Updated on 04/29/10
"Labess Sahebe" and a warm welcome to all who visit this website. A special thanks to Vickie Richards DeMott who was born at the Port Lyautey Naval Air Station on August 16, 1955 and who provided a color photograph of the original VR-24 Terminal welcome sign above. This website is a work in progress but the hope is that it will bring back warm and humorous remembrances to all those who served at the "Port" and/or the outlying Naval Communication Stations at Sidi Yahia or Bouknadel.
In Memory And Honor Of
All our former Shipmates in Morocco, who have received orders from Him, and have reported for duty aboard the eternal cruise.....
Lest we Forget
Personal Remembrances
Having a website on Port Lyautey had been in the back of my mind for many years. The Naval Base and my tour of duty there had, and still, bring back fond memories. And I am not the only one. Conversations with members of the Port Lyautey Alumni Association, members of the Davisville, RI Island X-1 (Navy Seabee Veterans of America) and former shipmates in Mobile Construction Battalion 4 (MCB 4), all of whom served there as well, voice the same opinion, it was one of the best duty stations in the Navy.
I arrived at Naval Air Station (NAS) Port Lyautey, Morocco in 1957 from the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. It was at Pensacola that I cross-rated to the Seabees. My father and uncle had been Seabees and so I carried on the family tradition. After cross-rating, I received orders to report to the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville. At Davisville, I received further orders to report to the Naval Air Station at Norfolk for air transportation to Port Lyautey. I always wondered why the Navy didn't send me to Norfolk directly from Pensacola but that is one of those military things that just never seemed to have any rhyme or reason.
NAS Port Lyautey was located outside the city of Kenitra. After the Moroccans achieved independence from the French, they changed the name of the city from Port Lyautey to Kenitra in an attempt to rid themselves of the vestiges of French names and influences. In reality though, it was just a name change. Kenitra along with Casablanca, Rabat and other Moroccan cities were greatly influenced by French culture and it was this culture that American servicemen were exposed to. Tangier, across from the straits of Gibraltar, was a city whose culture was of the Spanish Moors. Meknes, Fez and Marrachesh were pure Moroccan in culture.
The Naval Base was a beehive of naval aircraft activity. Four squadrons were based there with constant take-off and landings of A3D's, P2V's, P4M's, R5D's and R6D's. I had flown to the Port from Norfolk, with a stop-off at the Azores for refueling on an R6D assigned to VR-22. Upon arrival, I reported to the Seabee detachment assigned to the base Public Works section.
As the years pass by, many of the names of shipmates have slipped from my memory but I still and especially remember Gordon "Sleepy" Clevenger (CDC), Tom "Fuzzy" Kramer (BU3), Jim Killebrew (CD2) and his wife Marilyn who graciously opened the hospitality of their home to me, Walt Owsiany (CN) and John Skoglund (SV3).
| Lou Demas, Norton, MA |
Photo Memories
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Looking up the hill as you were coming up from the Hanger areas |
The Base Hospital |
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Base main road |
Enlisted family housing. Built by MCB#1 Seabees |
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Base Chapel. Built by MCB#6 Seabees |
Enlisted Mess Hall |
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A view of the airstrip overlooking the Base Public Works section |
Base Public Works Motor Pool |
Looking towards the barracks area from the Navy Exchange. Base Hospital was to the right (unseen).
Personal Memories
Contributor Memories
VB-112 Deployment Information
The family of a deceased former Naval Officer, assigned to VB-112 during it's Port Lyautey assignment in WW2, is seeking that squadron's deployment information. Please click here for the VB-112 link.
ECM-2 Uncounted Casualties
Perhaps no Cold War unit suffered higher operational casualties than ECM-2 (later redesignated as VQ-2), a Port Lyautey based squadron. In 1958, eight crewmen died; on Jan. 16, 1959, 16 perished in Turkey. Then on May 22, 1962, in Germany, 26 men died in a crash. Six men went down Nov. 3, 1966, flying a mission from a carrier. An additional 56 squadron members were killed in the 60's. At least 12 crewmen died during the 70's. On Jan. 25, 1987, a plane flying off the Nimitz was lost with seven crewmen.
The following Hyperlink is a tribute to that squadron. It is a tribute researched and compiled by a former crewman in that squadron, John D. Herndon, AMHC, USN, Retired. There are forty-nine photographs in this presentation and as such, the download time will be long for those of you using dial-up modems. But it is worth the wait because it speaks of the same message as that sign left by US Army troops on the Burma Road during WW2 which stated, "Never forget those, who gave their tomorrows for your todays". Well done Chief. Please click here to visit John Herndon's account.
John is also requesting that any visitor to this website who may have an emblem or patch for Naval Patrol Unit, NAF available for scanning, please contact him at herndonjohn@hotmail.com. John is also seeking pictures or info concerning Navy PB-1W (B-17) Port Lyautey which was operated by Naval Patrol Unit, NAF.
Visit the Vietnam Virtual Wall
Vietnam War casualties listed by Home of Record. 
Please Visit These Other Moroccan Duty Websites
| The Sidi Yahia website courtesy of Joe Glockner,CTC, USN,Ret.
The VR-24 website courtesy of Dick Prather, LCDR, USN Ret. The Kenitra Marine Barracks website courtesy of Sgt. Jim Holub, USMC, Ret. The Kenitra American High School website courtesy of Doug Campbell, "72". USN Composite Squadrons - VC 5, 6, 7, 8 website courtesy of Charles Huber, former AQ1, USN. NAF Port Lyautey, Morocco History and it's greater VP Navy website courtesy of Nevins Frankel. |
VP-21 and VPB-111 websites courtesy of Frank Balogh Jr, former AT2, USN Nouasseur Alumni Association courtesy of Sharon Renno, "58" The Port Lyautey Forever website courtesy of John D. Bernard VQ-2 website courtesy of John Herndon, AMHC (AW) USN Retired The Jack Fooshee (AT-2) website who made two two trips to Port Lyautey from 1952 to 1954. Click theVC-7 link on his upper left link menu once you are into his website. The Sidi Yahia Comstation site courtesy of Joe Franzen
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French Websites regarding Port Lyautey
An interesting French website by Mr. Pascal Caron can be accessed by clicking here. Once the opening page of the CARPHAZ.COM website appears, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Entree. This will bring you to the Kenitra page. Scrolling down this page will find links to Kenitra and Mehdia on the right side and "Kenitra et Port-Lyautey" on the left side with seven additional links that can be accessed. Many historical photographs. The CARPHAZ website is written totally in the French language but easily navigable.
Another interesting French website by Mr. Henri Aubert regarding Port Lyautey can be be accessed by clicking here. This site, AAKPPA, is an association whose members are people who have lived in Kenitra and have had some form of school, professional or military activity during the period of the French protectorat until 1965-1970. Again, written totally in the French language but easily navigable.
This Website is looking for.......
This website is looking for photographs of the French Foreign Legion from the late 40's to the early 50's era in the Port Lyautey/Kenitra area. Anyone who would care to share these photographs may contact me by e-mail to send a jpeg attachment or mail me the pictures. If mailed, I will copy them and return them to the sender. Full credit will be given to the donor.
WEB-EDITOR Note! All photographs in this website, not credited, are from the Lou Demas collection.
