Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Massachusetts: Southeastern Boston area
© 2002, © 2009 by Paul Freeman. Revised 1/23/09.
Brockton Airport (revised 7/20/08) - Clark Airport (revised 9/15/07) - Dennison Airport (added 10/18/08)
Harvard Aviation Field / Squantum NAS (revised 1/23/09) - South Weymouth NAS / Shea Field (revised 12/28/08)
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42.1 North / 70.87 West (Southeast of Boston, MA)
An undated (circa 1930s?) advertisement for Clark Airport (courtesy of Andrew Stella),
showing several monoplanes in front of 2 hangars, labeled “East Coast Airways”.
In 1927, William Clark started Clark Airport across Winter Street from his father's fireworks factory.
However, Clark Airport may have operated in an unofficial capacity for its first few years,
as it was not depicted among active airports on the Rand-McNally 1929 Air Trails Map (according to Chris Kennedy),
nor listed in the Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy),
1937 Airport Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo), or 1938 Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
By the late 1930's Clark was reportedly a bustling airport.
The Hanover Postmaster used the airport to deliver & pick up mail.
The photo was taken during an air meet sponsored by the Bayside Sportman Pilots' Club & East Coast Airways Inc.,
and it was attended by a crowd of 20,000 spectators.
An undated photo of planes & hangars at Clark Airport (courtesy of Andrew Stella).
The earliest map depiction which has been located of Clark Airport was on the 1940 USGS topo map.
It depicted Clark Airport as an open area (without depicting any runways),
but it did depict 4 small hangars along the northwest side of the field.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Clark Airport
was on the May 1941 Boston Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Clark as a commercial/municipal airport.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941,
George Clark, the owner of the National Fireworks Company,
bought the airport land from his son William.
He needed the space to store supplies for making munitions & the airport was a great space for it.
The Plymouth County Registry of Deeds has records showing the National Fireworks Company as having purchased
a good amount of land on December 30, 1941.
Clark Airport was not depicted at all on the November 1942 Boston Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
nor the December 1945 Boston Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
After the war was over George sold the land back to his son & the airport was once again back in operation.
An undated photo of a Kinner R-5 Playboy at Clark Airport (courtesy of Andrew Stella).
An undated (circa 1940s?) aerial view looking west at Clark Airport (courtesy of Andrew Stella),
showing 3 paved runways & a few hangars.
The 1949 USGS topo map depicted Clark Airport as having 3 paved runways,
with 3 small buildings along the northwest side of the field.
The runways at Clark Airport were said to measure 3,000', 2,500', and 1,650'.
The field also had 4 hangars, including a repair shop.
Clark Airport was depicted on the November 1954 Boston Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Clark Airport
was on the November 1955 Boston Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Clark as having a 2,300' paved runway.
In 1958 William Melvin Clark sold the land to the Indian Head Land Trust, who began to develop it as a residential area.
A circa 1958 aerial view looking southwest at the site of Clark Airport
(from the 1997 Hanover Historical Society Calendar, courtesy of Andrew Stella).
By this time the airport property was in the process of being redeveloped.
Clark Airport was no longer depicted at all on the March 1963 Boston Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
No traces of the field remained recognizable in a 1971 aerial photo.
As seen in a 2006 aerial view, not a trace appeared to remain of Clark Airport,
with houses covering the property.
The site of Clark Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Winter Street & Myrtle Street.
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Harvard Aviation Field / Squantum Naval Air Station, Quincy, MA
42.3 North / 71.03 West (South of Boston, MA)
The Squantum "Naval Reserve" Seaplane Base,
as depicted on the 1929 Rand-McNally Air Trails Map of Massachusetts (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The origins of the Squantum airifeld date back to 1910.
According to Bill Deane of the Massachusetts Aviation Historical Society,
in 1910 a plot of undeveloped land on the Squantum peninsula was leased by the Harvard Aeronautical Society from the NY & New Haven RR.
They used the property to hold the 1910 & 1911 Harvard Boston Aero Meets & the 1912 Boston Aero Meet.
