Roosevelt Roads Naval Station
Encyclopedia
Roosevelt Roads Naval Station is a former United States military air base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico
. The site is run today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport
, a public use airport.
, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy
, toured Puerto Rico
, visiting Ceiba. When he returned to Washington, D.C.
, he expressed a liking for the terrain where the base now is. This was during the World War I era, and the United States could benefit from an air field in Ceiba. While Puerto Rico is a commonwealth
, its territorial rights belong to the United States, which made it perfectly feasible, and ideal, for the American government to build an airplane base in Ceiba.
It took many years for the United States Government to become convinced of the need for an air base in Ceiba. When Adolf Hitler
and Nazi-led Germany began to invade other European countries, the US, led by then President Roosevelt, entertained the idea of a Naval air station in Ceiba. With war in the European and Pacific theatres, they saw an airbase in the Caribbean as necessary.
The base had been inaugurated, but scaled down to maintenance status with a public works office in 1944. From then until 1957, the base went through many shifts, being opened seven times and closed eight times. Meanwhile, it continued as a source of employment for the citizens of Ceiba.
In 1957, it was upgraded to Naval Station status. Fort Bundy was located there, but it crossed over to parts of Vieques
, a fact which would become important in the future. An American military mission, the M3, was located there. It was part of the "Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Puerto Rico Base Communication Department". M3 had a fleet center, a technical control facility and a Tactical support communications department, among other things. The M3 was designated to help Puerto Rico, the United States and other Caribbean and Latin American countries to deal with drug trafficking, illegal immigration and other problems. The main purpose of the base was tactical support for land/sea/air maneuvers on Vieques island.
For the next 47 years the base was utilized for flight practice, as well as other missions and control of the area's air space. In August 2002, a MC-130H airplane carrying seven Puerto Rican National Guard soldiers crashed in the town of Caguas, while en route from Roosevelt Roads to Rafael Hernández Airport
in Aguadilla
. All seven soldiers perished, in the largest air tragedy in Caguas history.
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command
(NAVSO) directs naval forces and interacts with partner nations to shape the maritime environment within United States Southern Command's Area Of Focus (AOF). With a focus on Theater Security Cooperation, NAVSO works to strengthen and build effective alliance and friendships, develop partner nation capabilities, and maintain U.S. operational access to defend the United States.
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, (COMUSNAVSO) was headquartered at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico was the Naval Component Commander to the U.S. Southern Command, based in Miami, Florida. It provides strategic and operational command and control for U.S. Naval Forces in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
On 10 December 1999 the U.S. Navy established Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, also known as NAVSOUTH, in a ceremony aboard USS Vicksburg (CG 69) inport Roosevelt Roads. The new organization is responsible for Navy operational forces in the United States Southern Command's area of responsibility (AOR), including Naval Special Warfare Unit Four, a training detachment for SEAL teams from the SOCOM operational area. It oversees U.S. naval forces participating in drug enforcement operations and interaction with South American naval forces, including the annual UNITAS operations around South America. As the Navy's senior representative, Commander, United States Naval Forces, Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO) serves as the principal liaison with the government of Puerto Rico. In January 2004 The Navy decided to relocate U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO) from Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, to Naval Station Mayport
, Florida. Since the Navy had to close Naval Station Roosevelt Roads by March 31, 2004, relocation of USNAVSO was a high priority.
In the mid-1970s there was no cable TV on base. Families could tune into the American Forces Caribbean Network (AFCN), the on-base AFRTS radio and television station's family-oriented shows or rig up an antenna for signals from St. Thomas or San Juan. At one time, AFCN operated repeater transmitters broadcasting radio and TV to San Juan and to Ramey Air Force Base on the west coast of Puerto Rico. The AFCN studios were staffed by Navy and Marine Corps personnel, most of whom were journalists/broadcasters. At the El Coqui Theater, in the Bundy area of the base, movie goers watched films as bats flitted across the screen.
The base equestrian stables were across from the golf course aka:Lake Bundy. Most of the 'horses' were technically ponies
, although several thoroughbreds, washouts from race tracks, found a home on base occasionally.
The base flying club had many members, and met regularly to plan trips and activities. Flight instruction was available to all members.
