissioning on January 31, 1970.

Great Britain granted the islands self-government in 1964 and changed their status from 
colony to Commonwealth in 1969. In 1973, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas became 
independent within the Commonwealth of Nations, but retained Queen Elizabeth II as 
constitutional head of state.

Today, thanks to its many sandy beaches, the island's prosperous main industry is 
tourism. About 1,000 people reside on San Salvador Island and its principal community 
is Cockburn Town, the seat of local government and home of a public teacher's college.

Cockburn Town was named after Sir Francis Cockburn, Governor of The Bahamas in 
approximately 1840. Originally it was called Riding Rocks Settlement, stretching from 
Riding Rock Point through Cockburn Town. Originally named for the large boulders or 
rocks that long ago rolled around the ocean floor, just off the point. Most of the island 
business is carried on in Cockburn Town and the government dock is where the mail boat 
usually docks, bringing provisions to the island. 

Dixion Hill Lighthouse was originally built on San Salvador Island in 1856 and has 
400,000 candle power, a visibility of 19 miles. Hand operated, it stands 163 feet 
above high water. 

The Gerace Research Center (formerly the Bahamian Field Station) is located on the 
north end of the island on the shores of Graham's Harbour, at the site of the former
U.S. Naval Facility (NAVFAC). The Center is operated by the College of the Bahamas.
Hundreds of students, from numerous American universities, house students there for 
educational trips. Hundreds of researchers use the station every year as a base of 
operations, from which to study tropical marine geology, biology, archaeology and 
marine sciences.

Naval Facility (NAVFAC) San Salvador, Bahamas		18 Sep 1954	 31 Jan 1970
====================================================================================
Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada
HMCS = Her Majesty's Canadian Station / CFS = Canadian Forces Station 

Nova Scotia (Latin for New Scotland) is a Canadian province located on Canada's 
southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in the Maritimes, and its capital, 
Halifax, is a major economic center of the region. Nova Scotia is Canada's second 
smallest province in area (after Prince Edward Island), and the fourth least populous 
province of the country, though second most densely populated. The province's mainland 
is the Nova Scotia peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, including numerous bays 
and estuaries. Cape Breton Island, a large island to the northeast of the Nova Scotia 
mainland, is also part of the province, as is Sable Island, a small island notorious 
for its shipwrecks, approximately 95 nautical miles from the province's southern coast. 
Nova Scotia is also Canada's most southern province.

The province of Nova Scotia includes several regions of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'gma'gi, 
which covered all of the Maritimes, as well as parts of Maine, the Gaspé, and 
Newfoundland. Nova Scotia was already home to the Mi'kmaq people when the first European 
colonists arrived. In 1604, French colonists established the first permanent European 
settlement north of Florida at Port Royal, founding what would become known as Acadia. 
The area was settled by French speaking Catholic Acadians, many of whom were ethnically 
cleansed to Louisiana (1755), where their name is preserved in the term Cajun. 

In 1620, the Plymouth Council for New England, under King James I (of England) & VI 
(of Scots) designated the whole shorelines of Acadia and the Mid-Atlantic colonies south 
to the Chesapeake Bay as New England. The first documented Scottish settlement in the 
Americas was at Nova Scotia in 1621. On September 29, 1621, the charter for the foundation 
of a colony was granted by James VI to Sir William Alexander and, in 1622, the first 
settlers left Scotland.

in 1627, war broke out between England and France and the French re-established a 
settlement at Port Royal, which they had originally settled. Later that year, a combined 
Scottish and English force destroyed the French settlement, forcing them out. In 1629, 
the first Scottish settlement at Port Royal was inhabited. However, this did not last 
long. In 1631, under King Charles I, the Treaty of Suza was signed which returned Nova 
Scotia to the French. The Scots were forced by Charles to abandon their mission before 
their colony had been properly established and the French resumed control.

In 1654, King Louis XIV of France appointed aristocrat Nicholas Denys as Governor of 
Acadia and granted him the confiscated lands and the right to all its minerals. English 
colonists captured Acadia in the course of King William's War, but England returned the 
territory to France in the Treaty of Ryswick at the wars end. The territory was recaptured 
by forces loyal to Britain during the course of Queen Anne's War, and its conquest 
confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713. France retained possession of Île St Jean 
(Prince Edward Island) and Île Royale (Cape Breton Island), on which it established a 
fortress at Louisbourg to guard the sea approaches to Quebec. This fortress was captured 
by American colonial forces then returned by the British to France, then ceded again 
after the French and Indian War of 1755.