After their lease expired in 1915, the field was rented out to individual aviation experimenters,
and in 1916 the field was leased to the Sturtevant Aeroplane Company for flight testing.
The U.S. Navy came along in 1917 & purchased this area for WW1 aviation training purposes & to build a major shipbuilding facility.
The Bethlehem Steel Company built the Victory Plant Shipyard on the northern side of the property,
and built 35 destroyers between 1918-1920.
Post WW1 the area was used for the establishment of Naval Air Reserve Base Squantum in 1923.
The earliest depiction of the Squantum "Naval Reserve" Seaplane Base which has been located
was on the 1929 Rand-McNally Air Trails Map of Massachusetts (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
A photo of a Bristol M1C monoplane (courtesy of Craig Westerman).
The original caption read, “Army flier on air jaunt.
Photo shows Lt. G.S. Haberle, beside the bullet-like monoplane he will fly on a transcontinental flight
from Quincy MA to San Diego CA to join the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Lexington.
The plane, a British fighting-type model,
was rebuilt at the Squantum Airport, from which he takes off November 1. 11-1-29.”
The Boston Chamber of Commerce's 1931 "Airports & Landing Fields of New England" (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described the Squantum U.S. Naval Reserve Aviation Base as consisting of a 30-acre triangular cinder field.
It was said to have 3 runways, with the longest being an 1,800' east/west strip,
along with a 120' x 120' landplane hangar & a 100' x 60' seaplane hangar.
The 1934 U.S. Navy Aviation Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Squantum as having an airfield as well as a seaplane base.
In 1940, the Navy began improving the facility to handle larger planes & seaplanes.
The former Victory shipyard plant,
gutted by a previous fire, was razed,
and hangars & new facilities were built on its site,
including a large seaplane basin on the northern side of the peninsula.
According to Bill Deane of the Massachusetts Aviation Historical Society,
the adjacent Dennison Airport to the south ceased operations in 1942
and its land was taken over by the Navy for the expansion of the Squantum facility.
Squantum became the home of a Special Project Unit in 1943,
which flight tested new equipment being developed at MIT.
During WW2 Squantum had auxiliary fields at Beverly & Ayer,
and Outlying Fields at Norwood, Plymouth, and Mansfield.
A WW2-era aerial view looking north at NAS Squantum (National Archives photo).
"Squantum (Navy)", as depicted on the November 1944 Boston Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
At the end of WW2, Squantum continued its flight training program, but at a reduced pace.
Due to its location on a peninsula,
Squantum's short runways couldn't be lengthened
to support operations of new generations of jet aircraft.
The 1946 & 1949 USGS topo maps labeled the property as “U.S. Naval Reservation”,
but did not depict an airfield, strangely.
Robert Ervin recalled, “I started my 38 year career as an Air Traffic Controller in Squantum Tower in 1952.
Ed Brennen & I stood the last watch in the SQT tower sometime in November of 1953
and the next day we reopened NAS South Weymouth about 20 miles south of Squantum.
The Boston Logan Instrument Landing System was lined up almost perfectly with that SQT Runway 2.
That was another reason that this fine little 'country club' NAS was closed.
Too close to the big airport!”
According to Bill Deane of the Massachusetts Aviation Historical Society, “NAS Squantum squadrons & base personnel
were then shifted to the former all-LTA NAS South Weymouth
which now had newly constructed runways for Squantum’s regular & reserve squadrons.”
NAS Squantum was closed in 1954, and the land & buildings were sold.
A 1954 Navy Master Shore Station Development Plan for Squantum showed that the airfield
eventually consisted of 3 asphalt runways (the largest was 4,100'), taxiways, ramps & hangars.
In 1957, the Navy transferred 5 acres to the Air Force
for an electronic research annex, the Squantum Electronics Research Annex.
By 1960, the site was labeled "Abandoned Airport"
on the Boston Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).
The seaplane basin in the eastern portion of the airfield property was converted into a marina,
surrounded by the high-priced "Marina Bay" luxury condos.
A large building (the former Jordan Marsh warehouse) has been built over the southern portion of the property.
