NAF Dinner Key
Miami City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, Florida 33133
Dade County
305-416-1040
This site is located in the Southeast region of the state.
DIRECTIONS
From I-95, turn right onto South Dixie Highway/US 1. At Unity Boulevard/FL 9/SW 27th Avenue turn left and then left onto Lincoln Avenue. Turn right onto Darwin Street, right onto South Bayshore Drive and then left onto Pan American Drive to Miami City Hall.
The United States naval aviation at Dinner Key dates back to the creation of the first continental naval air station in the country in 1917. This site saw duty originally as a seaplane and dirigible base and in 1932 the U.S. Coast Guard commissioned this location Coast Guard Air Station Miami.
Commissioning of NAF Dinner Key occurred on August 1, 1943. However the Navy used the facility as early as November 1942 as a winter training location. Using transport versions of the PBM Mariner, the Navy flew support missions for transport ferry planes flying throughout the Caribbean and Central America. Likewise, the Coast Guard continued to fly from this field using OS2U Kingfisher, PBY Catalina, PBM Mariner, and JRF Goose aircraft. Pan American Airlines conducted navigational training school from this location. Base personnel levels averaged 130 officers and 600 enlisted men during the war.
Decommissioning of NAF Dinner Key occurred in June 1945 with the City of Miami purchasing the facility for use as a City Hall. The Historical Association of Southern Florida placed a commemorative marker on this site in 1951.
IMAGES:
LINK:
City of Miami
http://www.miamigov.com/home/