The British Empire obtained control of the region of the mainland, and Nova Scotia became 
a British colony in 1713, although Samuel Vetch had a precarious hold on the territory 
as governor from the fall of Acadian Port Royal in October, 1710. British governing 
officials became increasingly concerned over the unwillingness of the French-speaking, 
Roman Catholic Acadians, who were the majority of colonists, to pledge allegiance to 
the British Crown. The colony remained mostly Acadian despite the establishment of 
Halifax as the province's new capital in 1749, and the settlement of a large number of 
foreign Protestants (some French and Swiss but mostly German) at Lunenburg in 1753. 
In 1755, the British forcibly expelled the over 12,000 Acadians in what became known 
as the Grand Dérangement, or Great Expulsion.

In 1763 Cape Breton Island became part of Nova Scotia. In 1769, St. John's Island (now 
Prince Edward Island) became a separate colony. The county of Sunbury was created in 
1765, and included all of the territory of current day New Brunswick and eastern Maine 
as far as the Penobscot River. In 1784 the western, mainland portion of the colony was 
separated and became the province of New Brunswick, and the territory in Maine entered 
the control of the newly independent American state of Massachusetts. Cape Breton became 
a separate colony in 1784, only to be returned to Nova Scotia in 1820.

In the spring of 1783, five thousand settlers arrived on the shores of Shelburne 
Harbour from New York and the middle colonies of America. Assurance of living under 
the British flag, and promises of free land, tools, and provisions lured many to the 
British Colonies at that time. Four hundred families associated to form a town 
originally named Port Roseway. This group became known as the Port Roseway Associates. 
They were faced with a somewhat bleak environment in which to make their homes. The 
land is very rocky with acidic rocky soil. There was also a lot of forest. 

Port Roseway was considered to be the capital of Nova Scotia. Later in 1783, Governor 
John Parr (1725-1791) <http://www.blupete.com/Hist/BiosNS/1764-00/Parr.htm> changed 
the town's name to Shelburne in an attempt to please William Petty Fitzmaurice, 2nd 
Earl of Shelburne (1737-1805), as encouragement for him to name Shelburne as the 
capital of Nova Scotia. Lord Shelburne was the British Prime Minister from 1782 to 
1783. Though the name Shelburne was to stick, it was not a name that was appreciated 
by many of the Loyalists who settled there, for, Shelburne was part of the British 
ministry that brought the war with the American colonies to an end and in the process 
sold out the Americans who throughout the war had been loyal to the crown. 

In the fall of 1783, a second wave of settlers arrived in Shelburne and the population 
rose to 8,900, of this number there was nearly 1,000 discharged soldiers, many with 
wives and families. By 1784, the population of this new community is estimated to have 
been at least ten thousand; the fourth largest city in North America after Philadelphia, 
New York, and Boston. The initial group to arrive at Shelburne were continually 
supplemented by more Loyalists from New York. Governor Parr reported that by August 23, 
1783, 12,000 had landed in Nova Scotia; by the end of September, 1783, 18,000; and by 
the end of 1783, Parr computed that a total of 30,000 Loyalists had come to the Nova 
Scotia province. On November 25, 1783, the British troops finally withdrew from New York. 

Shelburne County was founded in 1784 shortly following the influx of Loyalist settlers 
evacuated from the newly independent United States of America. Shelburne remains the 
capital of the county which bears its name. The boundaries of Shelburne County were 
established by Governor and Council on December 16, 1785. It was incorporated as a 
town on April 4, 1907. The population in 1997 was 2245. Many descendants of the 
original Loyalists still live in the area today.

The new town of Shelburne quickly became a fishing and shipbuilding center. Fishing is 
still a primary industry today. Some other industries are lumbering, fish processing, 
and the manufacture of barrels, institutional furniture, granite monuments, and marine 
supplies. The Black Loyalists, who settled at the same time, were allotted land on the 
northwest arm of Shelburne Harbour. They founded the largest free Black settlement in 
North America, called Birchtown, in honor of General Birch.

The area was also settled by Scottish and Irish Immigrants. In June of 1818, Welsh 
settlers arrived from Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire in Wales, and founded the 
first Welsh settlement in Canada. They settled on the west side of the Roseway River, 
in a community they called New Cambria. The name was later changed to Welshtown. In 
1796, about 600 Jamaican Maroons were deported to this area of Nova Scotia as well.

