Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola ( IATA : NPA , ICAO : KNPA , FAA LID : NPA ) (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport , to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United States Navy base located next to Warrington, Florida , a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits. It is best known as the initial primary training base for all U.S. Navy , Marine Corps and Coast Guard officers pursuing designation as naval aviators and naval flight officers , the advanced training base for most naval flight officers, and as the home base for the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the precision-flying team known as the Blue Angels .
74-589: The station is listed as the Pensacola Station Census Designated Place (CDP) under the 2020 census and had a resident population of 5,532. It is part of the Pensacola— Ferry Pass — Brent, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . Because of contamination by heavy metals and other hazardous materials during its history, it is designated as a Superfund site needing environmental cleanup. The air station also hosts
148-424: A CDP name "be one that is recognized and used in daily communication by the residents of the community" (not "a name developed solely for planning or other purposes") and recommend that a CDP's boundaries be mapped based on the geographic extent associated with inhabitants' regular use of the named place. There is no provision, however, that this name recognition be unanimous for all residents, or that all residents use
222-798: A GSU of the 12th Flying Training Wing (12 FTW) at Randolph AFB , Texas. The 479 FTG operates USAF T-6A Texan II and T-1A Jayhawk aircraft. Other tenant activities include the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels , flying F/A-18 Super Hornets and a single USMC C-130T Hercules ; and the 2nd German Air Force Training Squadron USA ( German : 2. Deutsche Luftwaffenausbildungsstaffel USA – abbreviated "2. DtLwAusbStff"). A total of 131 aircraft operate out of Sherman Field, generating 110,000 flight operations each year. The National Naval Aviation Museum (formerly known as
296-649: A National Historic Site (NHL) in 1960, control of the site was transferred to the National Park Service in 1971. After extensive restoration during 1971–1980, Fort Barrancas was opened to the public. It has a visitor's center. Realizing the advantages of the Pensacola harbor and the large timber reserves nearby for shipbuilding, in 1825 President John Quincy Adams and Secretary of the Navy Samuel Southard made arrangements to build
370-493: A Naval Air Rework Facility and directed to report to the commander of the Naval Air Systems Command instead of the air station commanding officer. Former seaplane hangars along the south edge of the air station, as well as a large structure at Chevalier Field were utilized for aircraft overhauls, and Pensacola was a designated as an A-4 Skyhawk rework site. In 1987 the name Naval Aviation Depot replaced
444-621: A Navy Yard on the southern tip of Escambia County , where the air station is today. Navy captains William Bainbridge , Lewis Warrington , and James Biddle selected the site on Pensacola Bay . Civilian employment began in April 1826, with the construction of the first buildings at the Pensacola Navy Yard, also known as the Warrington Navy Yard. Pensacola would later become one of the best equipped naval stations in
518-649: A Spanish word for bluff , the natural terrain feature that makes this location ideal for the fortress. Pensacola was taken by General Andrew Jackson in November 1814 during the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States. British forces destroyed Fort San Carlos as they swept through the area. The Spanish remained in control of the region until 1821, when the Adams-Onís Treaty confirmed
592-423: A USAF officer. This previous track for USAF navigators was termed Joint Undergraduate Navigator Training (JUNT). Today, all USAF Undergraduate CSO Training (UCSOT) for all USAF aircraft is consolidated at NAS Pensacola as a strictly USAF organization and operation under the 479th Flying Training Group (479 FTG), an Air Education and Training Command (AETC) unit. The 479 FTG is a tenant activity at NAS Pensacola and
666-710: A colony on Santa Rosa Island, considered the first European settlement of the Pensacola area. The Spanish built the wooden Fort San Carlos de Austria on this bluff in 1697–1698. Although besieged by Indians in 1707 , the fort was not taken. Spain was competing in North America with the French, who settled lower Louisiana and the Illinois Country and areas to the North. The French destroyed this fort when they captured Pensacola in 1719. After Great Britain defeated
