Review, delay sought on moving Navy ships

WASHINGTON

A House committee wants the Navy to complete a full study of the economic damage that would be done to Hampton Roads if the service decides to relocate one of its Norfolk-based aircraft carriers or other ships to a base in Mayport, Fla.

Language quietly inserted on Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake into a 2009 defense spending bill would block the secretary of the Navy from announcing a final decision on transferring any ships until 30 days after the economic review is complete. The provision won the backing of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday night.

The committee action came as members finalized their proposed revisions to the Bush administration's $609 billion defense spending plan for 2009. Among other provisions, the panel supports a 3.9 percent pay increase for service members, half a percentage point more than Bush recommended.

Norfolk currently is home to four carriers, all nuclear-powered; each is worth about $225 million annually to the Hampton Roads economy, according to estimates developed by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.

The area lost a fifth flattop, the George Washington, earlier this year. Local officials hope to replace it with a new ship, the George H.W. Bush, which is to join the fleet in January. Florida lawmakers, who saw Mayport lose the carrier John F. Kennedy to retirement last year, are eager to claim the Bush for their state, however.

In a prepared statement, Drake said her goal is "to ensure that the secretary has as much information as possible before making a decision."

Drake's proposal also would give her and other Virginia lawmakers a 30-day window to attempt to block a carrier transfer with additional legislation.

Frank Roberts, executive director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, said Drake's proposal sends a message to the Navy that "we're not going to let this thing go."

The Navy already is in the midst of a study of the future of the Mayport base. Adding facilities needed to accommodate a nuclear-powered carrier - the Kennedy was conventionally-driven - could cost up to $500 million.

An initial draft of the Mayport study released earlier this year made no recommendation on any move. But Navy leaders have voiced support for keeping a carrier in Mayport, and local officials worry that the service leaders already are determined to send the Bush to Mayport.

Staff writer Louis Hansen contributed to this report.

Dale Eisman (703) 913-9872, dale.eisman@pilotonline.com