The winter of 1783/84, in Shelburne, turned out to be an extremely cold one, 
especially for the poorly-sheltered Loyalists, who also feared reprisals from the 
Americans. It seems that the American States had considered invading Nova Scotia, 
but cooler heads reasoned that their tired militias were ill prepared to continue 
fighting, and then, if winners, to provide a long-term occupation force. The 
Americans settled for a period of pirating along the coast. 

The Loyalists were maintained by army rations throughout the winter of 1783/4. At 
Shelburne there was a large store of food, including biscuit, flour, pickled pork 
and beef (tons of it), butter, rice, oatmeal, pease, vinegar, rum and molasses. 
Provisions from the Royal Bounty continued to flow into Shelburne until the summer 
of 1787. In 1787, government distribution of provisions was terminated. Within a 
few years, houses were put up for sale, and settlers left for England, New Brunswick, 
Upper Canada, and the United States. Two-thirds of the town was soon uninhabited. The 
majority of the Loyalists found their way to Halifax, for protection, by the strong 
military presence there. Most settled there, and Halifax quickly became the largest 
settlement in the Province, as well as the capital. 

Shelburne became emptied of the people, who initially came to make a new home for 
themselves. By 1787 there were 360 deserted houses facing on empty streets. By 1791 
it was considered that the decline of the town had reached its peak, leaving behind 
in its wake the few who had entrenched themselves in the town's economy. In the 1820s, 
the population of Shelburne had dwindled to about 300.

The settlement of Loyalists at Shelburne was a failure. The surrounding countryside
was agriculturally poor, and this factor was either overlooked or not clearly stated. 
The newly arrived Loyalists had poured their rapidly evaporating wealth into building 
fine new houses, rather than into industry. They had failed to see that Shelburne 
lacked a natural hinterland and that the surrounding land was poor farming country. 
Most were soon of the view, that things back home could not possibly be worse then 
what they were experiencing in Shelburne. Back home, was, of course, the new United 
States of America. There, the rebels were turning themselves back into respectable 
citizens and their attitude towards their old enemies softened. Within a couple of 
years, laws that had been passed by the new state legislatures, which provided for 
confiscation and the sale of Loyalists' estates, were repealed. Many Loyalitst that
had resettled in Nova Scotia were quite willing to return to the United States and 
pick their lives up under the new republican regime.

Reference: Book #2: The Awakening of English Nova Scotia (1760-1815), Part 3, 
"Post-Revolution -- The Loyalists (1782-90)". Chapter 4 - Loyalists at Shelburne.
<http://www.blupete.com/Hist/NovaScotiaBk2/Part3/Ch04.htm>.

In 1824, at a time when the lines of a number of counties were being cut out and 
remarked, the boundary between Queens and Shelburne Counties was surveyed. In 1836, 
Shelburne County was divided into two separate and distinct counties with Yarmouth 
County being formed out of what had been part of Shelburne County. In 1854, Shelburne 
County was divided into two districts, the District of Shelburne and the District 
of Barrington. Nova Scotia was the first colony in British North America, and in 
the British Empire, to achieve responsible government, In January-February 1848,
Nova Scotia became self-governing. In 1867, Nova Scotia was one of the founding 
provinces of the Canadian Confederation, along with New Brunswick and the Province 
of Canada.

Many of Shelburne's buildings date back to Loyalist times. The Shelburne County 
Museum is a restored home built in 1787 by David Nairn, a cooper from Scotland. 
The present day Christ Church (Anglican) is on the site of the original building 
of the same name, which was designed by Loyalist Isaac Hildreth, and consecrated by 
Bishop Charles Inglis in 1790. The original structure was destroyed by fire in 1971.

When the British took control of the region in 1713, they initiated a program of 
importing colonists from continental Europe, known as the Foreign Protestants, 
mostly from Germany and Switzerland. To this day the South Shore retains many German 
place names and surnames, as well as a distinct accent, compared to the New England 
settlers' influence in the Annapolis Valley; or the Highland Scots' influence in 
northeastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.

