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Naval Station (NAVSTA), San Diego

Naval Station (NAVSTA), San Diego provides shore support and berthing facilities to the operating forces of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. There are over 50 ships homeported at the Naval Station, with over 50 tenant commands at Naval Station. The 14 Piers encompass 12 miles of the 1029 land acres used by Naval Station San Diego. The base population is more than 35,000 military and more than 7,000 civilians. Today, Naval Station has grown to be the largest surface force support installation. The major tenants include the Public Works Center, the Ship Intermediate Maintenance Activity, and the Fleet Training Center.

San Diego Naval Station is divided into two sections, often referred to as "wet" and "dry" sides. The "wet" side of the base contains the 70 SIMA workshops, the naval stations Administration buildings and the ships of the Pacific Fleet. A Uniform shop and mini-exchange serve the waterfront along with a recreation center and several food establishments. All are within quick walking distance of SIMA. The "dry" side contains Fleet Training Center (FTC), Medical and Dental clinics, the base Gyms, the Galley and the bases living quarters. SIMA personnel (single) reside in Snyder Hall which provides very comfortable one person rooms with ample living space. Geographical bachelors reside in Matthew Hall, which are comfortable three person rooms.

Naval Station San Diego (aka "32nd St. Naval Station") is located just south of downtown San Diego and adjacent to National City. It can be reached from either the I-5 or I-15 freeways. the Naval Station provides shore support, living quarters, and pierside berthing services for 56 of the Pacific Fleet Surface Force ships, including the hospital ship USNS Mercy, (out of the 72 homeported in San Diego). The base is home to 49 tenant commands, including many fleet vocational schools. The Naval station is one of two major fleet support installations in the nation. The station is located on the east side of San Diego Bay, south of the Coronado Bay Bridge, and is partly in the city of San Diego and partly in the city of National City.

NAVSTA San Diego began operations in 1919 as a docking and fleet repair base for the US Shipping Board. The US Government was deeded 77.2 acres of land by the city of San Diego on September 1, 1919. U. S. Destroyer Base San Diego officially opened in 1922 marking the birth of this station. From 1922 to 1943 the primary mission of the base was upkeep and preservation of decommissioned World War I destroyers. In 1943, the name was changed to US Naval Repair Base, and the mission was altered to the repair and upkeep of modern US Navy warships. Between 1943 and 1945 a total of 5,117 ships were serviced, repaired, and over-hauled at the repair base. In 1946, US Naval Repair Base became Naval Station San Diego, with the primary mission of fleet logistic support.

In May 1999 the Navy announced plans for constructing and operating a Deep Draft Power Intensive (DDPI) ship berthing, logistics and maintenance pier at Naval Station San Diego. The proposed action is to demolish two existing piers, Piers 10 and 11, at Naval Station San Diego and construct and operate a replacement berthing, logistics and maintenance pier for DDPI ships. To accommodate the DDPI ships, construction would include dredging to 37 feet below Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) and removal of approximately 536,000 cubic yards of sediment (of which approximately 268,000 cubic yards is believed to be unsuitable for ocean disposal). The replacement pier would be approximately 120 feet wide and 1500 feet long with power intensive utilities (4000 amps or more). This pier would be similar to Pier 13, an existing pier constructed at Naval Station San Diego in 1989 to support DDPI ships. The purpose of the proposed action is to provide for berthing, logistics, maintenance, and utility requirements of DDPI ships moored at the San Diego Naval Complex. The need for the proposed action is to address the current shortfall in pier infrastructure/capacity for DDPI ships in the San Diego Naval Complex.

The Ship Repair Basins (Site 1) were active until 1945. Between 1945 and 1972, the basins were used to dispose solid waste, scrap metal, demolition debris, lubricants and oils, and paint sludge. The basins were then paved for parking areas. The basins are located in the southern portion of the Naval Station; between 11th and 12th streets (north-south), Kidd Street to the East, and San Diego Bay to the west. A concrete and steel quay wall separates the basins from the bay. The quay wall extends nearly 40 feet below the bay floor. Site 1 is divided into two subareas, the north basin and the south basin.

In addition to its primary maintenance facilities at Naval Station, San Diego, the Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity [SIMA] maintains a satellite small boat repair detachment at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, California. SIMA San Diego Sailors are presently assigned on temporary additional duty in the Consolidated Planning Organization, SUPSHIPS San Diego and at the Southwest Regional Calibration Center (SW-RCC) located at the Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP), Naval Air Station, North Island, California. A ribbon-cutting for the newest addition, the SIMA Submarine Maintenance Division, was held on 5 April 1999 at Naval Base (Submarine Base) Point Loma.

