Posted on Dec 26, 2013
PO2 Pete Haga
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It just seems like the Navy in the Atlantic fleet is making a big mistake by keeping all our aircraft carriers in one port what is your opinion?

 

Posted in these groups: 383004 aircraft carrier Aircraft Carriers
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Responses: 5
CMDCM Gene Treants
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Mayport is a good fit for an Aircraft Carrier.  It is a very good idea to spread out our carriers and not have all of our East Coast assets in one place.  Navy is probably willing to do this, the port is there and the area desperately wants more Navy presence to help the economy, but DC is all about saving bucks and cutting the military budget.  Look there for your answers.  Politics is and always has been the answer to where Military Assets are located.  Want Navy to station a carrier in Mayport, get Congress behind the idea.
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PO3 Ryan Wermager
PO3 Ryan Wermager
11 y
Aye aye Master Chief, you nailed it.
it MIGHT take a little retro fitting and support to maintain a carrier full time, and the money just isn't there right now. the deficit has been blown out of the water the last few years yet we still need defense cuts.... hmmmm where is all that money going?
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CMDCM Gene Treants
CMDCM Gene Treants
11 y
Well Petty Officer Wermager, the answer is simple, just cut retired military pay and VA benefits and use that money.  After all those people (I mean we people) are not organized enough to protest of fight back in any way.
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Sgt Packy Flickinger
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Don't they remember what happened at Pearl? Had our carriers been there, I'm sure we wouldn't have done so well in the war.

I was stationed at Mayport for a short while. I really liked the base.
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Capt Jeff S.
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Edited 10 y ago
Mayport is a shallow port for carriers, which have a very deep draft. While it may have been deep enough for the conventionally powered carriers, the newest supercarriers would require that the harbor be dredged deeper and the cost would be around $75 million. This isn't just a one time expense. You will have to dredge periodically to maintain the deeper channnels so there will be additional maintenance costs involved afterward that occur on a regular basis. Another deep water port may not require as much dredging due to the type of shoreline (rocky vs. sandy) as well as the depth and currents in the harbor that would tend to fill in the channel with material carried by those currents.

It's not as optimal as things appear on the surface. I believe there's more than political reasons for the Navy not wanting to put their carriers there. Nonetheless, I don't think it is a good idea to have all your eggs in one basket, and we should find another suitable deep water port on the East Coast if Mayport doesn't fit the bill.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Station_Mayport
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