America (CV 66) - Naval Cruise Book

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Hampton Roads was not affect- ed much by the outbreak of World War l in 1914. However, in early 1917, Germany opened a campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare, extending to the American shores. On April 6th of that year, the Unit- ed States declared war on Germa- ny. When President Wilson issued his call to war, the residents of Hampton Roads answered the call. They thronged around the navy re- cmiters' offices and cheered when recruiters pleaded for enlistments during a mass meeting at the Colo- nial Theatre in Norfolk. In May of 1917, a convoy of merchant ships laden with desper- ately-needed food and war sup- plies sailed from Hampton Roads and reached Britain without a sin- gle loss. Its journey marked the effective use of the convoy system for transporting goods and troops to England and France, and led to the establishment of the Naval Overseas Transportation Service for the purpose of moving supplies to Europe. This fleet operated largely out of Hampton Roads, us- ing both naval transports and mer- chant ships. World War I led as well to the establishment of the Naval Operat- ing Base. Onjune 28, 1917, Presi- dent Wilson signed a proclamation establishing the Naval Operating Base, Hampton Roads, and autho- rizing the navy to take possession of 474 acres of land in Norfolk, including the Jamestown Exposi- tion site, to build a Naval Opem- ing Base, including piers, store- houses, oil fuel storage and recreation grounds for the fleet. Work on this project commenced on the Fourth of july of that year, and within thirty days, houses had been constructed for 7,500 men, along with mess halls, store houses, utilities and road systems. The base was commissioned on October 12, 1917: by Armistice Day 1918, 34.1113 personnel were assigned to the base. ,.,--',. -.. -K ..,. ra. ta.t 5 rm'

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Naval aviation again demon- strated her growing prowess as Hampton Roads watched. The coal carrierjupiter was selected for conversion to become the Navy's first aircraft carrier, Langley. When converted, Langley had a flight deck measuring 534 feet by 64 feet and was the Navy's first electrically propelled vessel. The first takeoff from the Langley's deck occurred on October 17, 1922. The first ar- rested landing happened nine days later on October 26, 1922. The first catapult shot off the Langley oc- curred on November 18 of the same year. While the Navy was being ne- glected in Congress, the Depres- sion was ravaging the economy of the area. In 1931 President Hoover transferred a large part of the At- lantic Fleet to the West coast to monitor the activities of japan. Since many of these ships were homeported in Norfolk, the trans- fer of the fleet also signaled the transfer of the paycheck to the West Coast. Although the Norfolk Navy Yard had been granted a battleship modemization program which would last until 1934, em- ployees ofthe shipyard were forced in 1933 to take a fifteen percent pay Ctll. When Franklin Delano Roose- velt was inaugurated in 1933, the Navy and consequently Hampton Roads gained a valuable friend. Roosevelt launched a naval ship- building and improvement pro- gram to slow the effects of neglect on the fleet. These programs en- abled the Norfolk Navy Yard to increase its employment rolls to 'DON thin 7.600 by 1959, providing a much-needed shot-in-the-arm for the area. .yr V, - V V , LH I--1 -FUNK-lftl whores of X iriginla Beach The elegance of Waterside captured at night, i A vigilant lifeguard stands his watch. t X.. art. va-.1 l .ncL.n N Cmm J icnumh. mm of li sl Ku 'N ff jf 3 W fag- -J if ' .. - -as Y N. D .Al-. 0 .x y J' A -.-. . Vff .15.. rf ' l4 KH M2 5' if l pl . Mi 1 l ia' l - ' is . fl- g X. i if :H if: W EE ' 5 1 .Y fi. I, ,W . If 3 l