Navy Bases

[surfacenuke4]

I was wondering about some of the bases that everyone has been on and what they thought about them. Mostly I was just wondering about the bases with ships. thanks

 

[Armo325]

If you've seen one, you've seen them all, my friend.

 

[Thisguy]

True, but off base is whole different story. I'm sure the sub guys here in point loma (san diego) have a much better time on the weekends then the guys up in Groton, CT.

 

[Daedalus]

For what it's worth the casino is right there, in CT

 

[Thisguy]

Foxwoods, huh? Well, there's a whole bunch of them 30-45 min outside of San Diego, not to mention Vegas is a short Southwest Airlines flight away

 

[cricechex]

What about NAS Oceana?

 

[Thisguy]

I don't know anything about NAS Oceana, but it's real close to Virgina Beach, so it can't be that bad! Any east coasters want to chime in on this?

 

[Rugger]

NAS Oceana is in Va Beach, and NOB Norfolk has ships, subs, helo's, and the E2/C2 RAG as well as VRC 40. There are also a few Marine units scattered about. The area is collectively called Tidewater and I really liked living there. I grew up and went to college in California. I think that Tidewater is a lot like that area without the development and crowds. There is decent surfing locally, or you can go down to the Outer Banks. Norfolk is home to the Virginia Symphony and has its own opera. Old Dominion and Norfolk State are in Norfolk, and Va Beach has a couple colleges, so there is not a dearth of twenty somethings about. There is an area in Norfolk where a lot of military people live and are neighbors to the recycling obsessed/volvo driving/homeschooling/latte drinking crowd, which where I lived. The area is starting to grow some and attract a wealthier, non-military population which is increasing the housing market, but it's still nothing like SoCal. Obviously right around the bases are the typical establishments - fast food joints, tattoo shops, pawn shops, used car lots, "adult entertainment and literature," etc but you can get away from that if you want.

 

[HrntDrvrsWife]

surfacenuke4,
What makes a good base?
I guess what I am asking is, what is it about the base are you most interested in knowing about?
Each has various pros and cons.
But if you are talking about location and surrounding area, Oceana is in Virginia Beach and is awesome along with all the surrounding bases in it's perimeter, NAS Norfolk, Little Creek, Dam Neck....all in whats called the Hampton Roads area. A make up of several small cities...Virginia Beach, Norfolk,Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Hampton.
HrntDrvrsWife

 

[dmkouche]

My father is a sub guy, and we've lived up and down the east coast: NY, CT, Kings Bay, Norfolk, Charleston. For the past 10 years or so, he's been stationed in Norfolk or Washington DC. Having grown up there for most of my young life, I'd say being stationed in the Va Beach/Norfolk area has the following perks:

-the beaches aren't so bad (Sandbridge has the best)
-there is a minor league baseball (the Tides) and a minor league hockey team (the Admirals)
-ODU usually has decent basketball (although, being a NC State grad, it pales in comparison to what you'd see in the Research Triangle!)
-Scope, the Harrison Opera House, Chrysler Hall, and the Virginia Beach Ampitheatre typically attract big acts (especially the annual Monster Truck Rally!)
-Busch Gardens and Water Country USA are about 45 min away
-there's plenty to keep the history buffs happy with Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown nearby
-the Navy's MWR program is very active in this area...the gyms and pools are great, you can rent just about any kind of outdoor equipment you can imagine, and you can even take belly dancing classes (my sister can attest to that)
-the military community here is HUGE, so the Tidewater area, in general, really tries to cater to its needs and interests

I could go on forever, but I'll leave it at that. Norfolk has been my favorite, by far, but just about anything is better than Kings Bay, GA (hurl)!

 

[Warlord]

I've got a couple friends at Kings Bay who are nukes and they live on the beach (Amelia Island) in Florida... it's actually fairly nice. It's only a 30 minute drive too.... if there were a bridge it would be a lot less, but you have to go around that huge inlet on the state line.

 

[Jaxs170]

Don't forget about the Navy's best kept secret... Tinker AFB, OK