740-469: A few reserve officers and enlisted men also graduated. Naval Air Station Pensacola became known as the "Annapolis of the Air". Station Field was created on the north side of the navy yard in 1922. Enlarged, it was renamed Chevalier Field in 1935 for Lt. Cdr. Godfrey DeCourcelles Chevalier , a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1910, and an early Naval Air Pilot, designated as No. 7 on 7 November 1915. With
814-447: A majority of the employees at the shipyard. They performed nearly every task required including ship construction and repair, carpentry, blacksmithing, bricklaying and general labor." While not explicitly stated in Pensacola Navy Yard log entries, enslaved black workers were listed as "laborers" while white workers were categorized as belonging to "the ordinary" (see thumbnail: station log entries, 1 July 1836). Slavery remained integral to
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#1732771745206888-399: A mile down the air station beach. In the years following World War I, aviation training slowed down. An average of 100 pilots were graduating annually from the 12-month flight course. This was before the category of aviation cadets was established; officers were accepted for the flight training program only after at least two years of sea duty. The majority were Annapolis graduates, although
962-515: A new front range beacon was erected 448 feet (137 m) southeast of the light tower. This light, known as the Pensacola Bar Beacon, was a square pyramidal wooden tower, 26 feet (7.9 m) tall, sitting on a point 29 feet (8.8 m) above sea level, so that the light was 55 feet (17 m) above the water. It had a sixth order Fresnel lens , and showed a fixed white light visible for 11 miles (18 km). The Pensacola Bar Beacon
1036-461: A population of at least 10,000. For the 1970 Census , the population threshold for "unincorporated places" in urbanized areas was reduced to 5,000. For the 1980 Census , the designation was changed to "census designated places" and the designation was made available for places inside urbanized areas in New England. For the 1990 Census , the population threshold for CDPs in urbanized areas
1110-468: A routine training trip and found the Gulf Coast socked in by a fog described as one of the heaviest ever witnessed in the region. Eight planes were lost with two pilots killed. Three aircraft piloted by instructors, and one other plane, were diverted by radio and outran the fogbank to land safely at Atmore and Greenville, Alabama . Census-designated place A census-designated place ( CDP )
1184-715: A status report. His account covers the period of March to November 1828 and details the 66 sailors and marines admitted, their names and rank, diagnosis or the nature of their injury, and the date of their discharge or death. Mortality at Pensacola would remain high due to the prevalence of yellow fever and malaria . Many naval officers and men considered the Navy Yard an unhealthy and potentially lethal assignment. For example, Naval Constructor Samuel Keep, writing to his brother in July 1826, stated emphatically, "I shall not remain here unless I am obliged to do so." Despite heroic efforts by
1258-470: A third field, Ellyson Field , named after CDR Theodore G. "Spuds" Ellyson , the Navy's first aviator, was added. With the start of World War II , NAS Pensacola once again became the hub of air training activities. NAS Pensacola expanded again, training 1,100 cadets a month, 11 times the number trained annually in the 1920s. The growth of NAS Pensacola from 10 tents to the world's greatest naval aviation center
1332-734: A true navy yard." This was followed by the sloop USS Seminole that same year. In its early years, the garrison of the West Indies Squadron dealt mainly with the suppression of the African slave trade and piracy in the Gulf and Caribbean . The US and Great Britain had outlawed the international slave trade effective 1808, but smuggling continued for decades, especially as Cuba and certain South American nations continued with slavery. On 12 January 1861, just prior to
1406-542: Is Naval Aviation Schools Command (NAVAVSCOLSCOM). This command has the following subordinate schools: NAVAVSCOLSCOM also previously oversaw Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) until that program's disestablishment and merger into Officer Candidate School (OCS) under Officer Training Command at NETC Newport, Rhode Island in 2007. The Pensacola Naval Complex in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties employs more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel. During
1480-543: Is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places , such as self-governing cities , towns , and villages , for the purposes of gathering and correlating statistical data. CDPs are populated areas that generally include one officially designated but currently unincorporated community, for which
1554-595: Is a lighthouse at Pensacola Bay , in Florida. It is the third iteration of what was originally a lightship , the Aurora Borealis, and remains an aid to navigation. The first Pensacola Light was the lightship Aurora Borealis . It was moved to Pensacola in 1823 from its previous post at the mouth of the Mississippi River after a lighthouse had been completed there. Because of frequent rough seas,
