Shea Naval Aviation Museum

Shea Naval Aviation Museum
Shea Naval Aviation Museum is located in Massachusetts
Shea Naval Aviation Museum
Location within Massachusetts
LocationWeymouth, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°09′32″N 70°56′29″W / 42.1588°N 70.9413°W / 42.1588; -70.9413
TypeAviation museum
Websitewww.anapatriotsquadron.com/shea-memorial-grove.htm

The Shea Naval Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in Weymouth, Massachusetts focused on the history of Naval Air Station South Weymouth and Naval Air Station Squantum.

History

Further information: Naval Air Station South Weymouth

After Naval Air Station South Weymouth closed in 1997, the Patriot Squadron of the Association of Naval Aviation created a historical society to establish a museum.[1] That year the group dedicated the Shea Memorial Grove, named after Lieutenant Commander John J. Shea, consisting of a park with a Douglas A-4B Skyhawk mounted on a pedestal.[2] The museum restored the airplane four years later.[3]

In October 2011, after previously requiring appointments scheduled in advance, it opened to the general public once a month in former base gymnasium, the Shea Fitness Center.[4] The museum installed 100 memorial bricks in the grove in October 2013.[5] In 2015, it was given a documentary about the history of the base by the organization redeveloping the former base.[6] However, in 2017 it was forced to leave the building so that it could be renovated.[7]

Exhibits

Exhibits at the museum included a sensor operator’s station from a P-3 and an instrument panel from an A-4.[8]

Collection

Douglas A-4B Skyhawk

See also

References

Footnotes

Notes

  1. ^ Knox, Robert (4 April 2004). "Veterans Group has Designs on Air Station Museum". Boston Globe. p. 11. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  2. ^ Sweeney, Emily (13 June 2010). "Tempers Grow Short Over Road Name Trim". Boston Globe. p. 8. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Vintage Navy Jet to Be Restored". Boston Globe. 22 July 2001. p. 4. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  4. ^ Tatz, Dennis (24 October 2011). "Aviation Museum Opens at Former Air Station in Weymouth". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  5. ^ Shepard, Cody (5 October 2013). "100 Memorial Bricks Placed at Weymouth Air Base Museum". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  6. ^ Schiavone, Christian (20 September 2015). "Documentary on South Weymouth Air Base on Tap Tuesday". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  7. ^ Baker, Ed (1 May 2019). "Weymouth Naval Musuem [sic] in Limbo After LStar's Ouster". Wicked Local. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  8. ^ Schiavone, Christian (11 September 2015). "Shea Museum Salutes SouthField's Military History". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Douglas A-4B Skyhawk, s/n 142940 USN". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Grumman C-1A Trader, s/n 136780 USN". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 11 February 2024.