Naval Auxiliary Air Station Boca Chica

Naval Auxiliary Air Station Boca Chica
U.S. Navy photo by Danette Baso Silvers · Public domain · source
Name	Naval Auxiliary Air Station Boca Chica
Location	Boca Chica Key, Florida
Country	United States
Type	Naval air station (auxiliary)
Coordinates	24°35′N 81°43′W
Used	1943–1945; 1950s
Controlledby	United States Navy

Naval Auxiliary Air Station Boca Chica was a United States Navy auxiliary airfield located on Boca Chica Key near Key West, Florida that supported naval aviation training, anti-submarine patrols, and test operations during World War II and the early Cold War. Established amid wartime expansion of Naval Air Station Key West infrastructure, the facility interfaced with regional bases, maritime patrol squadrons, and continental defense networks. Its strategic position in the Straits of Florida and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico made it a node for coordination among Atlantic Fleet units, Fleet Air Wing commands, and allied aviation training programs.

History

Construction of the auxiliary field began as part of the United States mobilization for World War II to augment Naval Air Stations across the continental United States and Caribbean Sea theater. The site selection on Boca Chica Key involved federal coordination with the United States Department of the Navy and local authorities in Monroe County, Florida. Commissioned in 1943, the station supported anti-submarine warfare efforts tied to the Battle of the Atlantic and operated in concert with units from Naval Air Station Pensacola, Cuban Naval Base activity, and continental patrol routes linking to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. After World War II drawdowns that affected installations like Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Air Station Norfolk, the field saw intermittent use during the Korean War era before eventual decommissioning and transfer processes involving the General Services Administration.

Facilities and Infrastructure

The auxiliary station featured runways, hangars, control facilities, and fuel storage designed for carrier-based and land plane operations similar to installations at Naval Air Station Key West and Naval Auxiliary Air Station Chincoteague. Infrastructure included paved runways oriented for prevailing winds in the Florida Keys corridor, radio navigation aids compatible with Instrument Landing System precursors, and maintenance shops for aircraft such as the Grumman TBF Avenger, Consolidated PBY Catalina, and early Douglas SBD Dauntless types. Support buildings housed ordnance magazines, quartermaster supply functions, and medical detachments modeled after facilities at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Transportation links connected the station to U.S. Route 1 (Florida Keys), maritime piers serving United States Coast Guard cutters, and communications relays tied into NAVCOMM networks.

Units and Operations

Operationally, the station hosted detachments from patrol bombing squadrons affiliated with Fleet Air Wing 5 and training squadrons attached to Naval Air Training Command elements. Units rotating through included anti-submarine warfare patrols equipped with Martin PBM Mariner aircraft, search-and-rescue teams coordinating with Pan American World Airways flying boats, and ordnance handling units interoperating with United States Marine Corps aviation contingents during joint exercises. The field supported transient carrier air groups from United States Atlantic Fleet carriers conducting touch-and-go training, and its command relationships connected to regional headquarters at Naval Operating Base Key West and higher echelon commands in United States Fleet Forces Command.

Role in World War II and Cold War

During World War II the station contributed to convoy escort and anti-submarine operations against German U-boat activity in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, linking tactical sorties to strategic directives from Admiral Ernest King-era Atlantic commands. Training and operational sorties from the field supported coastal defense initiatives contemporaneous with actions in the Battle of the Atlantic and air-sea coordination with Royal Navy units and Royal Canadian Navy escorts. In the early Cold War the facility provided temporary staging for surveillance operations related to Soviet Navy activity in the Caribbean Crisis environment and participated in readiness cycles during the Korean War period, aligning with doctrine emerging from Joint Chiefs of Staff guidance on maritime air reconnaissance.

Post-military Use and Redevelopment

Following decommissioning, property management transitioned through federal surplus processes and local redevelopment efforts involving Monroe County, Florida and state agencies such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Portions of the former airfield were repurposed for civilian aviation, maritime commerce, and community uses similar to conversions seen at Naval Air Station Alameda and Bremerton Naval Air Station repurposing projects. Redevelopment proposals engaged stakeholders including National Park Service units responsible for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and local preservation groups advocating adaptive reuse that balanced tourism, historical commemoration, and infrastructure needs for Key West International Airport-adjacent communities.

Environmental and Cultural Impact

Environmental assessments addressed coastal habitat impacts in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and effects on mangrove ecosystems, seagrass beds, and endangered species monitored under regulations influenced by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and state conservation statutes. Cultural impacts involved interactions with historic preservation frameworks such as listings analogous to the National Register of Historic Places and engagement with heritage organizations documenting wartime aviation history like the National Naval Aviation Museum. Community memory links the station to broader Florida Keys wartime narratives, local economic shifts tied to military drawdowns, and cultural tourism anchored by museums, historical markers, and veterans' associations that preserve accounts of squadron operations and personnel who served at the facility.

Category:Former United States Navy installations Category:Florida Keys Category:World War II military installations of the United States