Florida delegates ask for money to bring aircraft carrier to Mayport
Florida’s entire congressional delegation attempted to breath life back into the idea of bringing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to Mayport Naval Station by sending a letter to the Department of Defense on Monday asking for money to upgrade the vessel basin to accommodate the Navy’s largest surface ships.
The letter stresses the importance of having nuclear carriers (CVN) at multiple locations on the East Coast to diversify Navy assets, and it cites an endorsement in the Department of Defense’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review that called for the necessary construction at Mayport.
“To mitigate the risk of a terrorist attack, accident, or natural disaster, the U.S. Navy will homeport an East Coast carrier in Mayport, Florida,” the 2010 review said.
Mayport has not had a carrier since the USS John F. Kennedy was decommissioned in 2007. Prior to that, the USS Saratoga called Northeast Florida home for years before it was decommissioned in 1995.
Read more: http://jacksonville.com/news/military/2017-03-20/florida-delegates-ask-money-bring-aircraft-carrier-mayport
