The Navy first came to the Sea in 1939, when the northeast corner of the lake was used as a seaplane operational area with bombing targets and for emergency landings. Navy crews utilized Eiler's Salton Sea Resort, near Mecca, California for overnight lodging. Eiler's employees provided a boat to bring the Navy crews ashore from the moored seaplanes. In 1940, the Navy and the Coast Guard agreed to share the cost of constructing a facility at a better location. After the outbreak of war, the Navy constructed a seaplane base on the southwest shore commissioning an NAF there on October 8, 1942. Planned as a training base for 12 seaplanes, the first four PBYs arrived three weeks later. The Navy also used the facility as a seaplane ferry stop and as a weather alternate for seaplanes when San Diego became fogged in. Later that year, Paramount Studios built a 4,000-ft. clay airstrip at the site for the filming of the motion picture Wake Island.
A change of mission occurred in March 1944, when VT-20 deployed to the base for rocket training. An additional 56 squadrons received rocket training. Along with the carrier squadrons came a detachment of CASU 53 from Holtville in support. Meanwhile, the station upgraded to an NAAS and added another runway. In July 1944, the Navy conducted the testing of rocket assisted takeoffs (JATO) at the base. Rocket training continued to the end of the war. In December 1944, B-29s of the 509th Composite Squadron from Wendover AAF, Utah made over 150 drops at the facility, testing the prototype atomic bomb shapes. The Navy finally disestablished NAAS Salton Sea on November 13, 1946; however, an emergency seaplane facility consisting of a radio - beacon, a light beacon, a boat house, and a lighted 10,000-ft. seadrome was manned and maintained. The facility was active until 1967 -- as long as sea planes remained in the Naval inventory.
With a field elevation of 245 ft. below sea level, Salton Sea was the second lowest elevation airfield in the U.S. with a 4,000 by 200-ft. and a 4,900 by 300-ft. clay runway. In March 1944, base personnel numbered 85 officers and 465 enlisted men with bar racks for 72 officers and 566 men. The station operated a Piper AE ambulance plane, a GH Howard transport, a Grumman J2F Duck rescue amphibian, and 12 crash boats. CASU 53 used one SBD and up to 13 TBMs in its rocket training support role.
Following the Navy's departure, the base was taken over by the Atomic Energy Commission and used to test inert nuclear weapons drops from 1946 to 1961. NAF El Centro then took over the facility using it for parachute tests of the manned space program and other military systems until 1979. In the meantime, the Marines and Navy Seals also conducted training exercises at the location. Today, the former base is abandoned and will probably become a wildlife refuge in the future.
In addition, the Navy acquired rights-of-ways south of the main base to construct canals, pipelines, and other structures associated with a water treatment plant. Letters dated 24 August 1942 indicate that apprpximately 23 and 19 acres were granted for rights-of-way in S4 aqd S9 (T12S, R11E), respectively. Presumably limited acreage was also acquired for rights-of-way (for road, pipeline, etc.) in S32, T11S, R11E and S5, T12S, R11E.
The Navy acquired the above-referenced property to establish NAAS Salton Sea, which was reportedly renamed "NAB Salton Sea" in August 1944 and "NAF Salton Sea" in December 1944. The function of this base was operational training for Naval fleet units. In January 1945, the Eleventh Naval District listed the base's improvements as follows: "barracks, BOQ, mess halls and galleys, assembly and repair shops, nose hangars, storehouse, marine railway, seaplane ramp, dispensary, water treatment plant, utilities, services and necessary appurtenances designed to
accommodate 520 enlisted men, 37 officers (men); 2 clay surfaced runways 4000' x 200', clay surfaced taxiways and parking area, aircraft parking area, magazine area, type B-2 field lighting and flare pots for emergency night landings, floating and under-water targets." One of the runways was reportedly built by Paramount Pictures (prior to the Navy's occupancy) for a movie set.
The Navy's fee and certain leasehold interests (1600 and 280 acres, respectively) in the seaplane base were transferred to the War Department 13 November 1946, and subsequently ransferred to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) by Executive Order dated 31 December 1946. The AEC also acquired the remaining acreage that constituted NAF Salton Sea, and established the Salton Sea Test Base (a bombing range) at this location. The AEC's Test Base eventually occupied 51,113.67 acres. In various actions from approximately 1963 to 1966, the AEC Test Base was acquired by the Department of the Navy and is now referred to as the Navy's Salton Sea Test Range. A significant portion of this property was reported excess in the mid-1970s, and currently, the boundaries of the Navy's Salton Sea Test Range encompass 20,730.75 acres. Specifically, the N1/2 of S33 (T11S, R11E), which formally belonged to NAF Salton Sea, was reported excess 4 March 1974. Conflicting information exists concerning the current ownership of this property; however, the Naval real estate offices at both San Diego and San Bruno claim that this property is no longer under the control of the Navy. It is thus assumed that the property was disposed of. The remaining portions of the former seaplane base are within the current boundaries of the Test Range (although the lease on a 280-acre portion of S16, T11S, R11E was allowed to terminate in approximately 1985). The Test Range was used a few years ago by the Marine Corps and Navy Seal Team, but currently is not being used and has been proposed for reassignment from the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake to the Naval Special War Command, Coronado.
.jpg)
