Facing growing duties in the Pacific, the Navy is exploring the possibility of greatly increasing the amount of time Naval Air Station North Island can simultaneously host three aircraft carriers.
The base is currently allowed to have three carriers at berth at the same time for 29 days a year. A Navy study that’s just getting underway will consider boosting that to an average of 180 days annually.
The Navy says it is considering the increase because of its busy mission objectives, the need to maintain and upgrade the ships, and the eventual need to be able to berth next-generation Ford-class carriers in San Diego.
“We don’t really anticipate it being 180 days,” said Kevin Dixon, a spokesperson for Naval Base Coronado, which includes NAS North Island. “They’re just trying to take a look at a worst case scenario (for berthing) and what the impact would be.”
The study will be in the form of an environmental impact update that will include public hearings starting later this month. That project could take two years.
NAS North Island is the home port of three Nimitz-class carriers — Carl Vinson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. They’re part of the so-called Pacific Pivot, a move by the Navy to place more assets on the West Coast. It’s being done primarily because the U.S. faces growing tension with China in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.
The Navy is not considering home-porting a fourth carrier in San Diego.
The public can comment on the new study at three upcoming hearings:
June 27, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Logan Memorial Educational Campus Building, 2875 Ocean View Blvd., San Diego.
June 28, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Coronado Community Center, 1845 Strand Way, Coronado.
June 29, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Burress Auditorium, South Bay Union School District, 601 Elm Ave., Imperial Beach.