Richmond Naval Air Station

The Richmond Naval Lighter Than Air Station was a South Florida military installation about 18 miles south of Miami, and 3.5 miles west of US 1. It was an active base during World War II.

In September 15 1942, the US Navy purchased 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) that were bounded by SW 122nd Avenue and 137th Avenue, from 152nd Street (Coral Reef Drive) to 184th Street. The base was used as a blimp base. Among the ten LTA bases across the nation, 17 large wooden hangars were built, of which Richmond NAS had more (3) than any other base.

Before 1943 German submarines patrolled the entire US east coast destroying over 400 merchant ships in six months. A radio man had received training about radar which had been installed on the blimps. He requested from the Base Commander to use the radar and the US never lost another ship to submarines that they escorted. When the blimp discovered a submarine, they opened fire and often called in fixed-wing aircraft to attack as well.

On September 15, 1945, a hurricane caused a fire in one of the hangars. The fire quickly spread to the two other hangars and destroyed the hangars, blimps, 366 planes and 150 cars.^[1] The same type of wooden hangar can still be seen today at only four locations: (2) Moffett Field, (2) Tustin, California, (2) Lakehurst, NJ, and (1) Tillamook, Oregon.

In response to the sudden increase in enrollment resulting from veterans returning to college, the University of Miami leased the decommissioned station to provide classrooms and housing for 1,100 students as its "South Campus." ^[2] Other areas of the old base were utilized by the Army, Navy and Coast Guard Communications installations, then the Air Force built a MOAD facility.^[3]

From 1948 to the present the University of Miami has used it as a research facility and storage area. Buildings currently house: the Global Public Health Research Group, Miami Institute for Human Genomics, D.U.I. Laboratory (for analysis of motorist blood samples), and Microbiology & Immunology.^[4]

From 1956 to November 1966, the railroad tracks on the base were used for the Gold Coast Railroad Museum.^[5] In 1984, the museum moved to the area previously occupied by Hangars #1 and #2.^[6].

From 1962 to 1968, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) leased a few buildings from the University of Miami under the "front" name of Zenith Technological Services. This "front" company was in fact the intelligence gathering headquarters for the CIA's operation against Fidel Castro's government in Cuba., known as JM/WAVE or the WAVE STATION. Over 400 CIA operatives worked out of this facility.^[3][7] In 1968, after Ramparts magazine exposed CIA operations on other campuses, JMWAVE was moved off the Miami South campus out of concern for embarrassing the university.^[8]

In 1970, the University of Miami's programs were ordered off the base except for the toxicology department of the UM Medical School. Later, Dade County was deeded 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) for a new zoo, today's Zoo Miami, and for public access.

The original Administration Building #25 has since been acquired for a Military Museum and Memorial. It will be moved and restored during 2010-11. It should be open to the public by 2012.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ http://www.pbase.com/image/103230309 Retrieved 2009-09-11.
2. ^ "Display Selected University of Miami Legacy Images". http://scholar.library.miami.edu/umhistory/DisplaySubjects.php?subject_id=South+Campus. Retrieved 2009-09-07. 
3. ^ ^{a b} http://cuban-exile.com/menu1/!wave.html Retrieved 2009-09-11.
4. ^ "South Campus Directory". http://www6.miami.edu/UMD/CDA/UMD_Department_View/1,3221,810010000,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-07. 
5. ^ http://gcrm.org/history1.aspx#pagetop Retrieved 2009-09-11.
6. ^ http://gcrm.org/history5.aspx#pagetop Retrieved 2009-09-12
7. ^ Bohning, Don (2005). The Castro Obsession: U.S. Covert Operations in Cuba, 1959-1965. Potomac Books Inc.. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-57488-675-7. 
8. ^ Bohning, Don (2005). The Castro Obsession: U.S. Covert Operations in Cuba, 1959-1965. Potomac Books Inc.. p. 253. ISBN 978-1-57488-675-7. 

Coordinates: 25°36′57″N 80°23′53″W / 25.615752°N 80.39801°W / 25.615752; -80.39801