Re:Norfolk Seaplane base

[Robert John]

I am looking in to making hangers and control tower for Norfolk seaplane base VA Is the hanger in the forground the control tower.If not can someone tell me.
If not can someone show me a picture of the control tower at Norfolk seaplane base.
Many Thanks
Robert John

[TARPSBird]

Robert John,
The hangars in your pic have been torn down in recent years and replaced by smaller structures. The present tower is far away from the seaplane ramps, on the south side of Rwy 28/10 (see pics).
If you're interested in WWII era, I'm pretty sure that tower on the corner of the old hangar in your pic only controlled the seaplane side of the station and there was a separate tower for the landplane side. Would have to do a couple searches to get more info.

[bobhegf]

Robert it looks as if there were two controll towers. One was located attached to a seaplane base hanger and the other was located on the main airbase attached to the admin building.At some bases you had the towers attached to the large hangers and others were attached to what looks to be a large admin building, boath are correct.What is needed is a large hanger with an attached tower and one with no tower. the buildings are the same one with an attached controll tower and one without a controll tower.Thanks for all the hard work.As for the hangers they had hanger doors on the front and the back.The ones in the pic I have here where the cars are parked is the side of the hanger.The yellow squares are the towers.

[Devildog73]

tarpsbird is certainly in a better location to get updates for you on the history. If he needs additional resources I am now back in DC and can go by the Washington Navy Yard Naval museum and get some info for you.

[bobhegf]

What I am after is the early 1940-1944 time frame as fare as the towers go. Towers at other US bases also had towers attached to the hangers as well as some having the towers attached to buildings.The pic I have put was taken durring the early sixties.

[TARPSBird]

Maybe not now with the new construction, but originally at NAS Norfolk the building numbers were prefixed with "SP" for buildings associated with the seaplane side of the field and "LP" for buildings on the landplane side. This tower and ops building (see pics) is LP-1, built in 1940-41 as part of the new airfield construction at the present-day NAS. It is the tower you see in the distance in Bob's pic, which is a view from overhead the seaplane ramp looking southwest. LP-1 has been torn down but in the Google Earth pic the dark asphalt square at the end of the arrow is where it was located. The arrow is Bob's direction of view. Hope this helps you guys out. :)

[Robert John]

Nice Pictures.
Should be able to do something with them.
Have to use a bit of imagination but should be OK