Norfolk takes a hit in battle over aircraft carrier move

NORFOLK, Nov 18, 2008 (The Virginian-Pilot - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- NOC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The Navy announced Monday it wants to base a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Mayport Naval Station, an effort that would cost $426 million and could divert 3,200 sailors and civilian personnel from Virginia to Florida.

Moving one carrier to Mayport would reduce the risk of a catastrophic natural disaster or attack on the East Coast carrier fleet, now based entirely in Norfolk, Navy Cmdr. Anne Fischer wrote to the two congressional delegations.

A final decision by Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter is expected by the end the year. It would take at least six years to prepare Mayport for the move.

The report reignited the political rivalry between Florida and Virginia for Navy ships, sailors and the economic activity associated with them. The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce estimates the potential loss to the region at 11,000 jobs and $650 million annually.

Florida officials hailed the news. "Getting all of the nuclear carriers out of one port in Virginia is in our national security interest," said Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, in a statement.

Virginia officials immediately criticized the decision as costly, inefficient and politically motivated. They vowed to fight the proposal.

"The next administration should take a fresh look at the whole issue," said Virginia's senior senator, John Warner, who will retire in January. The Navy no longer faces a Cold War threat that could destroy a fleet concentrated at one base, he said. And it already has $4.6 billion in unmet budget needs.

Virginia officials have speculated that the Navy's new carrier, George H.W. Bush, will be sent to Florida. The ship is scheduled to be commissioned Jan. 10 at Northrop Grumman shipyard in Newport News.

Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim said President George W. Bush's political connections, not military needs, are driving an effort to move the namesake ship to Florida, where his brother, Jeb Bush, once was governor.

"It is my strong belief that the uniformed branch does not support this," Fraim said.

The Navy denied a carrier has been chosen.

Norfolk remains a vital Navy hub, Fischer said, but "maintaining two aircraft carrier homeports in the Atlantic best supports long-term operational readiness and is critical to the Navy's mission and our national security interests."

The Navy began planning for the future of Mayport about a year ago. The base's only aircraft carrier, the conventionally powered John F. Kennedy, was decommissioned last year.

Mayport, located near Jacksonville, was home to 22 ships and about 13,000 personnel in 2006, the final full year of operations at the base for the Kennedy. The Navy plans to begin decommissioning its 10

Mayport-based frigates in 2010, which would cut the number of ships at the base in half.

In March, the Navy released a draft study which proposed 13 alternatives for the base. Eight of the options included preparing the base for a nuclear carrier. Others included moving a combination of destroyers, cruisers and amphibious ships, or doing nothing.

The Navy's preferred option would send Mayport one nuclear carrier but no other ships or aircraft squadrons.

Mayport will need an estimated $426 million in new construction, including dredging, road and pier improvements and a new facility to maintain the nuclear propulsion plant, said Navy spokesman Lt.

Sean Robertson. The base would not be ready for a nuclear carrier until at least 2014, he said.

Robertson acknowledged that the Navy considered factors outside the scope of the environmental impact statement, including the financial, social and strategic effects of moving ships. He declined to comment on any political involvement in the decision.

The Navy's proposal still faces several hurdles. It must be endorsed by the secretary of the Navy, receive financing from Congress, and likely run a gauntlet of legal and procedural challenges. It also must pass muster with President-elect Barack Obama and his national security team.

Florida's Nelson said final approval from the military is a formality. "For all intents and purposes, it's a done deal," he said. "We are full steam ahead. Jacksonville is going to have a nuclear carrier."

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said the Navy's needs are best served by keeping its carrier fleet and fighter squadrons together in Hampton Roads. "I will continue to work closely with Virginia's congressional delegation to keep all of Hampton Roads's fleet in Virginia," he said.

The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce announced it will work to fight the decision as well. And three members of the Virginia delegation -- Republicans Rob Wittman and Randy Forbes and Democrat Bobby Scott -- have agreed to send a letter to Obama arguing that the decision would drain Navy resources during difficult economic times.

Forbes, who drafted and circulated the letter, said the carrier decision has been in the works for some time. "There's a long time between now and 2014," he said. "A lot can happen."

Louis Hansen, (757) 446-2322, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com

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