On December 19, 1906, the Halifax and Southwestern Railway opened between Halifax 
and Yarmouth, finishing a project that had begun in 1885, and bringing more reliable 
land transport to the region. Although the South Shore did not play a major role 
during the First World War, the area saw significant military activity during the 
Second World War and the ensuing Cold War, as Shelburne and Mill Cove became home 
to Royal Canadian Navy bases, and a Pinetree Line radar station was established by 
the Royal Canadian Air Force at Baccaro. In 1966, Canada's first satellite 
communications (SATCOM) earth station began operations at Mill Village. In the 
1970s and 1980s, the Highway 103 arterial highway was built.

CFS Shelburne was originally commissioned as HMCS Shelburne, a fleet establishment of 
the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) on April 1, 1955. Shelburne was established during the 
Cold War as a secret SOSUS listening post to track Soviet submarine movements in the 
North Atlantic Ocean. The Cold War period ended about 1990. Located in the southwest 
of Nova Scotia on Sandy Point overlooking the mouth of Shelburne harbour, near the 
town of the same name (named after a British statesman), Station Victor (as it was 
designated), was the oldest and smallest Naval Facility in the Atlantic SOSUS net. 

The first Commanding Officer of Shelburne was also appointed Officer-in-Charge of the 
joint RCN/USN Oceanographic Research Station. Oceanographic Research was the cover 
mission for the stations of the classified SOSUS net. Shelburne was manned by officers, 
men, and women of both the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the U.S. Navy (USN). Over the 
years, many changes took place at Shelburne including the replacement of the original 
quonset huts and WWII harbor defense emplacement, with modern facilities. 

With the integration of the RCN into the Canadian Forces (CF) in 1968, the stations 
name was changed to CFS (Canadian Forces Station) Shelburne. For 39 years HMCS/CFS 
Shelburne continued to proudly carry out its firm commitment to the IUSS. After the 
Cold War ended, and the nuclear submarine threat diminished, CFS Shelburne was 
decommissioned on August 1, 1994; and was closed in March, 1995. 

During the 20th century, the South Shore became the center of Nova Scotia's fishing 
industry, as fishermen in small boats operated from numerous tiny villages dotted along 
the coast. The larger communities also had fish plants and port facilities for larger 
off-shore trawlers, which began to see increased use following the Second World War. 
During the 1960s and 1970s, the small fishers began to be displaced by these giant 
trawlers and the way of life on the South Shore began to end, as more and more people 
were forced away from the primary resource industry (the fishery). Today, the South 
Shore economy is still dominated by the fishery, but it has diversified as the tertiary 
or service industry, being out-paced by post-war tourism. As in many parts of Nova 
Scotia, many South Shore fishing communities all but disappeared as residents moved 
to Halifax, or further west into Canada.

A completely different culture developed as the scenic area became one of Nova Scotia's 
major tourist destinations. Land prices skyrocketed as wealthy Americans and Ontarians 
sought to buy (what they felt was) cheap shore-front land for recreational cottages. 
The towns became infused with trendy restaurants and stores, dedicated to the tourist 
trade.

The land and buildings of the former military site were transferred to local civilian 
control through the Shelburne Park Development Agency. In April, 1999 the park ownership 
was transferred to the South West Shore Development Agency, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The park now occupies a 173 acre site, approximately 16 kilometers from Shelburne at 
Governor's Point on the end of the peninsula.

HMCS Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada			01 Apr 1955	       1968
CFS Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada			       1968	01 Aug 1994
===================================================================================
St. Mawgan, RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

Royal Air Force (RAF) Station St. Mawgan is located 4 miles from the town of Newquay, in 
Cornwall, in the southwest corner of England. Cornwall is located on the western end of 
southern England, on the Atlantic coast. Land's End is a headland on the Penwith peninsula, 
located near Penzance in Cornwall, and is the most westerly tip of the southern mainland. 
The coastline is composed mainly of rocky shoals that give rise in many places to very
impressive cliffs, the famous 'granite cliffs of Cornwall'.

Cornwall is a rural and maritime county, in a remote and isolated part of Britain. Cornwall 
had a population of 492,600 in 1999. It is included within the South West Standard Region 
of England, and has an area of 354,920 hectares. It is the second largest county in the 
region, in terms of area, but has the lowest population density. The County comprises the 
westernmost part of the south west peninsula, and has an estimated 697 kilometers of 
coastline. The sea forms the northern, southern and western boundaries. To the east, 
Cornwall borders with Devon. The nearest major center outside the county, Plymouth, is 
125 kilometers from Penzance; while Bristol, the regional center, is 290 kilometers 
from Penzance, and London is 450 kilometers away.

