A United States Naval Air Station was established on Dinner Key in 1917. NAS Dinner Key, commanded by Lt. Cdr. Marc Mitscher, was the second largest naval air facility in the U.S. and was used to train seaplane pilots. The Air Station was closed shortly after the end of World War I. Later an airport was built here by Pan Am. The Navy took over the site during World War II, operating there from 1943 until 1945.