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#17327717452061628-464: Is part of the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph AFB , Texas, but student information and files are handled through Tyndall AFB , Florida while they train at NAS Pensacola. With the divestment of Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training (SUNT) and the retirement of the T-43 Bobcat from the 12th Flying Training Wing main operation at Randolph AFB , the 479 FTG assumed responsibility for
1702-464: Is the 359th Training Squadron located at nearby Eglin AFB . Detachment 1 trains over 1,100 airmen annually in three structural maintenance disciplines: low observable, non-destructive inspection, and aircraft structural maintenance. NAS Pensacola contains Forrest Sherman Field, home of Training Air Wing SIX (TRAWING 6), providing undergraduate flight training for all prospective naval flight officers for
1776-654: The 1890 Census , in which the Census mixed unincorporated places with incorporated places in its products with "town" or "village" as its label. This made it confusing to determine which of the "towns" were or were not incorporated. The 1900 through 1930 Censuses did not report data for unincorporated places. For the 1940 Census , the Census Bureau compiled a separate report of unofficial, unincorporated communities of 500 or more people. The Census Bureau officially defined this category as "unincorporated places" in
1850-461: The 1950 Census and used that term through the 1970 Census. For the 1950 Census, these types of places were identified only outside " urbanized areas ". In 1960 , the Census Bureau also identified unincorporated places inside urbanized areas (except in New England , whose political geography is based on the New England town , and is distinctly different from other areas of the U.S.), but with
1924-454: The 336th Training Group 's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school at Fairchild Air Force Base ) was located here at NAS Pensacola, dedicated to aircrew parachute water survival training, but relocated to Fairchild AFB in August 2015. On 20 February 1939, a squadron of twelve U.S. Navy aircraft, described as "fast combat ships", were returning to NAS Pensacola , Florida, from
1998-765: The National Museum of Naval Aviation ), the Pensacola Naval Air Station Historic District , the National Park Service -administered Fort Barrancas and its associated Advance Redoubt , and the Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum are all located at NAS Pensacola, as is the Barrancas National Cemetery . The site now occupied by NAS Pensacola has been controlled by varying nations. In 1559, Spanish explorer Don Tristan de Luna founded
2072-634: The Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) and the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI), the latter of which provides training for all naval flight surgeons , aviation physiologists, and aerospace experimental psychologists. With the closure of Naval Air Station Memphis in Millington, Tennessee , and the transition of that facility to Naval Support Activity Mid-South , NAS Pensacola also became home to
2146-453: The 2005 round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), people in Florida and the Navy feared that NAS Pensacola might be closed, despite its naval hub status, due to extensive damage by Hurricane Ivan in late 2004. Nearly every building on the installation had suffered heavy damage, with near total destruction of the air station's southeastern complex. The main barracks, Chevalier Hall , did not reopen until late January 2005, four months after
2220-513: The CDP is named, plus surrounding inhabited countryside of varying dimensions and, occasionally, other, smaller unincorporated communities as well. CDPs include small rural communities, edge cities , colonias located along the Mexico–United States border , and unincorporated resort and retirement communities and their environs. The boundaries of any CDP may change from decade to decade, and
2294-414: The Census Bureau considers some towns in New England states, New Jersey and New York as well as townships in some other states as MCDs, even though they are incorporated municipalities in those states. In such states, CDPs may be defined within such towns or spanning the boundaries of multiple towns. There are a number of reasons for the CDP designation: Pensacola Light The Pensacola Light
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2368-422: The Census Bureau may de-establish a CDP after a period of study, then re-establish it some decades later. Most unincorporated areas within the United States are not and have not been included in any CDP. The boundaries of a CDP have no legal status and may not always correspond with the local understanding of the area or community with the same name. However, criteria established for the 2010 census require that
