Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic at Dam Neck c1964

Training Support Center Hampton Roads is, since 2004, the name of the facility in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...

, USA, which was long-known as "FTC Dam Neck". It is the home of the Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

History

Dam Neck Mills, U.S. Lifesaving Service

TSC Hampton Roads is located near the former town of Dam Neck Mills which was located in Princess Anne County (the former county is now part of the independent city of Virginia Beach). It was the site of the 19th century Dam Neck Mills Lifesaving Station of the United States Lifesaving Service, one of five spaced at intervals along the coast in Virginia from

Cape Henry Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia located in the northeast corner of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to the long estuary of the Chesapeake Bay. Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Ch ...

south to the border of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. The U.S. Lifesaving Service merged with other agencies to form the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

in 1915. The area's lifesaving history along the coast line of the

Graveyard of the Atlantic Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname for the treacherous waters and area of numerous shipwrecks off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States, which are due to the coast's shifting sands and inlets. To a lesser degree, this nickname has a ...

is commemorated at the Old Coast Guard Station Museum located in the 1903 Seatack Lifesaving Service Station (the next one north of the Dam Neck Mills station) at 24th street adjacent to the

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to ...

of Virginia Beach. The Old Coast Guard Station Museum has artifacts from the 1891 shipwreck of the ''Dictator'', displays of period lifesaving equipment, educational programs, and even an online
Tower Cam
, offering Internet users a similar view to those of members of the Lifesaving crews had over 100 years ago.

World War II, FTC Dam Neck

The

acquired the property during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to train

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

gunners. Since that, the mission was expanded to include training of Combat Systems operators and maintenance technicians. One notable former tenant command was Naval Guided Missile School (NAVGMSCOL), which provided training for the

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris (Latinisation of names, Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an ...

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

, and Trident 1 Backfit submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) systems and various surface missile systems.

Current mission

In 2004, FTC Dam Neck was reorganized and renamed Training Support Center Hampton Roads, to align it with the U.S. Navy's "Revolution In Training". The actual training activity is the Center for Surface Combat Systems, which is headquartered in

Dahlgren, Virginia Dahlgren is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,946 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 2,653 at the 2010 census, and up from 997 in 2000. Histor ...

. TSC Hampton Roads supports the training mission, as its name suggests.

Tenant commands

Other tenant commands currently at Dam Neck include the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU/NSWDG), Tactical Training Group Atlantic (TACTRAGRULANT), and Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division Dam Neck Activity (NSWCDD DNA). TSC Hampton Roads is also home to the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (NMITC), which trains

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

and sailors in

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

. Nearby, Dam Neck Annex is part of

Naval Air Station Oceana Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The station is located on 23.9 square kilometers. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mi ...

References

External links

FTC Dam NeckHistory of the Dam Neck facilityCombat Direction System Activity, Dam Neck
{{Authority control Training installations of the United States Navy Installations of the United States Navy in Virginia Military in Virginia Beach, Virginia