Naval Station Norfolk

In The Hesperus Prophecy Bruce drives Professor Riordan across the country, from Los Angeles to Norfolk Naval Base, in one night. While Declan can’t figure out how Commander Kingston accomplished this feat, he doesn’t have time to ask questions, because the USS Milwaukee is ready to leave port.

Norfolk’s naval base was established at the advent of World War I, when the Secretary of the Navy purchased the land. Besides shipyards, Naval Station Norfolk was originally equipped with aviation facilities, storehouses, and a submarine base. When Declan boards the USS Milwaukee on Christmas Day, 1938, the base was already massive. However, to meet the demands of World War II, the facilities were further expanded to include aircraft runways and seaplane ramps.

Naval Station Norfolk is located in northern Virginia, near where the Elizabeth River joins the Chesapeake Bay, and is home to the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet and Fleet Forces Command. Norfolk Station is the largest naval installation in the world, spanning over 6,000 acres with 4,000 buildings, 20 piers, an airfield, and 11 miles of pier and wharf.