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~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Naval Air Station Alameda, California 
During World War II, Naval Air Station was one of the Navy's busiest air stations with air units, carrier groups, supplies, numerous naval personnel and sometimes VIP's passing through on their way to the Pacific or to points east. Construction never stopped at NAS, Alameda during the war and by 1945 it was a huge facility with 3600 officers and 29,000 enlisted personnel. In 1994, Alameda was homeport to the nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Abraham Lincoln, as well as two guided missile cruisers and a destroyer tender. The Naval Aviation Depot (former Assembly and Repair Department) was the largest activity on the base and employs over 3,500 civilians that overhaul, repair, and modify Naval aircraft. Five Reserve squadrons were also based at the station. Alameda, after 50 years of service to the fleet, was selected for closure by the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The base closed in 1997. 
The area encompassed by NAS Alameda was historically a combination of submerged lands, tideland, and dry land. The site is relatively flat, with elevations ranging from sea level to 30 feet above sea level. The property occupies the flattest portion of Alameda, reflecting its origins as diked bay lands and mud flats. Much of the land now occupied by NAS Alameda was once covered by the waters of San Francisco Bay or was tidal flats. Much of the base was gradually filled using hydraulically placed dredge spoils from the surrounding San Francisco Bay, the Seaplane Lagoon at NAS Alameda, and the Oakland Channel. The first documented filling of tidal and submerged land began sometime during the 1890s. By 1927, the northern part of what later became NAS Alameda had been filled, chiefly with dredge materials from US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) projects associated with the Oakland Harbor and other harbors throughout the East Bay. Prior to 1930, at least two large industrial sites, a borax processing plant and an oil refinery, were located on the island near what is now the eastern end of NAS Alameda. The refinery was located at the site of the present-day Site 13. 
Since 2000, the city of Alameda has been planning the redevelopment of the former Naval Air Station, now known as Alameda Point. Complicating the redevelopment are several constraints: land-use constraints consisting of Tidelands Trust; soil and groundwater contamination; wildlife refuge buffer requirements; geotechnical issues; 100-year flood plans; institutional and contractual constraints with Alameda Measure A, the Alameda Naval Air Station Historic District and existing residents and leases. 
The Alameda Naval Air Museum has been designated an official Partner Archive for the national Veterans History Project by the Library of Congress. The purpose of the Veterans History Project is to document and permanently archive the wartime service experiences of veterans and civil workers. As an official archive for the Project, the Museum will conduct videotaped interviews, and collect memoirs, personal artifacts, and other original materials from veterans of World War II, the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars and the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts for preservation in Washington, D.C.. “As a veteran of World War II, I understand the urgency of the Veterans History Project. Most of us are in our 80’s now. The reality is we won’t be around much longer to tell the story of our wartime service,” said Marilyn York, Museum Director. “Many young people don’t understand the tremendous sacrifices that were made by their own grandparents and relatives. It’s critical that we act now to preserve the lessons of history for future generations of Americans.” 
Learn More About Naval Air Station Alameda HERE!!
FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT~Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allies military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before.
Please remember: The Canteen is a place to honor and entertain our troops. The Canteen is family friendly. Let's have fun! We pray for your continued strength, to be strong in the face of adversity. We pray for your safety, that you will return to your families and friends soon. We pray that your hope, courage, and dignity remain unbroken, so that you may show others the way. God Bless You All ~ Today, Tomorrow and Always |
