Jacksonville will get new carrier

Jacksonville will get new carrier

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville will be the new home of a nuclear aircraft carrier. The U.S. Navy announced Monday that that Mayport would be listed as the preferred location for a new nuclear carrier when it releases an environmental impact study on the project on Friday.

The move is expected to bring 5,000 sailors, pilots and their families to the Jacksonville area and provide a major boost to north Florida's economy.

In a joint statement, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez and U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw said Navy Secretary Donald Winter shared the news with them in a telephone call.

"It's a done deal," Nelson said.

"The Navy’s decision to permanently homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Mayport Naval Station is tremendous news for the City of Jacksonville and its treasured military community," said Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton. "Home-porting an aircraft carrier at Mayport is not only good for the country, it is big news for our local economy."

Any move would be about five years away. Mayport needs extensive work to accommodate a nuclear-powered carrier, including dredging, wharf improvement and the construction of nuclear propulsion maintenance facilities. Sailors and their families will not be moving to the area for carrier deployments for at least four years.

Mayport was among 13 locations being considered for the new carrier. The Navy chose it over other East Coast bases in an effort to spread out its Atlantic fleet beyond Norfolk, Va., and the mid-Atlantic region.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.