Trebelzue 'Big Field' Airfield first opened as a grass civilian airfield in 1933. 
Trebelzue Airfield was requisitioned by the Air Ministry at the outbreak of World War 
II in 1940. The airfield was rebuilt with a twin concrete runway during the period 1940 
top 1941, and reopened in September, 1941; renamed as RAF Trebelzue. The airfield was 
used as a Ferry Command and as a satellite of nearby RAF St. Eval, during World War II. 
>From December, 1942 to January, 1943, the 400th Squadron Mustangs and 264th Sauadron 
Mosquitoes were flying anti-shipping patrols in the English Channel, the North Sea and 
the North Atlantic.

Due to short runways, crosswinds and very bad weather, it was decided to rebuild the 
airfield further inland in 1942/43. RAF Trebelzue'sv airfield was incorporated as a 
dispersal area of the new airfield, which was renamed RAF St. Mawgan on February 24, 
1943. In June, 1943, the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) took over St. Mawgan and carried 
out a number of major improvements, including a new control tower and a further 
extension of the main runway. The USAAF 491st Air Base Squadron (491st ABS), of the 
Air Transport Command, flew B-17 missions out of RAF St. Mawgan, until August, 1945, 

After the conclusion of World War II, the base was put under maintenance on July 1, 1947. 
In 1951, RAF St. Mawgan was reopened as a Coastal Defense Command, used for maritime 
reconnaissance and as a patrol aircraft base. In 1956, the 220th and 228th Long Range 
Reconnaissance Squadrons moved to St. Mawgan. These Squadrons were later renumbered 
the 201st and the 206th, and were later joined by the 42nd Squadron. It also became the 
Headquarters of the 22nd Helicopter Squadron. In 1965, the 201st and 206th Squadrons 
moved to RAF Kinloss and the Maritime Operational Training Unit moved in. The 7th 
Sqadronn Canberras operated at RAF St. Mawgan from 1970 until 1982, as target tugs. 
The 22nd Squadron moved out in 1974. RAF St. Mawgan was the home to the RAF Nimrod 
fleet with some 2500 personnel on the base. After 40 years in this role, the last 
Nimrod Maritime Reconnaissance fixed wing station based aircraft left St. Mawgan for 
RAF Kinloss in 1991. The 42nd Squadron and the 236th Squadron moved to RAF Kinloss in 
1992. The Nimrods had been at the base since 1969. Following the move of the Nimrod 
fleet to RAF Kinloss in Scotland, the base compliment was reduced to just over 200 
RAF personnel and a similar number of U.S. Navy personnel. 

The Joint Maritime Facility (JMF), St. Mawgan, UK was established via a Memorandum 
of Understanding between the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom 
of Great Britain in June of 1990; and was commissioned on August 18, 1995. The JMF 
is a jointly staffed IUSS command with personnel assigned from the U.S. Navy, Royal 
Navy, and Royal Air Force. The JMF is a massive semi-hardened, partially-buried/
partially-earthened, reinforced concrete structure, capable of completely self-
sufficient operations, using dedicated supplies. 

The primary role of the Joint Maritime Facility is to provide a direct link between 
United Kingdom and United States maritime forces and their Headquarters in the United 
Kingdom and overseas. The mission functions of the JMF are to detect, classify, locate 
and track all surface contacts, sub-surface contacts and maritime air activity in the 
English Channel, the North Sea and the North Atlantic. This is accomplished via passive 
acoustic sensors at various locations on the ocean floor. The command supports Anti-
Submarine Warfare (ASW) Command and Tactical Forces, by timely reporting information 
concerning submarines, undersea tracking, oceanographic, and geologic information. 

The JMF crew compliment is comprised of approximately 360 U.S. Navy and 80 Royal Navy 
and Royal Air Force personnel. NAVFAC Brawdy operations were remoted to the Joint 
Maritime Facility St. Mawgan, when NAVFAC Brawdy was deactivated on October 1, 1995.
JMF is the newest facility to be added to the legacy of IUSS inventory. It is said that 
the word ‘Facility’ was utilized to name the command, because the British and Americans 
could not agree on the spelling of the word 'Centre'.

