Mayport prepares to home-port 8 new combat ships

MAYPORT NAVAL STATION, Fla. – The first of eight new combat ships to be home-ported at Naval Station Mayport will arrive in December 2016.

But the commodore of the squadron headed to Northeast Florida said he wouldn't be surprised if the base gained more than that number of Littoral Combat Ships.

"(We're) making history, I think. We've never had ships like this. We've never had a capability like this," Capt. Paul Young said.

Not only will the local-based fleet grow, but Mayport will be a hub for small surface combat ships.

A 67,000-square-foot facility will open in September.

Littoral Combat Ships are fast and mission-focused, designed to operate in near-shore environments with capabilities for surface warfare, mine countermeasures or anti-submarine warfare.

"The benefits of these ships are numerous," said Young, commodore of LCS Squadron 2. "They satisfy a valid mission requirement for access for ships that will operate in shallower waters with specific mission areas."

The LCS operate with a core crew of 50, a composite aviation detachment of 23, and a mission module crew of 15 to 20 depending on the assignment.

"For every one LCS that comes to Florida, it brings with it more than 800 direct and indirect jobs and about $200 million in the local economy, so it's a big thing for North Florida absolutely," Young said.

The ships being built are all coming from Marinette, Wisconsin.

They will be the first of their kind on the East Coast.

Over 1,000 personnel will be part of the LCS Squadron.

Right now, 17 ships are based at Mayport, with space for 32. The most home-ported at Mayport at once was about 30.

The last guided missile frigate Mayport has is coming back from deployment Sunday and will be decommissioned in September.

"I love those ships," Young said. "(They're) wonderful ships (with) wonderful capabilities, but they are all about 30 years old, so they've reached (the end of) their service life."

The Littoral Combat Ships will also help with the Navy's global presence. For every two of the ships the Navy fields, one will be forward deployed.