Naval Station Norfolk, Naval base in Norfolk, US
Naval Station Norfolk is a naval base in Norfolk, United States, stretching along more than 4 miles (6.4 km) of waterfront with fourteen piers for large warships. The grounds include an airfield called Chambers Field with eleven aircraft hangars, dry storage areas for decommissioned vessels, and shipyards for repairs.
The site originated on the grounds of the 1907 Jamestown Exposition and officially opened as a naval station on July 4, 1917. In the decades following World War I, the installation grew through extensive land reclamation and harbor expansion to its current size.
The installation functions as a self-contained town with its own zip code, post office, fire department, police force, and schools for military families. On designated family days, civilians can visit the grounds and tour selected vessels, where sailors demonstrate their work areas.
Tours for civilians are only available during special events or through approved tour operators and require advance registration with security clearance. Allow several hours for a visit, as the grounds cover a large area and walking between key points takes considerable time.
More than three thousand ship movements are coordinated here every year, making this the largest concentration of naval forces worldwide. Some decommissioned ships remain anchored here for years, forming what is known as a ghost fleet before being scrapped.
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