Naval Station Norfolk (Images of America)

Naval Station Norfolk is the world’s largest naval station, supporting the Navy ships, submarines, and aircraft of the US Fleet Forces Command with a multitude of facilities and services. This shore establishment, located on the historic harbor of Hampton Roads, has remained vital to the Navy since its foundation in 1917. Once established, the naval station focused on serving the fleet in four areas: aviation, recruit training, a submarine base, and a supply base. Men and women of the station continued to work on these and other activities through the pressures of World War I, the Depression, World War II, and wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. They made sure that ships and aircraft were successfully deployed to the far reaches of the globe―the nation’s indispensable response to international conflicts. Nowadays, the station is the hub for Navy logistics supporting the defense of the entire Atlantic area, from the North Pole to the South Pole.