Navy appears to have made decision to put carrier in Florida

NORFOLK

The Navy appears to be moving full steam ahead with plans to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Florida, despite insisting that no decision has been made.

On Thursday, the Navy took the first steps to find contractors to convert Mayport Naval Station into a nuclear-ready base, through postings to a federal contracting Web site. And in a letter to Virginia senators, Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested that a decision has already been made to send a nuclear carrier there.

In response to questions from The Virginian-Pilot, Cmdr. Cappy Surette, a Navy spokesman, said that no final decision has been made. He said the postings will be removed from the Web site "in order to avoid any misperception."

An environmental study completed in mid-November recommended placing a carrier at Mayport, but Navy Secretary Donald Winter has not decided whether to proceed, his spokeswoman said on Friday. Under federal law, Winter must wait until at least Monday - 30 days after he received the recommendation - to act.

Virginia officials have said the process has been fast-tracked to send the new carrier George H.W. Bush to Mayport instead of Norfolk. The ship will be commissioned next month, before President George W. Bush leaves office.

Local economists estimate that a carrier creates 11,000 jobs and generates $650 million annually for Hampton Roads.

Navy planners said spreading the fleet to two East Coast bases would reduce the risks in a foreign or terrorist attack. The study estimated it would cost at least $565 million to improve the piers, electrical systems and other infrastructure to make the north Florida base nuclear-ready.

On a federal contracting Web site, the Navy posted a notice on Thursday for construction companies that would design and build berthing, power plants and security systems on an existing wharf to make Mayport a nuclear-capable port. No cost estimate was given.

It also sought companies to widen a major, on-base road that runs past the piers and to build a parking garage. Those two projects would cost from $30 million to $50 million.

The postings are preliminary steps that could lead to a contract, although none has been awarded.

Last month, the Navy solicited bids for more than $250 million in renovations and construction at several bases in Florida and Georgia, including Mayport. The due date for those contractor proposals is Jan. 15, five days before President Bush leaves office.

Rear Adm. Frank Thorp, the Navy's top spokesman, said those renovations and construction projects at Mayport are independent of the carrier decision. The construction will benefit sailors and any ships the Navy decides to homeport at the base, he said, whether or not a carrier goes there.

But Frank Roberts, executive director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, said a decision appears to have been made by the Bush administration. The Virginia delegation will lobby the Obama administration to prevent a move, he said.

Virginia officials also have raised questions about a Dec. 18 letter from Gates to Sen s. John Warner and Jim Webb. Gates endorsed the Navy's study and denied the senators' request to slow down the process to consider more environmental effects.

Gates wrote that, after thorough consideration, "Secretary Winter concluded that homeporting a CVN at Naval Station Mayport best supports the Navy's mission and is critical to our national security interests."

Gates added that no specific ship has been chosen, and the process will continue for at least three years more before the move takes place.

Bryan Whitman, a Defense Department spokesman, declined to comment on the letter. Winter has told Gates that the Navy believes it should act quickly and Gates agreed, Whitman said.

Thorp said the Gates' reference to a conclusion by Winter stems from the recommendation signed by the Navy secretary in mid-November.

The process was rushed, flawed and comes with an "exorbitant price tag," said Jessica Smith, a spokeswoman for Webb.

"It's hard not to question the haste here, but Senator Webb plans to fight this decision at every step."

Louis Hansen, (757) 446-2322, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com