NATTC Photo Albums
1947 - 1959

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On Tuesday, January 15, 1952 the Navy held an official NATTC, Norman reopening ceremony in the afternoon. Rear Admiral William D. Johnson, chief of the three NATTC bases in operation at the time, said the "somewhat hasty reactivation was brought on as a result of the Korean conflict". A navy band from Memphis provided the music (center photo top). Captain Donald E. Wilcox read his orders to assme command of the base then turned to his executive officer, Commander Jack A. Eady, and ordered the stars and stripes unfurled over the base (right photo bottom). The ceremony platform was a flatbed trailer setup in front of the Administration Building. While included altogether I believe some of the photos below are of another ceremony or inspection open to the public. In the left photo, bottom, it appears that is President George Cross of the University of Oklahoma.

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

The first photo is an aerial view, Areas A and B, of how the base would have looked in the late 1950s. You can see Ryan Street has been added towards the front of the photo. Top center photo is the North Gate also known as Jenkins Gate. The photo was taken looking southward into the base. The bottom three photos are barracks 57, 70 and 77. The two color photos have eBay watermarks on them. I own the original 35mm slides but my scanner is inoperable at this time. I will add clean scans of both images at a later date. Minus the tall trees this is exactly how the barracks looked during World War II. The photo on the right, top row is of the station bell which was added later on. The following was part of the caption that was include with this photo. "Erected in front of the administration building, the bell displayed here was loaned to the station by the Navy Department in March 1956. Standing, left to right, are S.E. Czochanski, G.W. Quigley, and J.W. Turner."

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

Shown below are several photos of the sailors in various segments of training. A close examination of the photos shows a modernization of some of the equipment used in training as well as the tools used to train with. For example the workbenches are all metal, not like the wood workbenches during World War II when the country was experiencing a metal shortage. By September of 1954 desegregation of the military forces was complete. It began with President Truman's administration but finally enforced by President Eisenhower. Progress was painfully slow at first but evident in some of these photos.

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 
 

On Tuesday, June 30, 1959 the base commander, Captain Mike Parish, his executive officer, Commander Russell Pearson, and Chief James K. Wilson lowered the base colors for the final time. There was no ceremony and only a few observed. Officially the base closed permanently at midnight. Captain Parish departed Wednesday morning, July 1, 1959, leaving Lieutenant A. J. Furnweger in charge. Furnweger, along with 17 sailors and a handful of civilians, would remain for 60 days to clean up and dispatch the last remnants of the equipment. The photos below show the final lowering of the base colors and departure.