# Why is there a Naval reserch base in Nevada **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 2008, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958 "2008-10-01T03:05:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/21 "2008-10-01T17:25:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Why is there a Naval reserch base in Nevada Wishful thinking. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/22 "2008-10-01T17:35:15Z")
> [@CapnPitt](#): > > Well answer me this one, why is there a Naval Air Station just north of Memphis, TN? > [https://www.cnic.navy.mil/MidSouth/index.htm](https://www.cnic.navy.mil/MidSouth/index.htm) > > This has simply got to be pork, right? That’s not an air station, it’s the home of the Navy’s personnel department (Naval Support Activity, not Naval Air Station). We just refer to it as “Millington.” The air strip there looks to be civilian. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/23 "2008-10-01T17:37:04Z")
NAS Fallon (Nevada) is home to the Navy’s “Top Gun” dog fighting school. [Naval Air Station Fallon - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAS_Fallon) The Navy (all the services do, actually) uses the bomb ranges in Nevada to be able to drop live ordnance, and they’ll fly out of either Fallon, or Nellis AFB for this. There is also an annual joint service (Navy/Marine/Air Force. Dunno about Army.)exercise, too, held in Nevada. (Or at least, there used to be…) The Navy had a few aviation maintenance schools at NAS Memphis. [https://www.cnic.navy.mil/MidSouth/index.htm](https://www.cnic.navy.mil/MidSouth/index.htm) (Name was changed. Hmmph.) > **[List of United States Navy airfields](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_US_Naval_Air_Stations)** > > This is a list of airfields operated by the United States Navy which are located within the United States and abroad. The US Navy's main airfields are designated as Naval Air Stations or Naval Air Facilities, with Naval Outlying Landing Fields (NOLF) and Naval Auxiliary Landing Fields (NALF) having a support role. > Some airfields are parented by a larger naval installation or are part of a Joint Base operated jointly with another part of the US military. > NAS Whiting Field – South > A naval outl... ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/24 "2008-10-01T17:42:35Z")
They definitely fly fighters at Millington (at least as of this past May). I was on vacation and golfing with my Uncle and the jerks kept buzzing us. It was funny when he was swinging, but annoying when I was up. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/25 "2008-10-01T17:45:55Z")
> [@CapnPitt](#): > > Well answer me this one, why is there a Naval Air Station just north of Memphis, TN? > [https://www.cnic.navy.mil/MidSouth/index.htm](https://www.cnic.navy.mil/MidSouth/index.htm) > > This has simply got to be pork, right? Not necessarily. IIRC, the Memphis air station was established during WWII, when both the Army and Navy were cranking out pilots by the thousands. At that time it was devoted to primary flight training using the N2S “Yellow Peril” (the Navy version of the [PT-17](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing-Stearman_Model_75)). The location for that type of training would likely be selected based more on terrain and weather than proximity to the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/26 "2008-10-01T18:10:40Z")
Well, there’s a Naval listening station here in WV in a part of the state that is considered a “quiet zone” but I can’t remember where it is exactly. I asked daHubby why it’s there when the nearest ocean is a bit of a way off and he said that the Navy put it there because of the “quiet zone.” If I can catch him I’ll ask where it is. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/27 "2008-10-01T18:31:26Z")
> [@CapnPitt](#): > > They definitely fly fighters at Millington (at least as of this past May). I was on vacation and golfing with my Uncle and the jerks kept buzzing us. It was funny when he was swinging, but annoying when I was up. 😛 NAS Millington died many years ago. The field is still used for touch and goes and cross countries, but nothing is based there and the military no longer owns it. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/28 "2008-10-01T18:35:01Z")
> [@flyboy](#): > > NAS Millington died many years ago. The field is still used for touch and goes and cross countries, but nothing is based there and the military no longer owns it. All I can say is what I saw with my own eyes. I don’t know what kind they were, but they were small jets and they definitely weren’t civilian. Thanks for the info about why the base is there. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/29 "2008-10-01T18:49:56Z")
> [@CapnPitt](#): > > All I can say is what I saw with my own eyes. I don’t know what kind they were, but they were small jets and they definitely weren’t civilian. > > Thanks for the info about why the base is there. Yes, you saw mil aircraft in the pattern. Had you went to the field proper, you would have a) had no problem getting to the field (no gates, no security)\* b) seen only civilian aircraft based there–mil aircraft would only be in transient parking/servicing. There are no mil aircraft based there. What I was saying in my previous post was that Navy/Marine/AF pilots will still fly there (from their home bases), just as they fly to many many other non-mil airfields, and practice landings and approaches. That’s what you saw. \*I haven’t actually been there, but I’m guessing that the civilian field has no security ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/30 "2008-10-01T19:38:49Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > Well, there’s a Naval listening station here in WV in a part of the state that is considered a “quiet zone” but I can’t remember where it is exactly. I asked daHubby why it’s there when the nearest ocean is a bit of a way off and he said that the Navy put it there because of the “quiet zone.” If I can catch him I’ll ask where it is. EDIT: According to Hubby, it’s in Sugar Grove, WV. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/31 "2008-10-01T19:44:45Z")
