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Shea Naval Aviation Museum
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  Location within Massachusetts | |
| Location | Weymouth, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°09′32″N 70°56′29″W / 42.1588°N 70.9413°W |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Website | www |
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
After Naval Air Station South Weymouth closed in 1997, the Patriot Squadron of the Association of Naval Aviation created a committee to establish a military heritage museum at the Union Point real estate development on the site of the old base.[1] That year the Navy 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, and appointed the ANA Patriot Squadron to watch over it after the Navy abandoned the base.[2] ANA Patriot Squadron members cosmetically restored the aircraft in 2011 and in 2025.[3]
In October 2011, after previously requiring appointments scheduled in advance, the ANA Patriot Squadron opened the Shea Naval Aviation Museum to the general public once a month in the former base gymnasium, the Shea Fitness Center.[4] The museum installed 100 memorial bricks in the grove in October 2013.[5] In 2015, the museum was given a documentary about the history of the base by the organization redeveloping the former base at that time.[6] However, in June 2017 the ANA Patriot Squadron was forced to close the museum and vacate the building so that it could be renovated.[7]
In June 2025 the ANA Patriot Squadron reopened the Shea Naval Aviation Museum at a new location, in the former base hobby shop office building at 194 Memorial Grove Avenue. The museum is presently open from 9 AM to noon on the second Saturday of the month, from 9 AM to 11 AM on the last Saturday of the month, and on other occasions by appointment. Admission is free and all are welcome.[8]
Exhibits
Exhibits at the museum include a sensor operator’s station from a P-3, an instrument panel from an A-4, Navy and Marine Corps uniforms, squadron insignia patches, historic photographs, model aircraft, plaques and signs, and many other artifacts associated with both bases.[9]
Collection
- Douglas A-4B Skyhawk[10]
- Grumman C-1A Trader – cockpit only[11]
See also
References
Footnotes
Notes
- ↑ Knox, Robert (4 April 2004). "Veterans Group has Designs on Air Station Museum". Boston Globe. p. 11. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ↑ Sweeney, Emily (13 June 2010). "Tempers Grow Short Over Road Name Trim". Boston Globe. p. 8. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ↑ "Vintage Navy Jet to Be Restored". Boston Globe. 22 July 2001. p. 4. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ↑ Tatz, Dennis (24 October 2011). "Aviation Museum Opens at Former Air Station in Weymouth". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ↑ Shepard, Cody (5 October 2013). "100 Memorial Bricks Placed at Weymouth Air Base Museum". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ↑ Schiavone, Christian (20 September 2015). "Documentary on South Weymouth Air Base on Tap Tuesday". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Derr, Greg (26 May 2025). "The Old Air Base at Weymouth has some new Military Life. What we know". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ↑ Schiavone, Christian (11 September 2015). "Shea Museum Salutes SouthField's Military History". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Douglas A-4B Skyhawk, s/n 142940 USN". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Grumman C-1A Trader, s/n 136780 USN". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 11 February 2024.