Navy okay Mayport for nuclear carrier | Kevin Colby: News and Political blog

Navy okays Mayport for nuclear carrier

Mayport Naval Station will soon become home to a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that will bring more than 3,000 military personnel to the Jacksonville area.

(D) Senator Bill Nelson of Florida has worked for more than three years to convince the Navy that Mayport is the ideal site for a nuclear carrier, so you can imagine my delight when Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter called me with the news.

Currently the Navy has all of its East Coast carriers stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. Getting all of the nuclear carriers out of one port is in our national security interest, and for Floridians, the move is certain to bolster the state’s role in national defense, as well as the local economy. The move will bring in an additional 3,190 military personnel to the area.

Housing a nuclear carrier at Mayport was one of 13 options the Navy considered to strategically disperse its carrier fleet. The Navy said it expects such a move would be completed within five years or so, and has already finished an environmental study due out Friday that says there are no significant barriers to having a carrier at Mayport.

The Navy’s decision underscores the importance of Mayport to our national defense, and helps maintain the strong Navy presence in the Jacksonville community that has welcomed and served it so well.

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