The surviving runways served as a tractor/trailer school
until acquired by the MDC & Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in the 1980s.
They have now developed the site as the Squantum Point Park,
which includes an Aviation Walk commemorating the site's aviation history.
A late 1990s aerial view showed that the only remains of the runways of Squantum NAS
was a 2,700' segment of the northwest end of the primary runway.
A January 2009 aerial view by Paul Freeman looking west at the remains of the northwest/southeast runway of Squantum NAS.
See also:
http://pirs.mvr.usace.army.mil/fuds/a-d/bostonh/preasses/inpr/inpr.htm
http://pirs.mvr.usace.army.mil/fuds/a-d/bostonh/oe/asr/findings/21.pdf
http://www.state.ma.us/film/feefree/squantum.htm
http://www.vpnavy.com/nassquantum.html
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42.29 North / 71.02 West (South of Boston, MA)
Dennison Airport, as depicted on the 1929 Rand-McNally Air Trails Map of Massachusetts (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
According to Bill Deane of the Massachusetts Aviation Historical Society,
Dennison Airport, a small general aviation field, was constructed in the south side of the Squantum peninsula & opened in 1926.
One of the original financial backers of Dennison Airport was Amelia Earhart.
Amelia was a passenger on the first flight at Dennison Airport on September 3, 1927.
Later she learned to at Dennison Airport.
The earliest depiction of Dennison Airport which has been located
was on the 1929 Rand-McNally Air Trails Map of Massachusetts (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The 1934 U.S. Navy Aviation Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Dennison Airport as a T-shaped field, just to the southeast of NAS Squantum.
Dennison Airport may have been closed by 1941,
as the May 1941 Boston Sectional Chart no longer depicted Dennison.
According to Bill Deane of the Massachusetts Aviation Historical Society,
Dennison Airport ceased operations in “1942 when it was closed & the land was taken over by the USN for the creation of NAS Squantum.”
A WW2-era aerial view looking north at NAS Squantum (National Archives photo)
did not show any trace of Dennison Airport (which would have been at the bottom-right of the photo).
A late 1990s aerial view of Squantum did not show any remaining trace of Dennison Airport (at the bottom-right of the photo).
The site of Dennison Airport is located southwest of the intersection of East Squantum Street & Victory Road.
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Brockton Airport, Brockton, MA
42.04 North / 71.02 West (South of Boston, MA)
Brockton Airport, as depicted on the 1929 Rand-McNally Air Trails Map of Massachusetts (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The date of construction of this small general aviation airport has not been determined.
According to an article in the Enterprise by Jennifer Kovalich (courtesy of Richard Griffith),
Brockton Airport sprang up in the 1920s on Main Street in Campello & had a single gravel runway.
The earliest depiction of Brockton Airport which has been located
was on the 1929 Rand-McNally Air Trails Map of Massachusetts (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It described the field as a commercial airport, operated by the Brockton Airport Company.
The field was said to be quite small, measuring only 2,100' x 800' in size.
In the mid-1930s, Robert Hanitsch took his first airplane ride at Brockton Airport in a Ford Trimotor
Robert & his father boarded the plane parked on the gravel strip.
His father took the middle seat, allowing his son to sit near the window.
The youngster immediately leaned over & pressed his nose to the glass, looking down.
Brockton Airport, as depicted on the 1935 Regional Aeronautical Chart.
Andy Ward took his first airplane ride at Brockton Airport in 1936.
At the age of 12 with money in his pocket & a Western Union uniform on his back,
he paid 75 cents to ride in the co-pilot's seat.
The experience made an indelible impression on the pre-teen even as he made his way to the front of the airplane.
"Some wise guy said, 'If that's the pilot, I'm getting off,'" Ward recalled.
The Ford Trimotor, to his surprise, lifted easily into the air.
"When they took off, I thought they were never going to clear the wires off South Main Street," Ward said.
Ward was enamored of flying, even winning trophies at the Brockton Fair in 1939 & 1940 for his model airplanes.
