Evening star., 1935-09-27
ARMY GIVES NAVY
OLD BOILING FIELD
319 Acres to Be Added to
AnaCostia Naval Air
Station.
BY WILLIAM A. MILLEN.

The Naval Air Station at Anacostia
Is to be increased by some 3l9 acres
by the addition Of old Boiling Field,
which is to be transferred by the
Army. The Naval field is only about
20 acres at present
This transfer follows President
Roosevelt's approval of joint recon-
mendations of Secretary of War Dern
and Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Roosevelt to interchange Army and
Navy airfields. Old Boiling Field has
a total acreage of 1894. Of which the
Navy has been occupying 2O.4 acres.
On the property there are 81 buildings.
including II sets of quarters. BY the
exchange, the Navy becomes owner Of
this property
The move is considered an import
ant one. locally, for the Navy has been
occupying ground at Anacostia that
really belonged to the Army. On
this, the Navy has erected several
buildings and under the previous ar
rangement, they would have become
the property of the Army
Runways Enlarged.
For Army use. Boiling Field has
been developed farther south in the
past couple of years with longer run
ways, much larger landing field. and
fewer distractions. New quarters for
non-commissioned and commissioned
officers have been constructed in the
new Boiling Field.
NPW nlanPC for
put through their PAGES at Anacostia.
This work is done by the Flight Test
Unit, comprising some of the most
expert naval airmen in the service.
Enlargement Of the naval station
at Anacostia will permit this work to
be done with more dispatch. giving
the flyers more room, both for opera
tions and for living quarters and
service activities.
Approved by President.
Late yesterday, the Navy Depart
ment announced that President
Roosevelt has approved the exchange.
The agreement, relating to AnacostIa,
provides that metes and bounds ac-
ceptable to the Army and the Navy
of that part Of the Anacostia Air
Field told Boiling Field. now occu-
pied and used jointly by the Army
and Navy be established, and that
the station so defined shall then be
turned over to the Navy"
Shortly, it is expected that Rear
Admiral Ernest J. King chief Of the
Bureau Of Aeronautics, Navy Depart
ment, will confer with officers in the
Army Air Corps to delimit the new
field. Detailed plans for the develop
ment are not yet available.
The agreement provides that the
Army turn over to the Navy Rockwell
Field on North Island, near San
Diego, Calf, and that the Army Sc
cure in exchange the naval air sta
ton at Sunnyvale, Calf, near San
Francisco. This exchange can be
made without delay, said the Navy
Department. This will leave the
Navy in control of North Island. with
the exception of Lindbergh Field, a
civilian airdrome.
Yesterdays announcement specified
that the lighter -than-air hangar and
OPNA d11lIS AdNA4iGlCo lIlCl COlI Vat 0uIlE .
vale) are not to be dismantled unless
such action later is specifically au-
thorized by the President This is
interpreted as meaning that the Pres
ident will await the report Of the
Durand Committee, considering the
| future Of airships in the Navy, at the
request of Secretary Swanson.
The North Island and sunnyvale
! Jurisdictions are to be transferred
within 80 DAYS and the complete
evacuation to be effected as soon as
| practicable. Sunnyvale comprises
about l 900 acres and the value of the
hangar for the dirigibles alone is worth
s250o 900, officials explained Sunny
vale was the home port of the airship
! U. S. S. Macon, which crashed of the
/ California coast in February.
(Picture on Page BID