Anchor - at NAS Sanford Memorial Park, Sanford, FL
Posted by: 
sunnyTam
N 28° 45.888 W 081° 14.265
17R E 476790 N 3181951
Anchors in memory of all sailors..
Waymark Code: WM2HR6
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 11/07/2007
Views: 138
All though this is named NAS Sanford Memorial Park, there is also a memorial here for all sailors. Two anchors positioned against a large rock with a memorial plaque.
Brief history:
Orlando Sanford International Airport started life as NAS Sanford (Naval Air Station) with the airport codes NRJ/KNRJ. Commissioned on November 3, 1942, the base initially operated PV-1 Venturas, PBO Hudsons and SNB Kansans. Peak wartime complement reached approximately 360 officers and 1400 men with 150 waves during 1943-1945. In 1944, fighter pilot training began using F4F and FM-1 Wildcat and F6F Hellcat carrier-based aircraft.
Decommissioned in 1946 and placed in a caretaker status, the base was recommissioned as Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Sanford in 1950 in response to the Korean War and the Cold War. Subsequently redesignated as NAS Sanford, substantial upgrades followed in order to turn the station into a Master Jet Base for the carrier-based Douglas A-3 Skywarrior nuclear attack aircraft of Heavy Attack Wing ONE. This included construction of additional new hangars, support buildings for the base, wing and squadrons, precision approach radar/ground controlled approach (PAR/GCA), non-directional beacon (NDB) and tactical air navigation (TACAN) navigational aids, a Navy Dispensary, Navy Exchange complex, base theater, swimming pools, recreational facilities and separate clubs for officers, chief petty officers and enlisted personnel. Due to the nuclear mission, Marine Corps personnel provided base security, leading to the establishment of Marine Corps Barracks Sanford.
On February 6, 1959, NAS Sanford was dedicated as Ramey Field in honor of LCDR Robert W. Ramey, who lost his life by electing to guide his crippled plane away from a nearby residential area. In the early 1960s, the A-3 aircraft began to be replaced by the Mach 2+ North American A-5A Vigilante aircraft. In 1964, the strategic nuclear strike mission for carrier-based aircraft was eliminated and all Vigilante squadrons were converted to a tactical reconnaissance mission. Exisiting A-5A and A-5B aircraft were modified to the RA-5C Vigilante configuration and the North American production line shifted to producing all subsequent aircraft as RA-5Cs. Heavy Attack Wing ONE was renamed Reconnaissance Attack Wing ONE and NAS Sanford-based squadrons routinely deployed aboard both Atlantic and Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers of the FORRESTAL, KITTY HAWK and ENTERPRISE classes, seeing extensive action during the Vietnam War. Numerous flight crews and aircraft were lost to enemy action, with several pilots and naval flight officers becoming prisoners of war in Vietnam until repatriation in 1973.
Congress closed NAS Sanford in 1968, transferring the wing and squadrons to the former Turner AFB, renamed as NAS Albany, Georgia. The wing and squadrons subsequently relocated to NAS Key West, Florida during 1974-75, remaining at NAS Key West until the RA-5Cs retirement from active service in 1980. A commemorative memorial park, plaques and a retired RA-5C Vigilante aircraft on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation were dedicated in May 2003 and are positioned on the entrance road within the Orlando-Sanford International Airport perimeter in memory to NAS Sanford personnel who served their country during World War II, Vietnam and the Cold War. A PV-1 Ventura, also on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation, is in the process of being restored at the airport and will join the RA-5C on display. An A-3 Skywarrior has also been requested from the Navy for future restoration and display.
Location: On property of the Orlando Sanford International Airport. A sign depicts the parking area for this memorial. There is no charge and can be visited 24 hours a day. Take East Lake Mary Bv. to Red Cleveland Bv. Park is on the right hand side of the roadway, corner of Red Cleveland Bv and Marquette Av.
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