The 1941 USGS topo map labeled the site as "Brockton Airport",
but the only details depicted at the site were several small buildings along the periphery of the field.
No runways were depicted.
Brockton Airport, as depicted on the 1945 Sectional Aeronautical Chart.
In 1945, N.A. Trager & Joe Messina (who were both WW2 Army Air Corps flight instructors)
decided on a handshake to form a business called Brockton Airways.
The two dickered with property owner James Keith & leased the airport property,
later purchasing it while Keith held the mortgage.
N.A. Trager described Keith as a "Mid-western cowboy transplanted to Brockton."
Trager, a former West Bridgewater resident who now lives in Sunny Isles Beach, FL,
said Keith never learned to fly.
"He had no interest in flying," Trager said.
"I don't think he was interested in anything faster than a horse."
Trager & Messina operated Brockton Airways together for 18 months,
starting the venture in October 1945.
During that time, the airport trained numerous war veterans who learned to fly on the G.I. Bill.
Robert Hanitsch, who years before had taken his first flight at the airport, was hired as a flight instructor
and Jean Mirling (later to become Jean Hanitsch) worked as the secretary.
During their time at Brockton Airways, Jean Hanitsch said about 150 ground boys took flying lessons.
At a time when the weekly wage was between $35 & $40,
solo flying lessons cost $8 an hour.
The airport also offered $2 flights around Brockton on Sundays.
Flight instruction was given in Piper Cubs.
The airport also boasted Aeroncas, Taylorcraft, PT-19s, BT-13s, single & twin-engine Cessnas,
as well as a Stearman biplane.
Under Trager's direction, the airport expanded to have 2 runways (north/south & east/west) & 2 hangars.
In the winter, planes were equipped with skis as the runways were not plowed.
"It was easy to land," Hanitsch said.
There was also a restaurant called The Stair Club,
which was operated by 2 brothers, the late Ken & Bob Fisher.
Jean Hanitsch said in the good weather the airport operated from dawn to dusk.
"They had to make money when they could," she said.
Her husband gave flying lessons to one aspiring pilot after another.
The airport was also the home of the Brockton Flying Club.
It was a popular destination, particularly on Sundays when cars lined the fence to watch the planes take off & land.
Santa Claus was even known to fly in to Brockton Airport seated in a Piper.
A circa 1946 aerial view of Brockton Airport by Andy Ward.
A circa 1946 aerial view of the hangar & office at Brockton Airport by Andy Ward.
A circa 1946 photo by Andy Ward of the Brockton Airways hangar & ready room.
The building shown was the former 'Bob & Ken's Hangar Restaurant'."
David Keith recalled, "I lived about a mile from the old Brockton Airport,
which had a North/South runway of about 2,000',
and an East/West runway of less than 1,500', with telephone wires at both ends.
My house was right under the downwind for Runway 36,
and immediately after World War Two, it was a beehive of activity,
with a thriving GI Bill flight school.
There were J-3's, Commonwealth Skyrangers,
and old Aeronca's, the pre-7AC types with exposed cylinders,
just swarming around the pattern.
They got to be old hat to this 12-year-old veteran spotter,
but when something unusual showed up, like a BT-13, DGA or AT-6, that really got my attention!
I'd be on my Schwinn Black Phantom in a flash, and would high-tail it to the field in record time."
"I got to be a professional chain-link fence-hanger,
and gradually got to know all the instructors, the owner,
and his beautiful, blonde secretary, on whom I had a serious crush.
My parents had given me a stern warning not to go flying,
but finally, the siren song of the air got the better of me.
The airport owner, Nat Trager, offered to take me up in his Aeronca Chief.
I climbed into the right seat, one of the instructors propped us,
and before I knew it, we were rolling for takeoff.
I couldn't believe the din that little Continental made!
I'll never forget looking down to my right,
and watching the ground fall away, as if by magic.
At that moment, I was hooked for life!
I don't remember much more of the flight,
except that the door & window next to my elbow was vibrating & rattling,
and I was hoping that that Air-Knocker would hold together for just a few more minutes.