2442-648: The French in the Seven Years' War and exchanging some territory with Spain, British colonists took over this site and West Florida in 1763. In 1781, as an ally of the American rebels during the American Revolutionary War, the Spanish captured Pensacola . Britain ceded West Florida to Spain following the war. The Spanish completed the fort San Carlos de Barrancas in 1797. Barranca is
2516-540: The May 1829 list of navy yard employees. To allay slaveholder concerns, Commandant William Compton Bolton advertised that enslaved workers would have the benefit of medical attention at no charge at the shipyard hospital. Pensacola was not the first to use enslaved labor; Washington Navy Yard , established in 1799, and soon after, Gosport Navy Yard in Virginia, both employed enslaved labor. The enslaved quickly "constituted
2590-582: The Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) Memphis, which relocated to Pensacola and was renamed NATTC Pensacola. NATTC provides technical training schools for nearly all enlisted aircraft maintenance and enlisted aircrew specialties in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard. The NATTC facility at NAS Pensacola is also home to the USAF Detachment 1, a geographically separated unit (GSU) whose home unit
2664-620: The Naval Appropriation Act enacted in 1911–12 a provision for aeronautical development. Chambers was ordered to devote all of his time to naval aviation. In October 1913, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels , appointed a board, with Captain Chambers as chairman, to make a survey of aeronautical needs and to establish a policy to guide future development. One of the board's most important recommendations
2738-595: The Navy Yard, and improving connections to the city of Pensacola. The company was incorporated by a special act of the State of Florida on 12 February 1870 to improve infrastructure, and was granted an easement by Congress to run through the federal Navy Yard reservation on 30 January 1871. The Navy Department awakened to the possibilities of naval aviation through the efforts of Captain Washington Irving Chambers ; he prevailed upon Congress to include in
2812-466: The Pensacola Navy Yard workforce throughout the antebellum period. As late as June 1855, the navy yard payroll listed 155 slaves. Scholar Ernest Dibble concludes his study of the military presence in Pensacola with this coda: "In Pensacola the military was not just the most important single force creating the local economy, but also the most important single influence to the spread of the slaveocracy in Pensacola." The civilian payrolls of Pensacola reveal that
2886-697: The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, and flight officers/navigators for other NATO/Allied/Coalition partners. TRAWING SIX consists of the Training Squadron 4 (VT-4) "Warbucks", Training Squadron 10 (VT-10) "Wildcats" and Training Squadron 86 (VT-86) "Sabrehawks," flying the T-45C Goshawk and T-6A Texan II . A select number of prospective U.S. Air Force navigator/combat systems officers , destined for certain fighter/bomber or heavy aircraft, were previously trained via TRAWING SIX, under VT-4 or VT-10, with command of VT-10 rotating periodically to
2960-655: The U.S. in any substantive way, pilot training in 1968 produced 2,552 graduates. From the earliest days of naval aviation at Pensacola, an aircraft maintenance facility operated at the air station. Initially known as the Construction and Repair Department, in 1923 it was redesignated an Assembly and Repair Department, and in 1948 to the Overhaul and Repair Department. In 1967, the status of the facility at NAS Pensacola and at five other Navy and one Marine Corps air stations were changed to that of separate commands, each called
3034-535: The advent of jet aviation, its 3,100-foot runway was too short for new aircraft entering service. Forrest Sherman Field was opened in 1954 for most fixed-wing operations. With the inauguration in 1935 of the cadet training program, activity at Pensacola again expanded. When Pensacola's training facilities could no longer accommodate the ever-increasing number of cadets accepted by the Navy, two more naval air stations were created—one in Jacksonville, Florida , and
Naval Air Station Pensacola - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-570: The bay entrance, and was lit on January 1, 1859. The new, and current, tower is 150 feet (46 m) tall, and also sits on a 40-foot (12 m) bluff located on the Pensacola Naval Air Station , placing the light 190 feet (58 m) above sea level. The new location allowed the tower to serve as the rear range light marking the passage across the Pensacola Bar . Little is known of the first front range light. In 1879