Next up: Why does the Royal Andorran Navy have a base at all? ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/32 "2008-10-01T19:45:53Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > EDIT: According to Hubby, it’s in Sugar Grove, WV. > **[Sugar Grove, West Virginia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Grove,_West_Virginia)** > > Sugar Grove is a community located in Pendleton County, West Virginia, United States. Its ZIP Code is 26815. It is located within the United States National Radio Quiet Zone. > The community was named for a sugar orchard at the original town site. The Bowers House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. > The nearby Sugar Grove Station is operated by the National Security Agency. > In 2017, the Navy Operations Information Command base in Sugar Grove was auctioned off by the ... Comm/Intelligence ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/33 "2008-10-01T21:09:21Z")
> [@flyboy](#): > > Yes, you saw mil aircraft in the pattern. Had you went to the field proper, you would have > a) had no problem getting to the field (no gates, no security)\* > b) seen only civilian aircraft based there–mil aircraft would only be in transient parking/servicing. There are no mil aircraft based there. What I was saying in my previous post was that Navy/Marine/AF pilots will still fly there (from their home bases), just as they fly to many many other non-mil airfields, and practice landings and approaches. That’s what you saw. > > \*I haven’t actually been there, but I’m guessing that the civilian field has no security AHA!!! That explains why they kept circling and then heading low at the base. Obviously (now) practicing landings. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/34 "2008-10-01T21:14:32Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Next up: Why does the Royal Andorran Navy have a base at all? In preparation for the Great Iberian Earthquake that will give Andorra a few hundred miles of seacoast. Nostradamus, and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/35 "2008-10-01T21:19:41Z")
My father went for training ~1960 at NAS Olathe, Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/36 "2008-10-02T01:33:00Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > Well, there’s a Naval listening station here in WV in a part of the state that is considered a “quiet zone” but I can’t remember where it is exactly. I asked daHubby why it’s there when the nearest ocean is a bit of a way off and he said that the Navy put it there because of the “quiet zone.” If I can catch him I’ll ask where it is. Could you also ask him what, exactly, a “quiet zone” is? I have many hours working aircraft HF radios (I’m assuming that’s the band we’re talking about), and am curious to know what he’s talking about. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/37 "2008-10-02T01:36:40Z")
> [@flyboy](#): > > Could you also ask him what, exactly, a “quiet zone” is? I have many hours working aircraft HF radios (I’m assuming that’s the band we’re talking about), and am curious to know what he’s talking about. The [National Radio Quiet Zone](http://www.gb.nrao.edu/nrqz/nrqz.shtml). Partly established for the benefit of egghead radio astronomers, but also used by Navy (and perhaps also NSA) spooks. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/38 "2008-10-02T01:49:21Z")
The Navy presence at Hawthorne is a remote site attached to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Keyport. I’m not sure what goes on there in Nevada but Keyport does weapons testing, R&D, manufacturing, maintenance and repair of torpedoes, mines and anything else that is used underwater and goes boom, so it’s not hard to imagine the Nevada site is a better place to do a lot of that than at Keyport’s home base in Puget Sound. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/39 "2008-10-02T01:58:36Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > There used to be a naval training installation more or less in downtown Orlando - an hours’ drive from the sea, and an hour and a half from the nearest coastal naval installation. Yup, I went to Nuclear Power School there. The school really could have been placed anywhere in the U.S., as it only consisted of the initial classroom training. They also had one of the Navy’s enlisted boot camps there. The other two were in San Diego and Great Lakes, Illinois (north of Chicago). It really made a whole lot of sense to shut down the Orlando boot camp instead of Great Lakes, since the weather is so much more pleasant in upstate Illinois. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958/40 "2008-10-02T13:50:46Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Yup, I went to Nuclear Power School there. The school really could have been placed anywhere in the U.S., as it only consisted of the initial classroom training. > > They also had one of the Navy’s enlisted boot camps there. The other two were in San Diego and Great Lakes, Illinois (north of Chicago). It really made a whole lot of sense to shut down the Orlando boot camp instead of Great Lakes, since the weather is so much more pleasant in upstate Illinois. :rolleyes: It’ll (the bad weather) put hair on your chest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-naval-reserch-base-in-nevada/465958.md?page=1)