I guess it was at least a year before I got up the courage to tell my folks that I had been for an airplane ride."
"One time, a Tin Goose flew in & hopped rides.
I would have been their first customer, but I wasn't home, and heard about it too late.
There were a few crack-ups over the years, but I never heard anyone call for the closure of the field.
The Brockton Flying Club kept its plane there,
and they had their clubhouse in a barn, just off the end of Runway 27.
They started in 1931 with a Curtiss Junior, a tandem, open-cockpit, parasol pusher
with a 3-cylinder, radial Szekely engine, of 36 hp."
"I used to visit that old barn, years after it was no longer used as the clubhouse.
There were 2 old hulks brooding inside,
fuselages bereft of wings, and I would sit in them, wiggling the joystick & rudder pedals in the midst of a Mitty-esque dream,
and inhale the perfume of old dope & stale avgas.
Those ships were the best simulator a kid could ever have!"
"I also remember seeing a hangar packed full of Cubs like sardines,
sitting on their noses with tails in the air, allowing 3 or 4 times as many to be stored."
Brockton Airport, as depicted on the 1951 USGS topo map.
After Trager & Messina ran the airport for 18 months,
Messina partnered with 2 other men in running a crop dusting business from a Wareham airport.
At the same time, Trager began operating a crop-dusting service for cranberry bogs from Brockton Airways,
using a converted J-3 Piper Cub.
"It was very successful," Trager said.
Trager had hired an experienced southern pilot to fly his crop duster.
He urged Messina to do the same.
However, his one-time partner opted to fly himself.
He died in a crop-dusting accident, and the Wareham airport was phased out.
"He was a great fellow. One of the finest fellows I've ever met," Trager said.
As the city evolved, Brockton Airways struggled to stay alive.
"I believe it would have been better if we had city support," Trager said.
Brockton Airport was still depicted (although misspelled!) on the November 1954 Boston Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
but the Aerodromes table listed the field as "Closed".
It was said to have an 1,800' hard surface runway.
The "open air theater" which was depicted immediately adjacent to the airport was the Sky-View Drive-In movie theater,
which had been built on the southwestern corner of the former airport site.
By the time of the 1959 Boston Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
Brockton Airport was no longer depicted at all.
A 1971 aerial viewed of the site of Brockton Airport
showed that the majority of the length of the north/south paved runway & parallel taxiway remained intact,
as well as a hangar on the east side of the site.
A shopping center had been built over the southeast part of the airport site.
In the 1995 USGS aerial photo of the site of the former Brockton Airport,
the South Shopping Center had covered the remaining portions of the airport.
Not a trace appeared to remain of the former airport.
Although Brockton Airways is but a memory, Jean & Robert Hanitsch, Ward and Trager remain friends.
None has lost their affection for the wonder of flight.
Robert Hanitsch's blue eyes shine as he recalls swooping in & around big white puffy clouds.
"It gets in your blood," he said.
"Flying to me was something that was very satisfying, I could even use the word 'thrilling,'" Trager said.
"I would like to do it all over again."
Years later, Andy Ward still thinks about the old airport.
"I kind of miss the fact that we had an airport & we gave it up," Ward said.
In the words of David Keith, "People who shop at K-Mart Plaza in Brockton, these days,
don't know that there's an airport under their feet, with ghosts of rag-wing planes, hovering above."
The site of Brockton Airport is located southwest
of the intersection of Main Street & Hayward Avenue.
Thanks to Richard Griffith for pointing out this airfield.
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South Weymouth NAS / Shea Field, South Weymouth, MA
42.15 North / 70.94 West (South of Boston, MA)
A 1942 photo looking north at South Weymouth's massive Hangar 1 while under construction
(courtesy of Bill Sargent, Board of Directors, Naval Aviation Research, Weymouth Historical Society).
Bill remarked, “The metal construction 'Traveler' with its upper stiff derricks can be seen in the framework at the western end of the all-metal structure.”
The property which would eventually become South Weymouth NAS
was surveyed in 1938 for a proposed municipal airport.
