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NAS Pensacola Suffers Catastrophic Damage

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The Chief

Retired
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NMCB 1 Seabees Depart for Pensacola, Begin Disaster Recovery Operations
Story Number: NNS040917-14
Release Date: 9/17/2004 4:59:00 PM



By Journalist 1st Class (SW) Dennis J. Herring, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 Public Affairs

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- A team of Seabees departed Construction Battalion Center, Gulport, Miss., at 1 a.m. Sept. 17 for Pensacola, Fla., to establish a command center for disaster recovery operations.

Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 spent the night of Sept. 16 loading trucks with communications equipment and tools to assist with initial recovery operations. NMCB 1 officials received the order to deploy Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. and began preparations for the trip. Less than eight hours later, more than 40 Seabees departed on the initial trip.

“Our Seabees really came through and completed the preparations in record time,” said Lt. Cmdr. Scot Sanders, NMCB 1 operations officer.

“We deployed a reconnaissance team, a disaster recovery team and a group to establish the on-scene command post at Naval Air Station Pensacola for Rear Adm. (sel.) Wayne Shear from Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) in Washington,” said Lt. j.g. Ryan Carey, of NMCB 1’s operations team. “Shear will be the on-scene commander for recovery operations in the area.”

“Pensacola base officials have estimated the damage on the three military bases at more than $100 million,” Carey said. “We have been told that more than 20 percent of the windows on base have been blown out, and all of the roofs have damage. There was also severe flooding. Health and safety is the major concern at this time.”

A team of 115 Seabees from NMCB 1 has been selected to depart Gulfport Sept. 18. No time for their return has been decided.

“The combined teamwork of the 22nd Naval Construction Regiment, the 20th Seabee Readiness Group and NMCB 1 ensured that the Seabees were able to respond in very short order to make a difference in support of an extremely important mission,” added NMCB 1 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Louis V. Cariello.
 

PropStop

Kool-Aid free since 2001.
pilot
Contributor
i doubt all the a/c escaped as certainly some of them were hard down for one reason or another and unable to fly. when we hurrivaced when i was there quite a few didn't go, but then again, that hurricane (which didn't hit) was only a cat 2 and the hangers were designed to survive that.
 

thundersquid

New Member
pilot
Patmack18 said:
all the a/c were hurrevac'd

I went on whiting on Tuesday evening at around 1730 and there were still a lot of aircraft there. Probably about 20 t-34's and about 13 helicopters. From my house, I didn't hear any planes flying on Wednesday morning, but they may have departed on the other runway.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
I have posted a Navy message recounting the damage done. The museum faired very well. Many of the other building did not do well at all. No report on specific damage to OCS buildings.
 

Elder

US Coast Guard C-130 Demonstration Team
Attached are 3 shots from Whiting and one of the Lighthouse on NAS.. still standing.

2nd shot is the playground as you come on the base :|
 

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Elder

US Coast Guard C-130 Demonstration Team
First shot is the Coast Guard Station on NAS Pensacola.

Second and third are I-10 bridge over the Escambia Bay.
 

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bch

Helo Bubba
pilot
PropStop said:
i doubt all the a/c escaped as certainly some of them were hard down for one reason or another and unable to fly. when we hurrivaced when i was there quite a few didn't go, but then again, that hurricane (which didn't hit) was only a cat 2 and the hangers were designed to survive that.


Not a maintance guy or anything, but judging by appearances, (flew some a/c back yesterday) the a/c we left behind, appear to be in good condition. No obvious damage, same appears to be true of the a/c left at North Field.

The hangars are a different story. All of them have new and improved sun roofs.
 

bch

Helo Bubba
pilot
Have not seen it, but I was told that the Maintance hangar (where the Cobra is) lost a door. South Park had a couple doors blown off their track, but they are still attached to the building. I was a little skepitcal about the hangar door thing, until I saw all the other damage. Not sure about the rest of you, but I can't wait to get back to the west coast. I will take Earth Quakes any day over Hurricanes.
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Yes, there is a 5-ton hangar door laying in the woods somewhere from the midfield hangar, and nobody knows exactly where. Maybe it'll become a course rules checkpoint. It's gotta be pretty obvious from the air. ;)
 

Fly Navy

...Great Job!
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
bch said:
Have not seen it, but I was told that the Maintance hangar (where the Cobra is) lost a door. South Park had a couple doors blown off their track, but they are still attached to the building. I was a little skepitcal about the hangar door thing, until I saw all the other damage. Not sure about the rest of you, but I can't wait to get back to the west coast. I will take Earth Quakes any day over Hurricanes.

Except the West Coast has a far more destructive force than the hurricane... hippies :eek:
 

Elder

US Coast Guard C-130 Demonstration Team
I don't know ... I lived in Humboldt County, CA and that place pretty much takes the cake.

And I was in Austin 2 weeks ago ... had a great time :)
 
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