3182-484: The boundaries for CDPs. The PSAP was to be offered to county and municipal planning agencies during 2008. The boundaries of such places may be defined in cooperation with local or tribal officials, but are not fixed, and do not affect the status of local government or incorporation; the territories thus defined are strictly statistical entities. CDP boundaries may change from one census to the next to reflect changes in settlement patterns. Further, as statistical entities,
3256-419: The boundaries of the CDP may not correspond with local understanding of the area with the same name. Recognized communities may be divided into two or more CDPs while on the other hand, two or more communities may be combined into one CDP. A CDP may also cover the unincorporated part of a named community, where the rest lies within an incorporated place. By defining an area as a CDP, that locality then appears in
3330-458: The commencement of the Civil War , the Warrington Navy Yard surrendered to secessionists . When Union forces captured New Orleans in 1862, Confederate troops, fearing attack from the west, retreated from the Navy Yard and reduced most of the facilities to rubble. At the time, they also abandoned Fort Barrancas and Fort McRee. After the war, the ruins at the yard were cleared away and work
3404-588: The community for which the CDP is named for services provided therein. There is no mandatory correlation between CDP names or boundaries and those established for other human purposes, such as post office names or zones, political precincts, or school districts. The Census Bureau states that census-designated places are not considered incorporated places and that it includes only census-designated places in its city population list for Hawaii because that state has no incorporated cities. In addition, census city lists from 2007 included Arlington County, Virginia 's CDP in
3478-516: The controls. Upon the entry of the United States into World War I on 6 April 1917, Pensacola, still the only naval air station, had 38 naval aviators , 163 enlisted men trained in aviation support, and 54 fixed-wing aircraft . Two years later, by the signing of the armistice in November 1918, the air station, with 438 officers and 5,538 enlisted men, had trained 1,000 naval aviators. At war's end, seaplanes , dirigibles , and free kite balloons were housed in steel and wooden hangars stretching
3552-423: The country, but the early navy yard was beset with recruitment and labor problems. Skilled workers were simply unavailable locally, housing limited, and living conditions in Pensacola rough. At first, skilled tradesmen were recruited from Boston and other northern naval bases. Many of these new civilian employees were dissatisfied with local conditions and especially their wages and hours. As a result, on 14 March 1827
3626-515: The headquarters site for CNET (Chief of Naval Education and Training), a new command which combined direction and control of all Navy education and training activities and organizations. The Naval Air Basic Training Command was absorbed by the Naval Air Training Command, which moved to NAS Corpus Christi , Texas. In 2003, CNET was replaced by the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC). Also located on board NAS Pensacola
3700-534: The launch. For his efforts, Lt. Miller is considered an honorary member of the Raider group. During the Korean War , the military was caught in the midst of transition from propellers to jets . The air station had to revise its courses and training techniques. NAS Pensacola produced 6,000 aviators from 1950 to 1953. Forrest Sherman Field was opened in 1954 on the western side of NAS Pensacola. This jet airfield
3774-619: The lighthouse, but they were discontinued in 2007. As of 2009, the lighthouse reopened on a limited basis for public tours, and since early 2011 it has been open 7 days a week. Maintenance and tour operations are currently conducted by the Pensacola Lighthouse Association . The 1869 keeper's quarters, adjacent to the lighthouse tower, houses a museum and gift shop also administered by the Pensacola Lighthouse Association. The Association
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#17327717452063848-411: The lightship had to be anchored inside the bay entrance, behind Santa Rosa Island , and could not reliably be seen from ships outside the bay. In 1825 a 40-foot (12 m) tower was built on a 40-foot (12 m) bluff at the south entrance to Pensacola Bay . This light was also partially obscured by trees close to the tower and on Santa Rosa Island. In 1858 a new tower was built on the north side of
3922-556: The list with the incorporated places, but since 2010, only the Urban Honolulu CDP, Hawaii, representing the historic core of Honolulu, Hawaii , is shown in the city and town estimates. The Census Bureau reported data for some unincorporated places as early as the first census in 1790 (for example, Louisville, Kentucky , which was not legally incorporated in Kentucky until 1828), though usage continued to develop through