Nothing yet was depicted at the site on the 1941 USGS topo map.
The earliest photo which has been located of NAS South Weymouth was a 1942 photo,
showing the massive Hangar 1 while under construction
(courtesy of Bill Sargent, Board of Directors, Naval Aviation Research, Weymouth Historical Society).
South Weymouth was eventually commissioned in 1942 as one of the Navy's ASW blimp bases.
An April 27, 1943 photo of the construction of South Weymouth's Hangar 2 (Building 59)
(courtesy of Bill Sargent, Board of Directors, Naval Aviation Research, Weymouth Historical Society).
A WW2-era view looking northeast at the 2 blimp hangars at South Weymouth (National Archives photo).
During WW2, two massive blimp hangars were built,
one of which was the world's second largest blimp hangar, measuring 956' across.
The base had a 2,000' diameter blimp mat, six mooring circles,
and a 4,500' grass runway.
South Weymouth operated a complement of 12 blimps.
The earliest chart depiction of South Weymouth which has been located
was on the November 1944 Boston Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Following WW2, South Weymouth was used to store surplus amphibian aircraft,
and it was placed into caretaker status in late 1945.
Curiously, northing at all was depicted at the location of NAS South Weymouth on the 1947 Army Map Service topo map.
An undated (circa 1940s?) view of the interior of a South Weymouth blimp hangar,
showing 5 blimps & dozens of fixed-wing aircraft stored simultaneously inside the massive hangar.
Robert Ervin recalled, “Ed Brennen & I stood the last watch in the NAS Squantum tower sometime in November of 1953
and the next day we reopened NAS South Weymouth.
Naval Air Defense Unit was stationed [at NAS Squantum]
and as their fleet expanded into Super G Constellations (WV-2) & ZPG2W, the worlds largest blimps,
it was necessary to relocate to South Weymouth as they had a much longer north/south runway
and a blimp hangar with a fine blimp mat at the northeast end of the runway.”
In 1959, the South Weymouth airfield was improved to support increased numbers of fixed-wing ASW & attack squadrons,
resulting in 2 paved runways of 7,000' & 6,000' length.
It was at this point presumably that the blimp hangar on the southwest side was removed to make way for the expanded airfield,
leaving only 1 remaining blimp hangar (Hangar #1).
An undated (circa late 1950s / early 1960s?) aerial view looking northeast at 2 Navy blimps in flight over South Weymouth,
with Hangar 1 in the background, and what appear to be 2 P-2 Neptunes & 2 Lockheed Constellations on the ramp.
NAS South Weymouth, as depicted on the 1960 Boston Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).
The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted South Weymouth as having 3 paved runways,
with the longest being the 7,000' Runway 17/35 (which had an additional 1,000' overrun).
The blimp landing mat was still depicted, as was the blimp hangar.
Blimp operations were discontinued at South Weymouth by the early 1960s.
A map of NAS South Weymouth from the 1963 air show program
“A Salute to the Navy's Golden Wings: Naval Air Station South Weymouth” (courtesy of Robert Randall).
An aerial view looking east at South Weymouth's Hangar #1 during the 1962 Open House Air Show,
from the 1963 air show program (courtesy of Robert Randall).
The F-7 Tigers of the Blue Angels are lined up on the right side.
An undated view of 2 early flight simulators at NAS South Weymouth,
from the 1963 air show program (courtesy of Robert Randall).
Two aircraft which were chalked off as total losses
(a Grumman S-2A damaged in a crash landing & a Lockheed P-2E damaged by fire)
were converted to Anti-Submarine Warfare Operational Flight Trainers,
for a total installation cost of only $5,000.
They consisted of the aircraft fuselages, with associated ASW electronic systems,
and they were installed on the flat roof adjoining the ASW training spaces in Hangar #1.
The OFTs were credited with improving South Weymouth's ASW training program “by more than 100%.”
John Gamel recalled, “I think that at least one of the blimp hangars was still erect in late 1966
when I went to NAS South Weymouth for my flight physical before OCS.
I seem to recall that there were some USMC A-4s & some USN P-2s on the flight line at that time.”
