Exploring the Eleuthera NAVFAC always piques my interest as I love all things macabre. The first few times I ventured through I was merely trying to find the main beach in front of the massive parking lot, but on subsequent visits I became fascinated with the native art that was deemed to be Santeria. Now, I don’t know if it is or isn’t, but it is pretty weird. The fact that most of the art can be found in the building that used to be the chapel also makes the walk through the building just a bit more creepy, as if something will jump out at you (besides one of the goats!) at every turn of a corner. Enjoy a smattering of my photos from my journey through the chapel in 2019. For a brief history of the facility, read on.
READ MOREThe Eleuthera, Bahamas facility was officially commissioned on September 1, 1957. There were 150 officers and enlisted men plus 45 Bahamians. Much of the work detail was related to transportation and communication, and it was said that its main mission was to interecept foreign communications from vessels above and below the ocean that traveled near the Eleutheran shores. Eleuthera made history June 30, 1970 by being the first facility to employ women in oceanographic research. NAVFAC Eleuthera was decommissioned March 31, 1980 after 23 years of service.
For some additional history on the area make sure to check out this interesting read from Project Eleuthera.
Note: As per the first comment from Chuck Miller (thanks Chuck!), I have added some photos of the catchment basin and my car hovering precariously above the last slab of cement.
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5 Comments
That is not a parking lot but a catchment basin for water. When the base was active there was no available water so we caught rain water and treated it
Thanks for this interesting information! I’ve added several pictures of the basin so that people can see what you are referring to. When I first arrived I didn’t realize that the slab that I had parked on had nothing below it to support it.
Thanks for this Bret! We’ve only explored the base briefly and I certainly want to explore more when we are able to return. Heard rumor a while back that somewhere in one of the buildings is a box of old Eleuthera license plates. Any info/sightings on that? We did not venture too close to the edge of the parking lot. I don’t think Big Daddy’s would have been happy had the rental gone off the edge 🙂
I couldn’t tell you about Eleuthera license plates there. If they are there then I’ve never found them. I haven’t really done an in depth exploration of the property. I visited various buildings, but didn’t really know what I was looking for. I learned more about things by watching other people’s videos. The one that I thought was real neat was the guy who found the old canned water – still intact! Now, with Philautia taking over the property I expect that the whole thing will get razed in the very near future.
My name is Dale Wos and I was attached to NAVFAC Eleuthera from 9-65 until 11-67. I worked in the T-bldg. as a watch stander.
We had one very exciting event. Since we worked in a security area, the person assigned to answer the gate and let people in wore
a .45 caliber pistol. Well one evening during the watch the pistol was on the watch supervisors desk and somehow went off!!!!
Needless to say that firearm makes a very loud noise indoors. If any of you were there and remember that incident please contact me.