3996-526: The medical community, yellow fever would revisit the navy yard intermittently, e.g. in 1835, 1874, 1882, etc., the disease only coming under control with the work of Major Walter Reed in 1901. From its foundation until the Civil War, enslaved labor was extensively utilized at Pensacola Navy Yard. In May 1829, the monthly Pensacola Navy Yard list of mechanics and laborers enumerates a total of 87 employees, of whom 37 were enslaved laborers. Pensacola Navy Yard
4070-412: The name Naval Air Rework Facility to more accurately reflect the range of their activities. Three Naval Aviation Depots were closed under the 1993 BRAC Committee recommendations including that at NAS Pensacola, and most of the buildings on the air station involved in these tasks razed. The Naval Photography School was located at base. Howard Zieff learned photography there and the monthly inspection at
4144-565: The navy yard leased slaves from prominent members of Pensacola society. Enslaved labor continued on at the Pensacola Navy Yard until the American Civil War . On 13 August 1859, Commandant James K. McIntosh wrote to the secretary of the Navy Isaac Toucey , "I have the honor to report that the steam sloop of war USS Pensacola was successfully launched ..." with this "launching the Pensacola naval facility became
4218-615: The need to rewind the light rotation clockworks every 4½ hours. The light was automated in 1965. The lighthouse tower and associated buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 1989, the lighthouse and keeper's quarters were listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture , published by the University of Florida Press . The Pensacola Light remains an active aid to navigation. The Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 17 had provided tours of
4292-682: The other in Corpus Christi, Texas . (During this period, the Southern Democratic block exerted considerable influence in Congress, as the South was a one-party region. Democrats occupied key committee chairman positions by seniority and directed many projects to their region.) In August 1940, a larger auxiliary base, Saufley Field , named for LT R.C. Saufley , Naval Aviator 14, was added to Pensacola's activities. In October 1941,
4366-451: The purchase of Spanish Florida by the United States, and Spain ceded this territory to the US. In 1825, the US designated this area for the Pensacola Navy Yard and Congress appropriated $ 6,000 for a lighthouse. Operational that year, it "is said to be haunted by a light keeper murdered by his wife." Fort Barrancas was rebuilt, 1839–1844, the U.S. Army deactivating it on 15 April 1947. Designated
4440-778: The renamed Undergraduate Combat Systems Officer Training (UCSOT) for all prospective USAF CSOs. The 479 FTG operates USAF T-6 Texan II and T-1 Jayhawk aircraft at NAS Pensacola. NAS Pensacola is also home to AETC's Detachment 1, 359th Training Squadron (359 TRS). A geographically separated unit of the 359 TRS at Eglin AFB , Florida, and falls under the 82nd Training Wing (82 TRW) at Sheppard AFB , Texas. This school provides enlisted technical training for all USAF Aircraft Structural Maintenance (ASM), Low Observable (LO) Aircraft Structural Maintenance, and Non-Destructive Inspections (NDI) students. The 359 TRS, Det 1, graduates approximately 1200 students annually. The USAF's Detachment 2, 66th Training Squadron (a geographically separated part of
4514-457: The same category of census data as incorporated places. This distinguishes CDPs from other census classifications, such as minor civil divisions (MCDs), which are in a separate category. The population and demographics of the CDP are included in the data of county subdivisions containing the CDP. Generally, a CDP shall not be defined within the boundaries of what the Census Bureau regards to be an incorporated city, village or borough. However,
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#17327717452064588-463: The school was photographed by Joseph Janney Steinmetz in 1944. The Naval Photographic School trained Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard students in basic (A School), advanced (B and C Schools), and special curriculum (Reconnaissance, Photojournalism, etc.) It was housed in BlDG 1500, now the base headquarters, and a small museum has a variety of items from the school. In 1971, NAS Pensacola was picked as
4662-540: The storm. When the list was released on 13 May 2005, NAS Pensacola and other military bases hit by Ivan in Northwest Florida were not on the BRAC list. Their facilities were rebuilt. In May 2006, Navy construction crews unearthed a Spanish ship during an archeological excavation. It may date to the mid-16th century. The ship remains were discovered during the rebuilding of the base's rescue swimmer school, which