A circa late October / early November 1966 view looking northeast at the dismantling of South Weymouth's Hangar 1
(courtesy of Bill Sargent, Board of Directors, Naval Aviation Research, Weymouth Historical Society).
According to Ron Plante, ”The last of the 2 blimp hangars was torn down in 1966
and replaced by a concrete arch hangar.”
NAS South Weymouth, as depicted on the 1968 Boston Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
A 1971 aerial view of South Weymouth's ramp showed 7 Lockheed P-2 Neptunes, as well as 3 light aircraft.
Note the concrete arch hangar which was built over the western third of the foundation of a former blimp hangar.
USNR Commander (Retired) Ken Sherman recalled, “I flew from NAS South Weymouth from 1972-95, in both P-2s & P-3s.”
Jeffrey Geibel recalled that he obtained his Commercial & CFI ratings
"at the Navy Weymouth Aero Club from 1977 to the club's closure in 1984."
A series of circa-1985 photos by Peter Kodis of aircraft at South Weymouth: an SH-3, UH-1, A-4s, and F-14.
The 1988 USGS too map depicted South Weymouth NAS
as having 3 paved runways, taxiways, ramps, 2 hangars, and the giant paved blimp mooring circle.
John Gamel recalled, “Oddly enough, a 22-year career in the FBI brought me back to NAS South Weymouth in late 1990.
As a member of the Boston FBI SWAT Team,
we staged there as part of a plan to arrest a gang of armored car robbers. I felt right at home.”
The 1994 Jeppesen Airport Directory depicted NAS South Weymouth
as having 2 paved runways (7,002' Runway 17/35 & 6,005' Runway 8/26),
as well as numerous taxiways & ramps.
A 1996 picture by Christopher Gatto of an F/A-18B & F/A-18A of the Navy's Blue Angels taxiing at South Weymouth's last airshow.
The Blue Angel's C-130 “Fat Albert” is visible in the left background.
A 1996 picture by Christopher Gatto of an F-14 Tomcat taxiing at South Weymouth's last airshow.
A South Weymouth hangar is visible in the left background.
Rob Durso passed along the description of why South Weymouth had 2 control towers almost on top of each other:
"A few months before the base received its closure notice,
they had decided to install a new tower.
The contract went out to bid & it was awarded right before the closure announcement.
Since the contract was already signed,
they didn't want the contractor to take the money & run - the Navy wanted the work done.
The tower was never outfitted; it's completely empty!"
Increasingly surrounded by development of the expanding Boston suburbs,
South Weymouth closed on September 30, 1997.
A photo (courtesy of Christopher Gatto) of a patch commemorating the September 30, 1997 closure of NAS South Weymouth.
A circa 1997-2001 aerial picture, taken after the field's closure.
The local government is intending to redevelop South Weymouth,
with no intention to keep the aviation facilities.
A March 2003 photo by Ron Plante of the former entrance gate of NAS South Weymouth.
Ron reported, “The main gate is wide open & its buildings are intact.”
A 2003 photo by Ron Plante of an A-4 Skyhawk mounted on a pylon South Weymouth.
"Less than a mile past the gate is a display A-4 covered with looks like a base coat of paint.
The only visible lettering is a large '7Z' on the tail
(Mel Shettle’s 'US Naval Air Stations of WWII, Vol I, Eastern States' has a 1993 photo with all the markings).
Next to the A-4 are some benches & memorials.
One plaque states that the name Shea Field was transferred from Squantum to South Weymouth."
A 2003 photo by Ron Plante of an abandoned hangar on the northwest side of the South Weymouth ramp.
Ron reported, “The flight line/hangar area is surrounded by a chain link fence, and the hangars look good.
The blimp hangar door tracks can be seen in 2 of my photos in front of the concrete hangar [which was built on the site of the blimp hangar].
The remainder of the station is in pretty good shape, with no signs of vandalism.
Some of the family housing is used by the Coast Guard.
Although there are plans for extensive redevelopment, none was visible when I visited.