, a civilian employed as a gate security guard by the US Navy, died from a stray bomb while observing a routine exercise. As a consequence of this and the high rate of cancer (correlation unconfirmed) among residents of Vieques many Vieques citizens and Puerto Rican activists from other towns (Ruben Berrios
, Tito Kayak
, etc.) began activism against the military presence in Vieques, which included illegally entering the live -fire areas at the military reservation. Other important activists included Jesse Jackson
, Robert Kennedy Jr., Al Sharpton
, U.S. Representative Luis Gutiérrez
D-ILL, Rigoberta Menchú
and Edward James Olmos
(the last was jailed in Puerto Rico for trespassing on federal property).
An agreement between the Clinton Administration and the Government of Puerto Rico (then Gov. Rosello) agreed to cease all live bombing on Vieques by March 2003.
Ft. Bundy was affected by the protests, because part of it was in Vieques. After Sanes' death, there was a struggle between the autonomous Government of Puerto Rico
and the American Government. This was over after President George W. Bush
granted Puerto Rico the rights to operate the former military possessions in Vieques, including Ft. Bundy, a portion of which was aboard Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. As a consequence of President Bush's decision, the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station became NAPR (Naval Activity Puerto Rico), where DoD Police provides security, but still is considered a military installation. On March 31, 2004, the station again became inoperative.
announced that her party, the PPD
, had plans to turn the base into an international airport
. This was backed in 2005 by the then-new Governor, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
, who established that the area would be converted to an airport. He also established that Ceiba as a town would serve as an economic and tourist center for eastern Puerto Rico, and that converting the former military base into a civil airport would be part of a plan to open seven or eight large airports in Puerto Rico.
Currently, approximately 2900 acres (12 km²) of the former Naval Station is being marketed to the public by the Los Angeles group of Colliers International, on behalf of the Navy's Base Realignment and Closure Program Management Office, as a public auction to commence in the near future. The remaining portions is also in the process of being conveyed to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and other Federal agencies in various stages. Since November 2008, Puerto Rico Ports Authority
operates the José Aponte de la Torre Airport
.
An Armed Forces Reserve Center opened September 2011 next to the U.S Army Reserve Center. This AFRC with 78350 square feet (7,279 m²) can serve 600 personnel on a rotating basis 345 servicemembers per weekend. This AFRC hosts the Detachment Headquarters 2nd Platoon. The Puerto Rico Army National Guard 7 FT LARC, the 215 Eng, Engr TM and a Recluting/Retention Office.
Ceiba, Puerto Rico
Ceiba is a small town in northeast Puerto Rico. It is named after the famous Ceiba tree. Ceiba is located in the east coast of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Naguabo, south of Fajardo, and east of Río Grande. It is located about one hour's driving distance from San Juan...
. The site is run today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport
José Aponte de la Torre Airport
José Aponte de la Torre Airport is a public use airport owned by Puerto Rico Ports Authority and located from the central business district of Ceiba, a town in Puerto Rico....
, a public use airport.
History
In 1919, the future U.S. President Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy....
, toured Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, visiting Ceiba. When he returned to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, he expressed a liking for the terrain where the base now is. This was during the World War I era, and the United States could benefit from an air field in Ceiba. While Puerto Rico is a commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
, its territorial rights belong to the United States, which made it perfectly feasible, and ideal, for the American government to build an airplane base in Ceiba.
It took many years for the United States Government to become convinced of the need for an air base in Ceiba. When Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Nazi-led Germany began to invade other European countries, the US, led by then President Roosevelt, entertained the idea of a Naval air station in Ceiba. With war in the European and Pacific theatres, they saw an airbase in the Caribbean as necessary.
The base had been inaugurated, but scaled down to maintenance status with a public works office in 1944. From then until 1957, the base went through many shifts, being opened seven times and closed eight times. Meanwhile, it continued as a source of employment for the citizens of Ceiba.
In 1957, it was upgraded to Naval Station status. Fort Bundy was located there, but it crossed over to parts of Vieques
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Vieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island–municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands...
