Hampton Roads Naval Museum

44. Naval Station Norfolk

Norfolk, VA

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When the United States entered World War I, the Navy needed swift action regarding a training facility on the East Coast. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for funds to purchase land on Sewell's Point, on the harbor of Hampton Roads. On June 28, 1917, Wilson issued a proclamation setting aside $1,200,000 as payment for the property, with an additional $1,600,000 for development of the base. The land purchased comprised 474 acres, 367 acres of which were the old Jamestown Exposition grounds, including several buildings, among them the state pavilions. Rear Admiral A.C. Dillingham took charge of the construction of the new facility on July 4, 1917. Dillingham managed thousands of civilian and military workers who cleared the land and then focused their attention on housing, mess halls, and other buildings for naval recruits. The initial purpose of the base centered on aviation, recruit training, a submarine base, and a supply base. The supply center was initially located in an old resort hotel, the Pine Beach. Two permanent warehouse buildings, one for cold storage, were erected and the center began service to the fleet. The submarine base had buildings for torpedo storage, battery storage, and a compressor station to supply compressed air to the submarines' ballast tanks. A major engineering feat was undertaken on the west side of the property, where the flats had to be dredged to allow sufficient depth for ships to berth. The dredged material, 8,000 yards worth, was used to create new land, increasing the size of the station to 793 acres. On October 12, 1917, the Naval Training Station was officially established and thousands of young sailors flooded the new barracks. The name, Naval Operating Base, Hampton Roads, Virginia, was formalized on January 29, 1918. The abbreviation NOB, although long out-of-date, continues to be used by locals and sailors.