Naval Air StationPort Lyautey, Morocco

The following photographs are from the personal collection of Jerry (Gerald J.) Zimmerman who served at NAS Port Lyautey between 8/2/47 to 4/15/48. Copies of these photographs may be obtained in a larger format by contacting Jerry at Jerdadzim@cs.com. Former shipmates of Jerry may also contact him at the same e-mail address.

Naval Air Station Aircraft Photographs

The Announcement of the Flight Service

The first NATS Aircraft to land at Port Lyautey

2

A view of a R4D-6 from inside the Main Hangar

A French Navy plane waiting for takeoff clearance.

The road between the Main Hangar and "the Hill" crossed the main runway's entrance. It is easy to see why ALL traffic had to stop until the incoming plane landed safely. Note the flashing light posts on both sides of the roadway. They were controlled from the Hangar's tower.

A R4U Squadron airplane on the Main Hangar apron. The clump of trees behind and in front of the plane's nose was where the enlisted men's Base canteen, the Oasis, was located. The water tower can be seen on the horizon in front of the plane's rudder.

A view from the Main Hangar roof of a 4U Squadron airplane and of a French airplane.

Base SNJ's with "the Hill," and French Barracks in the background

Front view of a PB4Y-2 and looking northeast. The tail of the Base's SNB is on the left. The flag and flag pole on the left is the flag located in front of the Main Hangar. My recall is the Quonset Huts on the right were the Army Air Force and the Squadron's quarters.

This PB4Y-2 is sitting on the Eastside apron of the Main Hangar. To the left and behind the PB4Y-2 are the Crash Crew's Quonset Huts, with the Sebou River right behind them. My recall is that the building to the right of this plane was the Army Air Force's Operations Headquarters. It may also have the same for the V-Squadrons.

The nose guns of a 4U Squadron PB4Y-2, also known as a "Privateer". The Privateer was the Navy version of the Army Air Force B-24 with the main difference being that the B-24 had a dual tail. The Navy also flew that aircraft with the designation of PB4Y-1.

Web-editors Note, The WW2 PB4Y-2 squadron at Port Lyautey would have been VP-26. According to Captain Don East, former CO of VQ2, when the majority of the VP-26 ASW/Surv squadron left Port Lyautey in the Summer of 1950, they left a few birds behind and the group was designated NAF Patrol Unit and dedicated to electronic reconnaissance for the European theatre of operations. By 1951, the unit replaced its Privateers with Mercators and a P2V2 for pilot training. In May 1953, the unit was redesignated as VW-2 Det Able under a squadron homeported at NAS Pax River. On 1 Sept 1955, the unit was redesignated as ECM Squadron two with the designator VQ-2. On 1 Jan 1960, concurrent with the move to Rota, Spain, the squadron was finally redesignated as Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Two with the designator continuing as VQ-2. Visitors to this website are encouraged to visit the John Brady collection of VP-26 photos and the ECM-2 page on this website by clicking their links from the Newsletter.

To the best of my memory this is a picture I took of the 1947- 48 NAS Port Lyautey R4U crew. I also believe that "Lyles," the Squadron's Photographer, is in the bottom row, 4th in from the right.

Officers of the 1947 - 48 - R4U Squadron standing in front of one of their PB4Y-2's.

Army Air Force B-17s on the south apron of the Main Hangar, Fall of 1947. To the left and back can be seen the Crash Boat's dock crane and the crew's Quonset huts. The large building to the right was the Army's hangar and Mess Hall.

View from the Main Hangar roof looking due north to the Sebou River. In front, a 4U squadron plane and, in back, a NC4.

View looking west from the south apron. A PB4Y-2 in front of two Jeeps. The Main Hangar is to the right, and, on the horizon, the French Barracks on "the hill."

View from the roof of the Main Hangar looking a "little" to the northeast to the Crash Crew Quarters and Dock on the Sebou River. A PB4Y-2 rests on the south apron.

Picture taken from the West balcony of the Main Hangar just outside Jerry's Photo Lab. The plane in front is the SN Baker that brought Jerry from Gibraltar to Port Lyautey in August 1947. It is also the plane that the Base's Executive Officer was flying in 1948 with his family aboard to Gibraltar at the end of his NAS assignment. On the way, the plane crashed and all aboard were killed. Also note the enormous size of the Hangar. A huge PB4Y-2 is almost hidden in the background. Also note the 2nd floor, balcony entrance doors to the main offices. (Read more details in Jerry's letters.)

One of the Base's two SNJ's and the SN Baker as seen from the Main Hangar's second floor balcony. The Motor Mec on the wing is Silvers.

This picture of the Base hangar filled with French planes was given to me by my French Navy Officer friend, DéDé. I believe it may have been taken prior to the Nov. 1942, Operation Torch invasion.

This cargo plane is labeled, "European Transport Service." To the best of my memory this was NAS Port Lyautey's mail connection to the US until NATS [Naval Air Transport Service] took over after the US Army Air Force left the Base in the Fall of 1947. (More details of the Air Force departure can be found in Jerry's letter's.)

Jerry, in dress blues and his fresh, new "Eagle" on his sleeve, holds his prized 4X5 Speed Graphic and sits on the wing of his favorite plane to take aerial photos, a SNJ. Jerry became enamored with the SNJ while at Aerial Photographer's school in Pensacola. Following are two photos of that duty.

Jerry preparing for a flight in an SNJ.

Jerry in the rear, CMDR Breedlove the pilot, over the skies of Pensacola prior to Jerry's assignment to Port Lyautey.