The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-01-30
KEY WEST AS NAVAL BASE

Rear Admiral Arthur J. Hepburn, United
tional naval bases to defend the coasts of
the United States, its territories, and pos
sessions made tour of inspection to de-
termine the contents of that report. Sec
ton 1876 of that report contains the follow
ing enlightening information:
key West, Fla.-This naval station
is completely closed. It contains special
submarine facilities which would be i'm
portant in time of national emergency, and
for that reason should be retained, al
though not required at present in active
status
So far as The Citizen has been able
to learn the Hepburn board never in
spected Key West naval station. The
board did spend some time in the Miami
area, but apparently did not believe an in
spection of the Key West naval facilities
worth the bother of coming here. Hence
the inaccuracy of the report affecting this
station, fog everyone here knows that it is
not 'comHetely closed"
Not So long ago several destroyers put
in here for fuel and found crew Of COM
petent maintenance men on hand who per-
formed the fueling in record time. Today
several of the buildings and a portion of
the docking facilities are being utilized by
seaplane unit of the United States navy.
This unit is to participate in the navy
maneuvers designed to test the defense
forces and facilities for protection of the
Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the
Panama Canal Zone.
In the light of these developments it
seems strange the Hepburn report states
that the Key West naval station is not re-
quired sin active status"
Congressman Pat Cannon of this dis
trict performed real service for this COM
rnunity when he recently drew admission
from Admirals Leahy, chief of naval opera
tions, and Hepburn, author of the report
which placed the proposed main naval
station at Jacksonville, that Key West will
be virtually unprotected in time of war ex-
cept by air; that Key West may be more
important. defense unit for continental
miles away; and that Miami is the center
of population in Florida, and is closer to
Key West than Jacksonville, if the nations
southern air defense should be moved
north of the keys.
Later the naval affairs committee of
the house, of which Pat Cannon is men,
Der, questioned Capt. Arthur l.. Bristol, Jr.,
United States Navy, member of the Hep
burn board, and learned that Miami had
been disregarded by the boards report be-
cause of traffic on Biscayne bay, short
age of land there for naval air base and
the high cost of necessary dredging.
Key West would not offer such dis
advantages in the construction of naval
air base. There are unlimited protected
water SPACES here, as shown by the recent
arrival 6fs anA air armada of 16 navy sea-
planes and their safe landing and anchor
age off Trumbo island. Trumbo island,
Stock island, owned by the city of Key
West, and the outlying keys controlled by
the government, offer all the space re-
CURED for hangers, aprons ramps, machine
shops, quarters for the operations forces
ana Tor any other required facilities.
Privately the men attached to the
navy seaplane unit here will tell you that
Key West is ideal for their training opera
tons. They have good anchorage, good
takeoff run on the water, there are no air
pockets that make their flying hazardous
and there is no fog. Fog is probably the
greatest hazard the men of the air have
to face. Jacksonville has plenty of fog.
Even though Miami's chances of land
f3ig tan appropriation for naval air base
seem rather slim, that progressive city is
sending delegation of engineers to Wash
ingt9n in an effort to disprove the conten-
tons of the members of the Hepburn
board.
It is too bad that Key West, with un-
Ill \