In 2002 I think it was I made a trip back there while on a vacation to Busch Gardens. Ocean View as I knew it was gone. I told someone else it looked like someone started a dozer down at The Spit and leveled everything standing up too Little Creek. I found the apartment building and an old 7-11 that was it.
I was amazed at how much the entire area had grown since 1980. Only one place I went still looked the same and that was Highway 17 down in The Swamp. That drive was one of my favorite get out of Norfolk places to go when I couldn't get home on the weekends.
I don't think Oceana or any of the other bases should be closed. But I do think all services need too get all of their eggs out of one basket and relocate a few eggs to other venues like to Mayport, Charleston, etc. Too many assets are in one place is my real worry.
I don't know. It looked like Oceana was going to be closed after the last round of BRAC but the city and state fought hard and made some concessions that stayed the Navy's hand. But VB is not the rural backwater that it was in 1941 when the bas ewas built. I just don't think it makes sense to have a Master Jet Base in the middle of a city of 500,000...a region of 1.5 million. I know the Navy was here first but that point is really moot at this time. The City of VA Beach grew up around the base.
BTW...I'm not one of those cry babies who don't like the jet noise. I live a mile off one of the runways and most of my neighbors are Navy, many of them pilots from Oceana. I love the Navy and jet noise to me is the sound of freedom!
I also agree with you about dispersing assets. It's scary to think that all of the Atlantic Fleet's carriers are in one port. It doesn't make sense. But if you talk about moving a carrier group out of Norfolk you're liable to get tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail.
During college (71-76) I worked at the Ocean View Fishing Pier and after graduation I worked for the Hembree family that owned that very Best Western along with 4 other motels along the strip. Small world, huh? I spent a lot of time down at Little Creek when I dated a guy who docked his headboat there.
Yeah, the City of Norfolk finally figured out what a gold mine that beach was, and everything changed once they did. I was glad that I had moved away by then so I didn’t have to see it.
I love the Outer Banks. When we lived in VB we'd go down quite often. We have friends who have a nice place in Duck right on the beach. There was a little "family" of wild horses who hung around there. Always a joy to see.