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Weymouth Historical Society |
History
of the South Weymouth Naval Air Station
The Navy’s LTA expansion program was divided into two increments. The first consisted of 27 airships and coastal bases at three locations: the Boston area, the Norfolk area, and somewhere near San Francisco. The second was to consist of 21 additional airships with three additional air stations: the Pacific Northwest., Southern California, and one in Florida from which to patrol the Gulf of Mexico. After a review of several potential sites, a large tract of land in South Weymouth was selected as the most desirable location to construct a new LTA base. Construction began at South Weymouth during September of 1941. The South Weymouth site, an area of 1267 acres within the communities of Weymouth, Abington, Rockland and Hingham, was almost completely undeveloped when the Navy acquired the property. At a cost of $6 million, NAS South Weymouth was the largest wartime construction project on Massachusetts’s south shore. The base was established on March 1, 1942.
Information from the Global Security web site and “The Defender’s History, A historical account of Naval Air Station South Weymouth, Mass”.
The Patriot Squadron Association of Naval Aviation is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Squantum Naval Air Station and the South Weymouth Naval Air Station, Massachusetts. The Shea Naval Aviation Museum is located at the former USN Shea Fitness Center (base gymnasium) at 495 Shea Memorial Drive at SouthField (formerly NAS South Weymouth), in Weymouth Mass, and is now open to the public between 9am - 11am on the last Saturday of every month. There is not a charge to visit the museum... come see us!!
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Weymouth Historical Society, 238 Park Ave, PO Box 56, South Weymouth, Massachusetts 02190 |
Tele:
(781) 340-1022 |
Founded
in 1879 |
Email:
WeyHistorical@aol.com |