NAS Oceana ...

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7822

Again some real nice images here of another Naval Air Station. I've always known about NAS Oceana from when my dad was there back in the late 40's with VF-153 but never have seen much as far as photos. The base looks to have developed a bit over the years. Source NMNA archives.

Paret 1 of 4

View of aircraft spotted in front of the tower at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia 1980

Aerial view of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1944

View of Fentress Field, an outlying field of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1944

Aerial view of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1951

Aerial view of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1956

Aerial view of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1959

Aerial view of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1960

Aerial view of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1963

Aerial view of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1964

Aerial view of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1965

View of A-4 Skyhawks and F-8 Crusaders spotted on the flight line at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia 1965

View of A-4 Skyhawks spotted on the flight line at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia 1965

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7822

Part 2 of 4

F6F-5 Hellcat aircraft of VF-153 and CAG-153 in flight over NAS Oceana (Dad flying #53) 1946

F6F-5 Hellcat aircraft of VF-153 is on the ground at NAA Oceana, VA. 1945

F6F-5 Hellcat flying near NAAS Oceana, VA 1946

Three (3) F6F-5 Hellcat are flying near NAAS Oceana, VA 1945

SB2C-5 of Torpedo Squadron (VT-74) pictured in flight over NAAS Oceana, VA 1946

TBM's, with Torpedo Squadron Eighty-Seven (VT-87), pictured in formation flight at NAS Oceana, VA 1945

TBM, with Torpedo Squadron Eighty-Seven (VT-87), pictured in flight at NAS Oceana, VA 1945

F6F-3 Hellcat of VF-80 in flight off the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) in the Oceana VA area 1944

Eight (8) F6F-5 Hellcat are flying in two diamond formations near Oceana, VA 1945

F6F-5 Hellcat of NAAS Oceana, VA on the ground at the reopening of the base 1951

SNJ Texan with Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1946

F4U-4 Corsair aircraft of VF-42 landing on the runway at NAS Oceana, VA 1953

AD-4 from Attack Squadron Twenty-Five (VA-25) with full rocket load at NAS Oceana

A T-28B Trojan assigned to Fighter Squadron (VF) 21 pictured in flight near Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia 1958

View of the tower and d connected hangar at Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia c 1950

Visitors view aircraft on static display during an air show at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia. Note Blue Angel F9F Panthers lined up in the background 1954-55

View of F4D-1 Skyray with its nose inside a wheeled electronics stand at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia 1958

View of aircraft around the tower at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia c 1966

Two (2) F8U-2NE Crusader aircraft from VF-174 are in flight over NAS Oceana, VA 1966

View of an F-4 Phantom II flying over Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia 1975

View of aircraft spotted at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia 1978

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7822

Part 3 of 4

Commander Lou Bauer, commander of Carrier Air Group (CVG) 1, pictured in an F8F-1 Bearcat at Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1946

FJ-3 Fury jet fighter aircraft of VF-84 are lined up on the ground at NAS Oceana, VA 1955

An FJ-3 Fury by North American Aviation from VF-21 is on the ground at NAS Oceana, VA 1955

Two Douglas F3D Skyknights of Fleet Air ServiceSquadron 5, on the flight line at Naval Air Station, Oceana, Virginia 1955

Two (2) F7U-3M Cutlass aircraft of VA-83 are in flight out of NAS Oceana, VA 1956

Two (2) F-4N Phantom II aircraft of VF-201 is flying with an A-5E Skyhawk and an F-5E Tiger II of VF-43 out of NAS Oceana, VA 1982

A formation of nine (9) F-4J Phantom aircraft of VF-84 is in flight near NAS Oceana, VA 1968

View of F-4 Phantom II aircraft flying in missing man formation over Chapel of the Good Shepherd at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia 1975

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:22 pm

In the far distance of the 1978 ramp shot I see an aircraft that used to be pretty common around my neck of the woods for years, and found wherever A-6's were located, a Grumman TC-4 B/N trainer.

jwc50 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:31 pm

Mark - those are some great shots! Oceana was an exciting place in years back.

Comparatively boring today with only Hornets and Super Hornets there.

jwc50 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 5:21 pm

Mark - I think the photo dated 1954/55 with the airship, Mariner, Blue Angels Panthers, etc, would probably be dated perhaps 1953/54. Can't say for sure, but I think by 1955 the Blue Angels had transitioned to the Cougar - just guessing on my part though.

lmritger · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:33 pm

Mark, you magnificent bastige, you're posting pics of my home area now- and I **LOVE IT**!!! You've dug up an awful lot of stuff on Oceana which I don't have- which seems to be par for the course for you nowadays, your Google-Fu is most impressive.