RAF St. Mawgan is primarily used as a Search and Rescue training base and is home to 
the 203(R) Squadron, equipped with Sea King helicopters, as well as being the Search and
Rescue (SAR) Force headquarters for RAF Sea Kings. The Survive, Evade, Resist, Extract 
(SERE) Training Center, formally the School of Combat Survival and Rescue is based at
St. Mawgan. Utilizing it's main runway, RAF St. Mawgan remains a Military Emergency 
Diversion Airfield, while commercial flights operate from the co-located Newquay Airport.

In 2005, RAF St. Mawgan was one of the bases designated to house the new Joint Combat 
Aircraft (JCA) in 2013, but in November 2005, it was announced by the British Armed 
Forces Minister, that JCA would be going to RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. In November, 
2006, No. 1 Squadron, RAF Regiment, moved to RAF Honington and the 2625th Royal 
Auxiliary Air Force (RAAF) squadron disbanded. Helicopter maintenance also ceased at 
St. Mawgan in 2006. 

The Search and Rescue (SAR) force at RAF St. Mawgan was due to transfer to RAF Valley 
in October, 2007. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) released that this move to the Wales 
site will be delayed until August, 2008. Many RAF aircraft regularly detach to St. 
Mawgan for short periods of exercise training. Newquay Cornwall Airport is located on 
the northern side of the airfield, operating a variety of scheduled airline services 
and using RAF facilities provided under a MOD commercial contractual arrangement. All 
military air operations are scheduled to cease in August, 2008, at which time the 
airfield will transfer to a purely civilian operation. 

The Maritime Leisure Center at RAF St. Mawgan has a fully equipped gym, sports hall, 
climbing wall, badminton courts, saunas, bowling alley, and comfortable seating area 
with refreshments, 6 outside tennis courts, and a large astro turf area for baseball
and football. The Flix Theatre is a cinema run by the U.S. Navy. The base has an 
excellent Education Center with an Interactive Learning Suite, a new library and a 
small Spar Shop. There is also a Tailoress, Chaplaincy, and Motor Club. The Airmans 
Mess, Sergeant's Mess and Officers Mess all hold regular events and functions. The 
grass pitches for football (soccer) and rugby are located at RAF St. Eval (9 miles 
away) at Wadesbridge, Cornwall. RAF St. Eval is on the north coast of Cornwall, 
between Newquay and Padstow. 

Joint Maritime Facility (JMF) St. Mawgan, UK		18 Aug 1995	Present
===================================================================================
Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Washington

Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) Whidbey Island was commissioned in July, 1987. 
NOPF Whidbey Island was created in 1987 as part of a major consolidation of the Pacific 
IUSS accoustic arrays. Located onboard the Naval Air Station (NAS), NOPF Whidbey sits 
at the waters edge on the west side of the island and looks out at the picturesque 
mountains of the Olympic Peninsula and the San Juan Islands. Frequent rainfall, often 
as much as 300 days per year, promotes the rapid growth and strikingly beautiful 
vegetation and geological landscapes enjoyed by all who live in the northwest region. 
NOPF Whidbey Island is manned by U.S. Navy and Canadian Forces personnel and currently 
has a crew compliment of 25 officers, 325 enlisted, a detachment of 30 Canadian forces 
personnel, and 15 civilians. 

NOPF is divided into two major divisions that operate in the same facility, the shore 
side and the sea side (Sea Component West). The sea side consists of Navy Sonar 
Technicians (Surface) (STG - Navy occupational rating) that rotate out to the five 
SURTASS ships that operate under NOPF. The shore side employs various Navy ratings 
that all support the operations watch floor in completing the mission; to provide 
timely and accurate acoustic cueing to operating and supporting forces, and conduct 
continuous maritime surveillance for Homeland Security.

As the only Pacific IUSS site, NOPF Whidbey Island has a unique command structure, 
in that it is under the operational control of CTF 12 and the administrative control 
of Commander, Undersea Surveillance (COMUNDERSEASURV). Despite this unique structure, 
NOPF Whidbey Island provides tactical ASW data and mobile force support to the entire 
Pacific Fleet, the largest IUSS Area of Responsibility (AOR) in the world.

Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) 			   Jul 1987	Present
   Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, WA
===================================================================================
Compiled by: Michael R. "MO" Morris, CTOCS, USN, Retired
CTO SeaDogs WebSite Manager, CTO SeaDogs DataBase Manager, CTO SeaDogs Historian
Waldorf, Maryland
E-Mail: CTOCS_MO@hotmail.com
=============================================
Visit the CTO SeaDogs Community WebSite at: http://groups.msn.com/CTOSeaDogs
==================================================================================