Woohoo!
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After a year-long study of whether a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier could be stationed at Mayport Naval Station, the secretary of the Navy told members of Florida’s congressional delegation Monday that a carrier will be moved to the base within five years.
“We are full steam ahead: Jacksonville is going to have a nuclear carrier,” U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, said.
The decision to house a new carrier at Mayport was one of 13 options being considered by the Navy to strategically disperse its carrier fleet and came after an environmental impact study completed last month reportedly said there is no barrier to upgrading Mayport to house a nuclear-powered carrier. Read the rest here.
First Coast News has more:
MAYPORT, FL — Naval Station Mayport will once again be host to an aircraft carrier, and the estimated 10,000 jobs that come with it.
“Full steam ahead…Jacksonville is going to have a nuclear carrier.”
Those words from Senator Bill Nelson, D-Florida, this afternoon signify the big changes coming to the First Coast.
Nelson adds that the Secretary of Defense still has to officially approve the Navy’s recommendation, but points out that it’s a formality at this point. “For all intents and purposes, it’s a done deal,” he said emphatically.
Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter made the decision to move one of the carriers currently homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, to Mayport.
Representatives from Norfolk have lobbied Secretary Winter to keep Norfolk the way it is, home to all of the carriers on the East Coast.
Nelson, along with Senator Mel Martinez and Representatives Corrine Brown and Ander Crenshaw, whose district includes Mayport, have been lobbying hard for the move, arguing that after the 1941 invasion of Pearl Harbor, it is not wise to have all of our carriers in one port.
Dan McCarthy, director of military affairs for Jacksonville, says utilizing Mayport makes sense because “it’s strategically located (with) great access to the ocean.”
“This is tremendous news for Florida and testament to the strategic importance of Mayport,” says Senator Martinez, who is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Seapower subcommittee.
Rep. Crenshaw adds that this is “a huge victory for Mayport, Northeast Florida, and for U. S. national security.”
Senator Nelson agrees, saying, “Getting all of the nuclear carriers out of one port in Virginia is in our national security interest.”
He says there were 2 major factors standing in the way. The first was an environmental impact study, which will be officially released Friday, but has concluded that there are no significant barriers preventing a carrier from being in Mayport.
The other was the Navy’s recommendation, which happened Monday.
It has seemed strange for Mayport to be without a carrier since the JFK was decommissioned. It will be nice to have the carrier folks and their families back again.
Update: Hmmmm. Most people seem to think that the exotic dancers (okay, strippers), bars, and Hooters waitresses will be the chief beneficiaries. Look, there really ARE other people that will benefit. People that work in support jobs, for example. You mean plastic surgeons? NO!
