fjs@floyd.ATT.COM (06/27/89)
From: fjs@floyd.ATT.COM
I was vacationing in Bermuda (British owned ? ) 3 weeks ago and was very
surprised to find a U.S. Naval Air Station (NAS Bermuda I suppose) there
outside of Hamilton. There were a few F/A-18's there, and mostly what
looked like transport types populating the parking areas. Come to
think of it, there was a P-3 Orion on CAP from there (watched it come
and go twice after refueling, apparently, I guess).
What significance does this "NAS" have for us? There seems to be no
portioned area for docking a ship of any decent size, not to mention
the whole place is surrounded by coral reef and very shallow water.
The air station itself is very small and is used as the only commercial
airport in Bermuda, leaving little room for us. It doesn't seem to have
the room to hold more than 2, maybe three at best, squadrons and almost
no hanger space to speak of for repair/hanging. The housing facilities
are MONGO, leading me to believe that a lot can go on there, but I just
can't seem to SEE what we could fit there (or fit there sometime in the
past). The wife and I got a tour of the little Civil War museum, where
the Confederates and British used Bermuda to help the war effort/place
to take your shoes off and relax. There is enough room for 3 small
ships in Hamilton itself (600 feet long, 30 foot draft), but this is
user for the cruise ships, nothing but shops up and down the streets
there. Any ideas?
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* O O * (I Love 'Em)jrll@Portia.stanford.edu (john ralls) (06/28/89)
From: john ralls <jrll@Portia.stanford.edu> fjs@floyd.ATT.COM writes: >I was vacationing in Bermuda (British owned ? ) 3 weeks ago and was very >surprised to find a U.S. Naval Air Station (NAS Bermuda I suppose) there >outside of Hamilton. > >What significance does this "NAS" have for us? There seems to be no >portioned area for docking a ship of any decent size, not to mention >the whole place is surrounded by coral reef and very shallow water. That is NAS Kindley. There is another, smaller US Navy station in the Great Sound, on a little peninsula on the western side, called Naval Station King's Point, I think (my memory is a bit hazy). Both were bases given to the US in return for fifty antique destroyers in the opening days of World War II (the Atlantic Charter). I have no idea what King's Point is for, but Kindley is immensely useful as a refuelling stop for antisub patrol missions in the atlantic. Bermuda has a wonderful central location which complements Iceland necely for such things. Why should an Air Station need a pier? The only one which jumps to mind as having one is NAS North Island in San Diego... and I think that is more accident than design. Incidentally, when I was in Bermuda in the late sixties, Kindley belonged to the Air Force. I think they were using it for a way station on the way to europe; they realized in the early seventies that most of their planes could get to europe without stopping, and gave it to the Navy. John
chidsey@BRL.MIL (I do not have signature authority. I am not authorized to sign) (06/29/89)
From: "I do not have signature authority. I am not authorized to sign" <chidsey@BRL.MIL> We gave 50 obsolete destroyers to England in 1940(?) and received in return rights to 3 (I think ) naval bases. Bermuda, somewhere in Eastern Canada, & somewhere in the Carribean. Memory not very good, I was 13 at the time. There was very little independent tourist business during the early 40s. Don't know how much they are used, they don't much make the news. Irv -- I do not have signature authority. I am not authorized to sign anything. I am not authorized to commit the BRL, the DOA, the DOD, or the US Government to anything, not even by implication. Irving L. Chidsey <chidsey@brl.mil>
arf@chinet.chi.il.us (Jack Schmidling) (06/30/89)
From: arf@chinet.chi.il.us (Jack Schmidling)
I was vacationing in Bermuda (British owned ? ) 3 weeks ago
and was very surprised to find a U.S. Naval Air Station (NAS
Bermuda I suppose) there outside of Hamilton...........
What significance does this "NAS" have for us?...........
.............................
This information is dated but probably more accurate than
yours. I was stationed at the U.S. Coast Air Detachment,
Bermuda until 1963 and at that time..........
Near your Civil War museum in St Georges was Kindley AFB and
hospital. My daughter was born there. I dont recall what
function Kindley provided but that is where the commercial
airport is.
At the opposite end of the island, in Somerset, is NAS
Bermuda and the CG Air Detachment.
CG provides communications and search and rescue operations
for the Mid-Atlantic and supports ops with amphibious
aircraft (desig forgotten) and a large cutter on rotating
duty.
NAS Bermuda was dedicated to submarine surveillance via sona
buoys and amphibious aircraft.
It is also a great place for r & r and possibly the whole
operation is just the facade of an excuse for Navy ships to
stop there.
Hamilton Harbor is strictly for small cruise ships and
yachts. But carriers and large ships anchor and maneuver
within the protection provided by the horseshoe shaped coral
reef and communicate with shore via liberty boats (maybe a
little electronics too).
I hope this is of interest to you and not too out-dated.
Jack Schmidling (arf)
ZZ