The station still has that spooky look of a functioning air base missing only aircraft & personnel."
A 2003 photo by Ron Plante of another abandoned hangar at South Weymouth.
A 2003 photo by Ron Plante of the strange sight of South Weymouth's 2 control towers,
right next to each other (one of which was built & never used).
Rob Durso reported in 2004 of the airfield's redevelopment plans,
"Things are such a mess there right now that it will probably be several more years
before a shovel hits the ground there."
An article in the 2/3/05 issue of the Wall Street Journal
reported that General Motors had set up an automobile test course on the South Wymouth runways,
giving invited potential customers the chance to drive new cars in GM's lineup.
An odd sight- a circa 2005 aerial photo looking north at the 2 unused control towers at South Weymouth.
Couldn't these structures be relocated to airports that could use a control tower?
A circa 2005 aerial photo looking north at the concrete arch-roof hangar which was built over the site of the former blimp hangar.
A July 2005 aerial view by Suresh Atapattu looking north at the abandoned South Weymouth airfield.
A 2007 photo by Steve Cohn of the “Renovated memorial to the Naval Air Station.
The A-4 Skyhawk has been carefully restored
and a vary tasteful permanent memorial constructed in memory of all those who have served who were stationed at NAS South Weymouth.”
A 2007 photo by Steve Cohn of the plaque at the memorial, describing the naming of the field as Shea Field.
A 2007 photo by Steve Cohn of the “Old hangar 1 from the east through the fence.
Not much has changed since the last photo in 2003.”
Note the tracks for the former blimp hangar in the foreground.
A 2007 photo by Steve Cohn of the former Hangar #2, the “Old Marine hangar, last used for the C-130 squadron VR-62,
before their transfer to NAS Brunswick, ME.
Steve reported that there were “more than 100 construction vehicles on site.
So far, construction is taking place away from the former flightline & former buildings.
But in time they too will be demolished & replaced with a mix of residential & commercial space.”
A 2007 photo by Steve Cohn of the odd sight of South Weymouth's 2 control towers: new & old.
A 2008 aerial view by Steve Rose looking northeast at South Weymouth's hangars.
According to Steve, the base is “soon to be demolished & changed into a possible movie-making set.”
Nearby resident John Bandzul reported in 2008, “There is not going to be a movie studio up there after all.
LNR has bought just about 550 acres & the rest is still owned by the Navy.
There is an agreement within the next year to transfer the rest of the land to the tri-town corporation
and they have an exclusive contract to sell the rest of the land to LNR.
The 10 year development plan is to start the roll-out in 2009 with about 55 housing units
and the whole project (which includes housing, bike paths, shopping center, and golf course)
is expected to take about 12 years to complete at a total unknown price tag.
Boston Approach is using it a VFR holding point at this time.
The runways' removal has already begun & will be completed in the next 18 months.”
Jay Epstein reported in 2008, “Today I took an advanced driving course at the old South Weymouth NAS.
My Dad & I drove through the old base and past many abandoned, mysterious buildings
and up to a gate located off to the left of location of the blimp hangar
to wait for one of the employees of the driving school (In Control it was called) to open it up.
It was kind of spooky just sitting there waiting in silence, looking at all the abandoned buildings & overgrown tarmac.
If you closed your eyes you could almost hear the roar of fighter jets long since departed.
After a while one of the guys came and let me & about 7 cars in the gate.
We followed the employee over to a taxiway that connected to the former Runway 8/26.
There we did all sorts of fun emergency maneuvers on Runway 8/26.
It was very cool driving around on the old, overgrown runway.
Most of the buildings seemed to be in decent condition despite their age & probable lack of maintenance.
Though one of the driving instructors told us that the fire-suppression system
went off in one of the old buildings so now it's covered in foam.
He also said that they weren't allowed to have running water due to all the old nasty stuff in the ground.
Also, they've redone the whole entrance, making it look quite nice
The gate complex is now completely gone.
None of the planned construction/remodeling of the base seems to be going on though.”
See also: http://www.vpnavy.com/nassw.html
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