, a fact which would become important in the future. An American military mission, the M3, was located there. It was part of the "Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Puerto Rico Base Communication Department". M3 had a fleet center, a technical control facility and a Tactical support communications department, among other things. The M3 was designated to help Puerto Rico, the United States and other Caribbean and Latin American countries to deal with drug trafficking, illegal immigration and other problems. The main purpose of the base was tactical support for land/sea/air maneuvers on Vieques island.
For the next 47 years the base was utilized for flight practice, as well as other missions and control of the area's air space. In August 2002, a MC-130H airplane carrying seven Puerto Rican National Guard soldiers crashed in the town of Caguas, while en route from Roosevelt Roads to Rafael Hernández Airport
Rafael Hernández Airport
Rafael Hernández Airport is an airport located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is named after the Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández Marín. The airport is the second international airport in Puerto Rico in the region of Porta del Sol, Puerto Rico's west coast.Rafael Hernandez Airport mainly...
in Aguadilla
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Aguadilla , founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is spread over 15 wards and Aguadilla Pueblo...
. All seven soldiers perished, in the largest air tragedy in Caguas history.
U.S Naval Forces Southern Command
COMUSNAVSOU.S. Naval Forces Southern Command
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command is the naval element of United States Southern Command . Its areas of operation include South America, Central America, the Caribbean and surrounding waters. Its headquarters are located at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. USNAVSO is currently under the command...
(NAVSO) directs naval forces and interacts with partner nations to shape the maritime environment within United States Southern Command's Area Of Focus (AOF). With a focus on Theater Security Cooperation, NAVSO works to strengthen and build effective alliance and friendships, develop partner nation capabilities, and maintain U.S. operational access to defend the United States.
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, (COMUSNAVSO) was headquartered at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico was the Naval Component Commander to the U.S. Southern Command, based in Miami, Florida. It provides strategic and operational command and control for U.S. Naval Forces in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
On 10 December 1999 the U.S. Navy established Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, also known as NAVSOUTH, in a ceremony aboard USS Vicksburg (CG 69) inport Roosevelt Roads. The new organization is responsible for Navy operational forces in the United States Southern Command's area of responsibility (AOR), including Naval Special Warfare Unit Four, a training detachment for SEAL teams from the SOCOM operational area. It oversees U.S. naval forces participating in drug enforcement operations and interaction with South American naval forces, including the annual UNITAS operations around South America. As the Navy's senior representative, Commander, United States Naval Forces, Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO) serves as the principal liaison with the government of Puerto Rico. In January 2004 The Navy decided to relocate U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO) from Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, to Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a military airfield with one asphalt paved runway measuring 8,001 x 200 ft. ....
, Florida. Since the Navy had to close Naval Station Roosevelt Roads by March 31, 2004, relocation of USNAVSO was a high priority.
Life on Roosevelt Roads
Over the years, Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, or Roosey as it was frequently called, was home to hundreds of military personnel and dependents. Initially most of the school teachers were DOD contractors from the US. Later, more local teachers were hired.In the mid-1970s there was no cable TV on base. Families could tune into the American Forces Caribbean Network (AFCN), the on-base AFRTS radio and television station's family-oriented shows or rig up an antenna for signals from St. Thomas or San Juan. At one time, AFCN operated repeater transmitters broadcasting radio and TV to San Juan and to Ramey Air Force Base on the west coast of Puerto Rico. The AFCN studios were staffed by Navy and Marine Corps personnel, most of whom were journalists/broadcasters. At the El Coqui Theater, in the Bundy area of the base, movie goers watched films as bats flitted across the screen.
The base equestrian stables were across from the golf course aka:Lake Bundy. Most of the 'horses' were technically ponies
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
, although several thoroughbreds, washouts from race tracks, found a home on base occasionally.
The base flying club had many members, and met regularly to plan trips and activities. Flight instruction was available to all members.
The Vieques effect
In 1999, David SanesDavid Sanes
David Sanes Rodríguez was a native of Vieques, Puerto Rico whose death became a rallying point for those opposed to the U.S. military presence on and use of his home island for live-fire bombing practice...