The F6F shots are a revelation, I've never seen any of those previously, and the shot of the F-4J with the F-5 banking away in 1982 was taken immediately over the Lynnhaven Parkway offramp from I-264 (it was I-44 back at that time, the toll road). That was the same year Lynnhaven Mall opened, incidentally... I started 10th grade at Kempsville High School in VB that year.

Wait, was that actually 31 years ago? Jeezus Christ, when did I get old?

Anyways, great pics, and a very hearty THANK YOU from this Hampton Roads native!

Lynn

Russ Blow · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:40 pm

Ahh yes. Home sweet home. Thanks for posting these. I dont think I could sleep at night without hearing the rumble of the F 18's. As a kid in the 60's and 70's my dad worked at both Oceana and NAS Norfolk and used to take me on both fields to check out the aircraft. I loved it.

Would love to see an overlay of the first aerial photo from 1944 to a Google image from today. The difference would be stunning. I remember back in 78 or 79 ( senile ) I was working a construction site when a back hoe hit a large metal object. Did not take long to realize it was a part of a radial engine and a couple more digs to see aluminum. Stopped called police and then the Navy came out and excavated the area. Seems it was the remains of aircraft from the WW 2 era that had been involved in a mid air. And what is now suburban shopping centers was back then forest and swamp lands. In fact the land was being clear to build Providence Sq. shopping center. Rumor was the pilot was recovered but I cant confirm that. Sorry I dont have more on it. back then did not pay a lot of attention to those things.

We also had Creeds and Pungo aux. fields in the city ( then Princess Anne county ) both of which are still visible today. Pungo is now a USCG communication station and Creeds was a drag strip and now is a driving range for the VBPD. I actually landed at Creeds back in the late 70's.

gary1954 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:55 pm

Mark Allen M wrote:

Part 2 of 4

A T-28B Trojan assigned to Fighter Squadron (VF) 21 pictured in flight near Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia 1958

According to Joe Baugher's pages

North American T-28B Trojan 138354 (c/n 200-425) to MASDC as 5T0098 Feb 21, 1977. Later on civil registry as N1328B

Last known to be registered in Leesburg, Virginia

Looks like she's up for sale as well http://www.courtesyaircraft.com/Current ... 0T-28B.htm

gary1954 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:12 pm

I'd love to see those Invaders in Color man, I love that scheme on them during that period.

Russ Blow · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:35 pm

Any photos of the F 21's while they were there? I remember the first time one flew over sure got my attention.

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7822

Some more from the 'Inglorious B*stard' :wink:

Three (3) F6F-5 Hellcat are flying in formation near NAAS Oceana, VA 1945

F6F-5 Hellcat is in flight out of NAAS Oceana, VA 1946

View of Pungo Field, an outlying field of Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Oceana, Virginia 1944

F6F-3 Hellcats from VF-15 are on the snow covered apron of the hangars at Pungo Field 1943

A-4Es of Attack Squadron Seventy-Two (VA-72) in flight near Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana.

A4D-1s of Attack Squadron Forty-Three (VA-43) in flight near Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, VA.

Two (2) F-4N Phantom II aircraft of VF-201 are flying with an A-5E Skyhawk and an F-5E Tiger II of VF-43 out of NAS Oceana, VA. The rear F-4N is the aircraft of CAG-20 1982

F-4N Phantom II aircraft of VF-201 with an F-5E Tiger II of VF-43 out of NAS Oceana, VA 1982

F-4N Phantom II of VF-201 out of NAS Oceana, VA 1982

JD-1 Invader near NAS Oceana 1953

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sun Mar 17, 2013 11:25 am

I like the handpainted dark blue paint laid down over the earlier red surrounds on the star and bars in the late '43 F-6-F snow scenes, and the F-11-F style shark mouth on the VA-43 scoots both interesting and maybe an 'A HA' for modellers.

Larry Kraus · **Posted:** Sun Mar 17, 2013 12:13 pm

Another facinating post Mark,thanks.Is there any chance of your doing one of these on NAS South Weymouth,MA.? As a kid I lived near the base between 1958 and 1962.In 1961-1962 the 150 year old house that I lived in was about 1000 feet from the blimp ramp.I developed my love of airplanes during that period.

1/5_UC-78 · **Joined:** Wed Jan 19, 2011 2:22 pm **Posts:** 22

SOmeone should print out, in large format, all of the 1944-1966 aerial pictures and take them to a Virginia Beach city council meeting. Point out why there is the constant threat of Oceana closing. The Navy picked a responsible place in the middle of nowhere and the city chose to build around it! Then the news interviews people that are 25 years old about the noise...Really?? You bought a house next to a Master Jet Base that has been here for 70 years and you complain! It pi$$es me off to no end when this happens. Its not like they suspended operations while you looked for a house.

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