4736-495: The two forces damaged the lighthouse tower. Confederate forces later evacuated Pensacola, and were replaced by Union forces. In 1863 the Pensacola Light was relit using a fourth-order Fresnel lens . A new first-order lens was placed in the tower in 1869. The tower was all white during the Civil War. Later, the upper two-thirds of the tower was painted black. Electricity was introduced to the lighthouse in 1939, eliminating
4810-478: Was begun to rebuild the base. Many of the present structures on the air station were built during this period, including the stately two- and three-story houses on North Avenue. In 1906, many of these newly rebuilt structures were destroyed by a great hurricane and storm surge . The Pensacola and Fort Barrancas Railroad was constructed in 1870 during the Reconstruction era , bringing rail service aboard
4884-669: Was built with enslaved labor. Captain Lewis Warrington , the first commandant of the Pensacola Navy Yard, complained to the Board of Navy Commissioners , "neither laborers nor mechanics are to be obtained here." As early as April 1826, Warrington had requested and received permission to hire enslaved labor, "for I would recommend the employment of black laborers in preference to white, as they suit this climate better, are less liable to change, more easily controlled, more temperate, and more will actually do more work." Even after Warrington
4958-714: Was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. On March 3, 2010 the commander of the base, Captain William Reavey Jr. , was relieved of command after a Navy investigation into alleged improper conduct. Reavey was replaced by Captain Christopher Plummer. NAS Pensacola is host to the 479th Flying Training Group (479 FTG) of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The 479 FTG is composed of the 451st Flying Training Squadron , 455th Flying Training Squadron and 479th Operations Support Squadron. The 479 FTG
5032-524: Was emphasized by then- Senator Owen Brewster 's statement: "The growth of naval aviation during World War II is one of the wonders of the modern world." Naval aviators from NAS Pensacola were called upon to train the Doolittle Raiders at Eglin Field in 1942 for carrier take-offs in their B-25 Mitchell bombers. Navy Lt. Henry Miller supervised their takeoff training and accompanied the crews to
5106-468: Was finally able to get skilled white journeymen mechanics from Norfolk, he asked for and received permission to continue utilizing enslaved labor, since due to the unhealthy conditions and poor pay white laborers simply would not remain at the new naval station. As a consequence, Pensacola Navy agent Samuel R. Overton advertised for 38 enslaved workers, promising local slaveholders "17 dollars per month with common Navy Rations." The bondsmen's names are found on
5180-407: Was named after the late Admiral Forrest P. Sherman , a former chief of naval operations. Shortly thereafter the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels , relocated from NAS Corpus Christi, Texas . Pilot training requirements shifted upward to meet the demands for the Vietnam War , which occupied much of the 1960s and 1970s. From a low of 1,413 in 1962, before the entry of
5254-429: Was reduced to 2,500. From 1950 through 1990, the Census Bureau specified other population requirements for unincorporated places or CDPs in Alaska , Puerto Rico , island areas, and Native American reservations . Minimum population criteria for CDPs were dropped with the 2000 Census . The Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) allows designated participants to review and suggest modifications to
5328-452: Was removed from service and demolished some time in the early 1900s. At the start of the Civil War , Pensacola was controlled by Confederate forces, while Fort Pickens across the bay remained in Union hands. Confederate authorities removed the lens from the lighthouse, and most of the lighthouse supplies were requisitioned for the war effort. In November 1861 an artillery duel between
5402-663: Was the establishment of an aviation training station in Pensacola. On 20 January 1914, LCdr. Henry C. Mustin , Naval Aviator No. 11, and Lt. John H. Towers , Naval Aviator No. 3, and Lt. Patrick N. L. Bellinger , Naval Aviator No. 8, arrived in Pensacola on the former battleship USS Mississippi with the men and aircraft from the Naval Aviation Camp at Annapolis , Maryland. "The aviation unit consisted of nine officers, 23 enlisted men, and seven aircraft." The first flight occurred on 2 February 1914, with Lt. Towers and Ens. Godfrey deC. Chevalier , Naval Aviator No. 7, at
5476-648: Was the first labor strike. Captain Melancthon Taylor Woolsey was able to make sufficient adjustments to the workday that the men returned to work after a couple of days. One factor that inhibited both military and civilian workers from remaining in Pensacola was the lack of an adequate hospital. On 3 November 1828, naval surgeon Isaac Hulse , physician in charge of the Naval Hospital in Barrancas, wrote Commodore Melanchthon Taylor Woolsey
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