The Virginian-Pilot
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The Navy has delayed plans to move a Norfolk-based aircraft carrier to Mayport, Fla., by five years - from 2014 to 2019 "at the earliest," U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye said Wednesday, postponing an economic hit that could cost Hampton Roads hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
The Virginia Beach Democrat said top Navy officers told him about the timetable change while he was on a fact-finding visit to Mayport Naval Station on Monday.
Nye said the officers also acknowledged that while they want to begin improvements to the base soon to prepare it for a nuclear-powered carrier, they could delay those projects until 2015 and still be ready by 2019.
Nye said the delay bolsters arguments by him and other Virginia members of Congress that there is no need to debate or approve any spending requests for the relocation now.
"I am still asking the Navy to justify to us why it makes sense to spend all this money," Nye said Wednesday.
When asked about the meeting with Nye, a Navy spokesman declined to discuss specific timetables. "The Navy will not homeport a carrier at Mayport prior to completion of the required military construction projects," said Lt. Paul Macapagal.
Among the officers who participated in Nye's briefing were Rear Adm. Thomas Moore, deputy director of fleet readiness; Rear Adm. Christopher Mossey, director of shore readiness; Rear Adm. Joseph Campbell, deputy commander of logistics maintenance and industrial operations; and Capt. Aaron Bowman, Mayport's commanding officer.
Navy officials have said converting Mayport to a nuclear-capable base and moving a carrier would cost about $670 million; Nye and other critics have said the cost would be at least $1 billion.
"After seeing the lack of capability at Mayport, and knowing what we have here in Norfolk, it's going to take a lot more time and money than the Navy has previously stated to homeport a nuclear carrier there," Nye said.
Mayport will need to build new housing and nuclear maintenance facilities, as well as widen roads, install new gates and make many other upgrades, he said.
Nye and other Hampton Roads lawmakers have opposed the relocation, as have the region's leaders, in part because of the cost to the local economy. Experts have predicted that if a carrier departed, the region would lose about 6,000 jobs and $425 million in annual revenue.
Nye said he expects to receive in a few weeks a requested report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office that examines the cost of moving a carrier.
The Navy and Defense Department leaders have endorsed the Mayport move, citing a need to disperse the carrier fleet to protect it from terrorist threats and possible man-made and natural disasters in Hampton Roads. Norfolk is the only carrier base on the East Coast.
Hampton Roads' legislators and leaders have objected, arguing that the military has not offered any specific analysis to back up its concerns.
Virginia lawmakers also argue that, given the limited defense budget, there are higher priorities - such as building more ships - than moving a carrier.
The relocation is being pushed hard by members of Florida's congressional delegation seeking to revive Mayport, a facility that has been downsizing in recent years.
The Jacksonville-area base had home-ported aircraft carriers since 1952 but lost its last one when the conventionally powered John F. Kennedy was decommissioned in 2007. The remaining frigates at the base also are scheduled to be decommissioned.
Congress agreed last year to spend almost $76 million for dredging and wharf repairs at Mayport in preparations for a new carrier.
Military leaders said the defense budget proposal being debated this year also includes $2 million for planning the Mayport move.
Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com
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<<< The Pacific Fleet has
<<< The Pacific Fleet has ships in Puget Sound, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor. The Atlantic Fleet has the vast majority of the ships homeported in Norfolk. Make sense? NO! >>>
Yes! Hampton Roads is the largest harbor in the world, and the amount of water deep enough for a fleet carrier is measured in square miles. An order of magnitude larger than any other East Coast harbor.
Also, Pearl Harbor is not a coastal harbor, it is over 2,200 miles from the continental U.S.
Wake up call
Yes, it is true that outside participants use this and other forums to their advantage. Same thing happens on the OLF issue. We need to deal with the issue of the OLF in the context of regional economic development and revenue sharing to ensure that the Navy finds the training area they need to work up the crews who will embark on the carriers. This is an important element in the whole issue, and my hope is that we now have the awareness of the requirement to protect the assets we wish to retain.
