Pensacola Naval Air Station

A National Historic Landmark since 1976, the Pensacola Naval Air Station has been rebuilt several times since its opening in 1826.  Confederate soldiers destroyed most of the base in 1862, but its buildings were reconstructed after the war. A 1906 hurricane destroyed most of those newer buildings and Hurricane Ivan, which struck the Florida panhandle in 2004, caused more significant damage, causing many historic buildings to be demolished.  Still, this southern naval base, occupying 5,800 acres along the Pensacola Bay, remains an important part of American naval history and is often nicknamed the “Cradle of Naval Aviation”.

In fact, Naval Station Pensacola was the nation's first Naval Air Station and the first Navy pilot training center in the United States.  However, when it was built in the early 1800s, its primary mission was to suppress slave trade and piracy throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.  After the Civil War, it was rebuilt as a Navy Yard and then eventually decommissioned in 1911.  Shortly thereafter, however, it was chosen as the first Aeronautic Center and a flying school was set up there by 1914.

Throughout World Wars I and II, Pensacola was the hub of all naval air training operations.  In 1944 alone, more than 12,000 men trained here.  Still today, the initial training of all naval aviators begins in at Pensacola Naval Air Station and many well-known astronauts received their training here, including Wally Schirra, John Glenn, and Alan Shepherd.

NAS Pensacola is also home to the National Museum of Naval Aviation which “collects, preserves and displays appropriate memorabilia representing the development, growth, and historic heritage of naval aviation.”  Many consider it to be the best museum of its kind in the world.

If you were employed at Pensacola Naval Air Station before the asbestos warnings of the mid-1970s, you may have been exposed to the hazards of this dangerous material, at one time used in abundance by the military.  If you’ve developed mesothelioma due to your job at NAS Pensacola, it’s time to learn more about the disease and your rights as a victim.  Take a moment to order our free Mesothelioma Information Kit for more details.