Naval Station Mayport is a major US Navy base located near Jacksonville, Florida, US. It is the third-largest naval facility in the US. The naval station also includes an airfield known as the Admiral David L McDonald Field.
Mayport is a unique naval base with a harbour and runway handling 34 US Navy ships as well as Department of Defense (DoD) aircraft.
Recommended Buyers Guides
Naval Station Mayport location and layout
Naval Station Mayport is located near the Port of Jacksonville on the St Johns River in northeast Florida. The naval station lies inside the entrance jetties and towards the west of St Johns Point. The base facilities are spread over an area of 3,409 acres and are easily accessible from inland waterways or the open ocean.
Naval Station Mayport is located in Duval County, approximately 24.14km east of Jacksonville.
Naval Station Mayport history
The station was commissioned in December 1942. It was reclassified as a naval sea frontier base in 1943. A new naval auxiliary air station (NAAS) was commissioned in April 1944. The naval section base and the NAAS supported the US fleet during the Second World War. Both were decommissioned after the war. Mayport commenced operations as a naval outlying landing field again in June 1948. The base area was increased to 1,680 acres and the runway was extended in the mid-1950s.
USS Tarawa (CVS-40) became the first capital ship to use the new carrier basin in October 1952. The base was renamed Naval Auxiliary Air Station in July 1955. To accommodate more ships, as well as sailors and their families, the naval station was extended and redesignated as a naval air station in 1988.
Naval Station Mayport operations
Naval Station Mayport is the home port of 22 US Navy ships, including guided-missile cruisers, guided-missile destroyers and guided-missile frigates.
Guided-missile cruisers assigned to Mayport are USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), USS Gettysburg (CG-64), USS Hue City (CG-66) and USS Vicksburg (CG-69).
The guided-missile destroyers homeported at Mayport are USS Carney (DDG-64), USS The Sullivans (DDG-68), USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) and USS Farragut (DDG-99).
The guided-missile frigates are USS McInerney (FFG-8), USS Boone (FFG-28), USS Stephen W Groves (FFG-29), USS John L Hall (FFG-32), USS Underwood (FFG-36), USS Doyle (FFG-39), USS Halyburton (FFG-40), USS Klakring (FFG-42), USS DeWert (FFG-45), USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG-49), USS Taylor (FFG-50), USS Simpson (FFG-56) and USS Samuel B Roberts (FFG-58).
Mobile sea range training support vessel and USNS Hunter are also stationed at the base.
USS Jason Dunham, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, arrived at its new homeport of Naval Station Mayport in February 2021. Five more destroyers are expected to be homeported at Mayport by the end of 2022.
The Harbour Operations Department manages berthing facilities and provides firefighting support, search and rescue assistance, spill clean-up response, salvage assistance, emergency personnel transfers at sea and degaussing range services.
Garrison facilities
The harbour at the naval station has 16 berths located around the turning basin. The facilities can accommodate 34 warships, including two aircraft carriers. The turning basin measures approximately 2,000ft by 3,000ft. A 500ft-wide entrance channel connects the turning basin with the St Johns River. The berths feature two primary carrier piers known as C1 and C2, as well as other piers that handle smaller naval ships.
Piers E and F are configured to fulfil the maintenance requirements of the ships. The maintenance and berthing services for ships homeported at the naval station are provided at a floating dry dock located on the north of the St Johns River.
Naval Station Mayport is home to more than 70 tenant commands including Afloat Training Group (ATG); Commander, US Naval Forces South (COMUSNAVSO); Commander, Destroyer Squadron Fourteen (COMDESRON 14); Commander, Destroyer Group Four-Zero (COMDESRON 40); Commander, Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing; US Atlantic Fleet (CHSMWL) and six light airborne multipurpose system (LAMPS) mk3 helicopter squadrons.
The operational and training headquarters of SH-60B Seahawk LAMPS mk3 are also located at the naval station.
Air facilities
The air operations department manages and controls the airfield at the naval station. The airfield features an 8,000ft runway, which accommodates all types of DoD aircraft. The airfield witnesses more than 100,000 helicopter and fixed-wing flights a year, while military passenger flights from the air terminal transfer 13,000 passengers a year. The department also provides air traffic control services, air terminal and maintenance services, aircraft arresting gear and ground handling services.
Other developments
A major expansion is being planned to enable Naval Station Mayport to house a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier transferred from the Naval Station Norfolk. The East Coast littoral combat ships (LCS) were homeported at Mayport in 2016. Two of these ships were initially based at San Diego Naval Base.