I agree economics need to be addressed
in the OLF issue and in the carrier issue but quite frankly what is more important is what is needed to support our defenders. I do not feel the message of military needs are being conveyed to the public. If the USN feels it is in their best interest to move it is difficult to see it any other way without a detailed explanation that is comprehensive on all the issues at hand.
Comparison to Pearl Harbor is a Stupid Argument
The shills for the JAX area continue to post the same refuted arguments. Very rarely are more than 2 carriers in Norfolk at once, and if there was any hint of national threat they would go to sea. Newport News shipyard is almost 10 miles from Navy Base Norfolk, so even a large H-bomb likely would not destroy both. Mayport has its uses, but docking a fleet carrier 1/2 mile from the ocean is begging for trouble.
what?
Every time I drive over the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel I see 3 or 4 carriers docked?
<<< Every time I drive over
<<< Every time I drive over the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel I see 3 or 4 carriers docked? >>>
You obviously need to be educated on what a Nimitz or Enterprise class aircraft carrier looks like.
Repeat, rarely are there more than 2 docked in Norfolk at once.
No new military nuclear facilities 1/5
It sounds like Rep. Nye received the last realistic word to move a Norfolk supercarrier. Mayport appearently has other obligations before it can consider any move. To me this report brings the redevelopment of Mayport, Florida to an end. Reading over the other comments only supports that Jacksonville is a nice place to live. All due respect to how attractive Florida is - moving an entire supercarrier fleet is not an affordable way to build a military retirement community.
There is not any other navy in the world that comes even close to US capabilities. The Navy is presently downsizing its supercarrier fleet. It does not make any sense to start planning construction on an additional carrier base when there is not any nuclear propulsion design system specified for that location. Perhaps Mayport, Florida could convert to a Marine base for the growing demand of new, smaller assualt carriers. If we are downsizing in supercarriers then we are not recruiting the nuclear operators to be trained. The Navy just does not have the growth necessary for a new supercarrier base.
All natural or man-made threats are to the commercial freight industry. The Navy in Norfolk is well pr
yes, the eggs in one basket is a good argument
It doesn't happen often, but it does happen that all the Atlantic carriers (and whatever is in NG shipyard and/or Norfolk Naval) are tied up to the piers. And with Iran on the way to get nuclear weapons or those from North Korea, the "bad guys" don't have to get close.
Anyone wanting to keep all the carriers in one port (with nearby shipyards holding one or two more) should remember a very wise General who ordered all the planes of Hickam Field to be put in a tight area. And don't forget the lessons of Battleship Row.
And don't forget that Florida has the same number of senators as we do, but they have more congressmen AND they are motivated because of the ending of the space shuttle and NOW the cutbacks of NASA.
We are United!
Regretfully, there will be those who see only politics in this endeavor to retain the nuclear carriers in Norfolk. But that ignores the fact that all our Congressman in Hampton Roads, that is, Congressman Nye, Forbes, Wittman, and Scott serve on the Military Affairs Commission, and so do representatives of Senators Warner and Webb. In Hampton Roads, this issue is bipartisan as none of our political representatives can support the waste to taxpayer resources that would be required to duplicate nuclear facilities in Florida when they are available in Norfolk. We are united in this effort as the the Governor and the Legislature, HRMFFA, our cities and counties, the business community, the retired military community, and economic development entities are working to enhance our competitiveness for military and federal facilities programs and services. Congressman Nye deserves much praise and recognition for his efforts to spearhead this united effort.
Disguised sentiment.
To say "We are United!" is a disguised sentiment. Saying that "this issue is bipartisan as none of our political representatives can support the waste to taxpayer resources" is also a ruse. The only reson the local politicians agree is the loss of revenue to the area. The "retired militaty comunity" that has been troted out to suport the area is a hand selected few who agree with the politicians.
Next time you complain about traffic in the area or over crowding remember the solution has already been proposed but greed has beat it down.