Naval Station San Diego
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Naval Station San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California.
[edit] History
The property on which Naval Station San Diego is now located was deeded to the U.S. government by the city of San Diego on September 3, 1919 to build a docking and fleet repair base. The property consisted of 21 acres (85,000 m²) of water and 77.2 acres (312,000 m²) of land with the former being mostly tidelands and marsh flats.
On February 15, 1921, the U.S. Navy acquired the land, buildings, and some machinery. Later that year, on June 10, the destroyer tender Prairie, commanded by Commander H. N. Jenson, was ordered to the area to take over and prepare the site for receipt of destroyers which would soon be decommissioned. A marine railway was also begun, and on February 23, 1922, U.S. Destroyer Base San Diego was created by General Order 78.
During World War II, the Destroyer Base was renamed U.S. Naval Repair Base San Diego to reflect an expanding and changing role. During the war, more than 43,000 sailors and officers trained for repair duties, and more than 5,000 ships were sent to the station for conversion, overhaul, and repair, including the repair of battle damage.
After World War II, the name of the Repair Base was changed, for the last time, to Naval Station San Diego. The mission was expanded to support the ships of the Pacific Fleet.
[edit] Operations
Naval Station (NAVSTA) San Diego is homeport for approximately 60 Navy ships and homebase to 50 separate commands, each having specific and specialized fleet support purposes. It is the workplace for approximately 48,000 military and civilian personnel. Three thousand men and women are housed in modern, attractive bachelor quarters.
The commanding officer, whose role is akin to that of a mayor of a medium-sized city, has several departments and commands reporting to him. Collectively, about 3,900 military and civilian personnel accomplish the multifaceted support mission.
Fleet support has always been the mission of naval station, and that mission affects all 98 ships homeported in the San Diego area. These include aircraft carriers at Naval Air Station North Island, and submarines at Naval Base Point Loma. Ship support functions include such services as providing tugboats and pilots. Pier space is also provided for homeported ships, for all Pacific Fleet ships undergoing refresher training or shakedown, for four Military Sealift Command ships, and for all foreign navy ships visiting San Diego. More than 3,500 ship movements are performed annually.
