Naval Station Mayport

Naval Station Mayport is a United States Navy installation on San Pablo Island in Jacksonville, Florida. Operated by Navy Region Southeast, the base functions as both a naval station and a naval air station.

The facility was commissioned in December 1942 and supported the Atlantic Fleet during World War II. After a period of caretaker status following the war, the site was reestablished as a naval outlying landing field in 1948. The base began accommodating capital ships in 1952, and the airfield was designated as a separate naval air station in 1988 before being merged back into the naval station in 1992. Historically, the base served as the homeport for conventionally powered aircraft carriers, including the USS Shangri-La, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, USS Forrestal, USS Saratoga, and USS John F. Kennedy.

Current operations include hosting the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and the United States Fourth Fleet. The base is the headquarters for Commander Naval Surface Group Southeast and Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two. Homeported assets include Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Freedom-variant littoral combat ships, such as the USS Carney, USS Winston S. Churchill, and USS Indianapolis. A United States Coast Guard cutter is also stationed at the facility.

Infrastructure at the base includes a protected harbor capable of accommodating aircraft carrier-size vessels and a ship's intermediate maintenance activity. The airfield, Admiral David L. McDonald Field, features an asphalt runway that supports a variety of Department of Defense aircraft. The base hosts the Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and multiple helicopter maritime strike squadrons, including HSM-40, HSM-48, and HSM-50. These units operate helicopters equipped with Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) technology.