, a civilian employed as a gate security guard by the US Navy, died from a stray bomb while observing a routine exercise. As a consequence of this and the high rate of cancer (correlation unconfirmed) among residents of Vieques many Vieques citizens and Puerto Rican activists from other towns (Ruben Berrios
Rubén Berríos
Rubén Ángel Berríos Martínez is a lawyer, a Puerto Rican politician, and the current president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party...
, Tito Kayak
Tito Kayak
Alberto De Jesus Mercado , better known as Tito Kayak, is an activist from Jayuya, Puerto Rico and founder of the Puerto Rican environmental group, Amig@s Del Mar...
, etc.) began activism against the military presence in Vieques, which included illegally entering the live -fire areas at the military reservation. Other important activists included Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
, Robert Kennedy Jr., Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
, U.S. Representative Luis Gutiérrez
Luis Gutiérrez
Luis Vicente Gutiérrez is an American politician and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. Gutiérrez was the first Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest. From 1986 until his election to Congress he served as a member of the Chicago City Council representing the 26th ward...
D-ILL, Rigoberta Menchú
Rigoberta Menchú
Rigoberta Menchú Tum is an indigenous Guatemalan, of the K'iche' ethnic group. Menchú has dedicated her life to publicizing the plight of Guatemala's indigenous peoples during and after the Guatemalan Civil War , and to promoting indigenous rights in the country...
and Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
(the last was jailed in Puerto Rico for trespassing on federal property).
An agreement between the Clinton Administration and the Government of Puerto Rico (then Gov. Rosello) agreed to cease all live bombing on Vieques by March 2003.
Ft. Bundy was affected by the protests, because part of it was in Vieques. After Sanes' death, there was a struggle between the autonomous Government of Puerto Rico
Government of Puerto Rico
The Government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty. Its current powers are all delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the United States Constitution...
and the American Government. This was over after President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
granted Puerto Rico the rights to operate the former military possessions in Vieques, including Ft. Bundy, a portion of which was aboard Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. As a consequence of President Bush's decision, the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station became NAPR (Naval Activity Puerto Rico), where DoD Police provides security, but still is considered a military installation. On March 31, 2004, the station again became inoperative.
The future
After the military left the station, Puerto Rican Governor Sila María CalderónSila María Calderón
Sila María Calderón Serra is a Puerto Rican politician and businesswoman who served as the seventh Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first and, to date, only woman elected to that office...
announced that her party, the PPD
Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....
, had plans to turn the base into an international airport
International airport
An international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
. This was backed in 2005 by the then-new Governor, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
, who established that the area would be converted to an airport. He also established that Ceiba as a town would serve as an economic and tourist center for eastern Puerto Rico, and that converting the former military base into a civil airport would be part of a plan to open seven or eight large airports in Puerto Rico.
Currently, approximately 2900 acres (12 km²) of the former Naval Station is being marketed to the public by the Los Angeles group of Colliers International, on behalf of the Navy's Base Realignment and Closure Program Management Office, as a public auction to commence in the near future. The remaining portions is also in the process of being conveyed to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and other Federal agencies in various stages. Since November 2008, Puerto Rico Ports Authority
Puerto Rico Ports Authority
The Puerto Rico Ports Authority is a public corporation created by the Legislative Assembly of the United States' Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to develop and operate ports and airports within the Commonwealth...
operates the José Aponte de la Torre Airport
José Aponte de la Torre Airport
José Aponte de la Torre Airport is a public use airport owned by Puerto Rico Ports Authority and located from the central business district of Ceiba, a town in Puerto Rico....
.
An Armed Forces Reserve Center opened September 2011 next to the U.S Army Reserve Center. This AFRC with 78350 square feet (7,279 m²) can serve 600 personnel on a rotating basis 345 servicemembers per weekend. This AFRC hosts the Detachment Headquarters 2nd Platoon. The Puerto Rico Army National Guard 7 FT LARC, the 215 Eng, Engr TM and a Recluting/Retention Office.
See also
- Military history of Puerto RicoMilitary history of Puerto RicoThe recorded military history of Puerto Rico encompasses the period from the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadores battled native Tainos in the rebellion of 1511, to the present employment of Puerto Ricans in the United States Armed Forces in the military campaigns in Afghanistan and...