Hot and Humid

Chapel

Chapel (after base closing)

In the Beginning

It's been about two years since I started this blog so I thought I would post a brief update. It seems tons of people have visited this blog over the past few years searching for pictures of the Orlando base. I think that's awesome. It would also be great if you have any pictures you would like to share on this blog. Please let me know if you do - my email is on my profile. I would love to compile more pictures in one place here on the web. Otherwise leave a comment, share a memory or two, or participate in the poll to the left. Thanks for stopping by and I'll leave you with a picture of the beginning of things.

Nuclear Power School/A School

NNPTC Close Up

Click on image to enlarge. Let me know if you recognize any of the structures.

Share your thoughts, memories or whatever, I would love to hear them. Also if you have any pictures you would like me to share

NNPTC Orlando - more pics

A few more pictures of the base that someone was nice enough to send me (thanks Bill!).

Navy Housing - these houses were near the airport. I had friends that lived in one of the duplexes on Neptune Street (all the streets had water-related names). They always had a roach problem in the duplexes. Always!

The base before/after demolition. What a difference!

Nice shot of the base:

NNPTC Orlando

Sign at entrance to Naval Training Center Orlando. Second sign

View of RTC

I believe this is the sidewalk leading to the Nuclear Power School. The A school would have been off to the right. I think this is where we all gathered when it was announced that Admiral Boorda had committed suicide.

Ok, THE McDonald's. Whenever we were dismissed early for lunch, this is where we would go. If not, it was off to the E-Club for some frozen pizza.

This is the front gate

View from what I believe is Lake Baldwin (correct me if I am wrong).

Boarded up guard house.

Chapel

Not sure what this building is, any ideas?

Bennet Boulevard

Bench

Bench at Lake Baldwin

Barracks? Not like any of the ones I stayed in.

Recruit graduation and below that a picture of the barracks. These are the type of barracks I stayed in from 1996-97. There were three single beds, so three girls per room. One bathroom. There were four units on each floor (12 girls total) with a shared common area which was never used.

Not too long ago I had the chance to go back to Orlando, Florida. I really wanted to see the old base (I had not been back since 1997). Driving down Colonial Boulevard, everything seemed familiar. The gas station I always went to was gone, but Fashion Square Mall was right where I left it. . . and then? Suburbia. NTC, NNTPC, everything is gone and replaced by houses and condos. It's so weird that a place that is so very clear in my memory is just that - a place in my memory and nowhere else anymore. Poof, gone, no more!

I started searching for pictures online and these are all I came up with. . . wish I had taken a few more pictures while I was there! I would love to see some pictures of when the base was still alive and thriving. Although I appreciated finding even these pictures, it was a little sad to see the guard house boarded up and a lonely deserted McDonald's. I prefer the way it was in my memory, alive and bustling, full of young sailors. Even so, when I was there from 1996-1997, the base was on it's way out. Only the Nuclear Power School, Officer's school and A schools were still open. The RTC had recently been closed - coming from a winter at Great Lakes RTC, I really wondered why the Orlando base had been chosen for closure.

If you have any photos you would like to share, I would love, love, love to see them. In particular the NEX (I wasted so much money at that place), the E Club (also wasted a lot of money on crappy pizza!), etc., but really any pictures would be great. Also please comment on any memories you have of the naval base in Orlando!