Defense Distribution Depot San Diego, California (DDDC), located on Naval Station San Diego, is one of the most mechanized depots in DLA. DDDC performs routine and high priority distribution operations to include receipt, store, and issue, with related functions to include transshipment, preservation, packaging, packing, stock readiness inspections, marking and reclassification. Items processed at the depot include depot level repairables, electronics, industrial, medical, general, construction, clothing, packaged petroleum, chemicals, ship and aviation repair parts, and small boats/amphibious craft. Roughly 60 percent of assets on hand are Navy managed material, divided evenly between Navy Inventory Control Point wholesale material and Fleet Industrial Supply Center retail material. DDDC is composed of two separate storage compounds five miles apart consisting of 18 warehouses containing 16 million cubic feet of covered storage and 525,000 square feet of open storage. Among DDDC's primary customers are the 76 ships homeported in San Diego and 86 major shore commands representing all services, and other smaller activities in the southwestern United States. A large portion of the depot's business is receiving, storing, and issuing depot level repairables for one of the Navy's largest repair facility, Naval Aviation Depot North Island.

Navy Public Works Center, San Diego was commissioned on July 1, 1963. Newspaper articles highlighting the historic event can be read by scolling over the newspage below. The Center was created more than 35 years ago to consolidate the management of providing public works services and products to the Navy community in San Diego, which today includes the newly established Marine Air Station at Miramar, the Naval Weapons Station at Concord, and several federal agencies in Oakland.

One of the largest Naval Exchanges is also walking distance from the base. The Exchange area contains several buildings that house the Commissary, the Main Shopping center, a walk through plaza, and a toy/garden center. Throughout the complex you will find venders providing a variety of goods and services.

The following area is a security zone: the water area within Naval Station, San Diego enclosed by the following points: Beginning at 32 deg.41'16.5" N, 117 deg.08'01" W (Point A); thence running southwesterly to 32 deg.41'06" N, 117 deg.08'09.3" W (Point B); thence running southeasterly along the U.S. Pierhead Line to 32 deg.39'36.9" N, 117 deg.07'23.5" W (Point C); thence running easterly to 32 deg.39'38.5" N, 117 deg.07'06.5" W (Point D); thence running generally northwesterly along the shoreline of the Naval Station to the place of beginning.

In April 2001 the Coast Guard modified the security zone, enlarging it by approximately 300 square yards to enclose the mouth of Chollas Creek so that unauthorized vessels or persons cannot transit into Chollas Creek. The modification and expansion of this security zone was needed to ensure the physical protection of naval vessels moored in the area. The modification and expansion of this security zone will also prevent recreational and commercial craft from interfering with military operations involving all naval vessels home-ported at Naval Base, San Diego and it will protect transiting recreational and commercial vessels, and their respective crews, from the navigational hazards posed by such military operations. In addition, the Navy has been reviewing all aspects of its anti-terrorism and force protection posture in response to the attack on the USS COLE. The modification and expansion of this security zone will safeguard vessels and waterside facilities from destruction, loss, or injury from sabotage or other subversive acts, accidents, or other causes of a similar nature. Entry into, transit through, or anchoring within this security zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, the Commander, Naval Base San Diego, or the Commanding Officer, Naval Station, San Diego. Vessels or persons violating this section would be subject to the penalties set forth in 50 U.S.C. 192 and 18 U.S.C. 3571: seizure and forfeiture of the vessel, a monetary penalty of not more than $250,000, and imprisonment for not more than 10 years. The U.S. Coast Guard may be assisted in the patrol and enforcement of this security zone by the U.S. Navy.

BRAC 2005

In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to to close Naval Station Ingleside. As a result, DoD recommended to relocate its ships along with dedicated personnel, equipment and support to Naval Station San Diego, CA. It also recommended to relocate the ship intermediate repair function to Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity San Diego. This recommendation would move mine warfare surface and aviation assets to major fleet concentration areas and reduce excess capacity and would remove the Mine Warfare community from a location remote from the fleet thereby better supporting the shift to organic mine warfare. Naval Station San Diego, CA, was in Maintenance for Ozone (1-Hour), but an Air Conformity Determination would not be required. There would be potential impacts for dredging and wetlands.

DoD would realign Naval Station San Diego, CA, by disestablishing storage and distribution functions for tires, packaged petroleum, oils, and lubricants, and compressed gases. This recommendation would achieve economies and efficiencies that would enhance the effectiveness of logistics support to forces as they transition to more joint and expeditionary operations. This recommendation would disestablish the wholesale supply, storage, and distribution functions for all tires; packaged petroleum, oils and lubricants; and compressed gases used by the Department of Defense, retaining only the supply contracting function for each commodity. The Department would privatize these functions and would rely on private industry for the performance of supply, storage, and distribution of these commodities. By doing so, the Department could divest itself of inventories and eliminate infrastructure and personnel associated with these functions. This recommendation would result in more responsive supply support to user organizations and would thus add to capabilities of the future force. The recommendation would provide improved support during mobilization and deployment, and the sustainment of forces when deployed worldwide. Privatization would enable the Department to take advantage of the latest technologies, expertise, and business practices, which translates to improved support to customers at less cost. It centralizes management of tires; packaged petroleum, oils, and lubricants; and compressed gases and eliminates unnecessary duplication of functions within the Department. Assuming no economic recovery, this recommendation could result in the maximum potential job reductions of 51 total jobs (31 direct and 20 indirect) in the Stockton, CA, Metropolitan Statistical Area over the 2006-2011 time period (less than 0.1 percent).