Page 153 - Historical Study of Yerba Buena Island, Treasure Island and Their Buildings

2.3.2 Cold War Era, 1946-Present (1995)
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After the end of World War II, the military rapidly downsized. The Treasure Island Frontier
Base was disestablished and that portion of the T ADCEN was redesignated the US Navy Small
Craft Facility. The new organization continued to operate as before, but on a reduced scale.
Ships returned from sea with the tens of thousands of men who not too long before had
processed through on their way to the war. The highest rate of daily military transfers occurred
during this post-war time immediately following "V-J Day" for the Treasure Island TADCEN
and the Receiving Ship organizations. Soon the waterfront became crowded with transport ships
awaiting decommissioning. The numbers of ships varied daily, as some were towed away to be
cut up for scrap metal and others were put to rest in "mot1!_balls". This massive collection of
"mothballed" ships which so proudly served their nation, was provided a new place of anchorage
located in the Suisun Bay and is called the "Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet".

During the post-WW II period, Treasure Island was redesignated a Naval Station in 1947;
however, it continued to operate as a training command. In 1952, the various schools located in
facilities through the Bay Area were consolidated to become the Naval Schools Command. The
Radio Materiels School eventually became the Electronics Schools. Among the courses offered
were the "A" (basic), "B" (intermediate), and "C" (advanced) training levels for Electronics
Technicians, Advanced Fire Control Technicians, and Radarmen. These schools were closed
circa 1975 when newer facilities became available.

In the post-Vietnam War era, several major training courses were transferred to other military
locations. In 1972, the Naval Schools Command at Treasure Island was redesignated the Naval
Technical Training Center (NTTC). The NTTC was comprised of thirty seven training courses
taught in eight school divisions divided between the following two training departments:

• The Apprentice and Leadership Training Department - contained the Damage
Controlman "A" School, the Integrated Training Battalion, the Leadership and
Management Education and Training Division, the Radioactivity Detection,
Indication, and Computation (RADIAC) Division, and the Religious Program
Specialist Division ..

• The Fleet Training Department - contained the Damage Control Division,
Underway Replenishment Division, Firefighting Division, and the Electronics
Division.

The Damage Control School, built out at the northeast comer of the island, was equipped with a
damage control simulator known as the USS Buttercup. The simulator duplicated a ships interior
compartment and was capable of being flooded with water and steam to simulate battle damage.
The students, as their pratical training, were required to the "save the flooding ship" by securing
and/or controling all leaks. The students also learned how to repair structural damage to the
ship's overheads and decks with the use of shoring, patching and dewatering methods.

The-Firefighting School was one of seven in the Navy. The primary function of the school was
to teach students how to fight all classes (types) of fires. During the early years of the
firefighting school, the fuel fires that were used for training would billow huge black smoke
clouds into the sky. The blackened sky could be seen from the Golden Gate to the South Bay.

September 1, 1995 Historical Study ofYerba Buena Island, 2-49
Treasure Island, and their Buildings