City: Jacksonville, FL

Category: The Military

Telephone: (904) 270-5011

Description: Most people understand that Naval Station Mayport is a busy seaport, but they don’t realize that it’s a busy air facility as well. Twenty-two ships are homeported here. The airfield can accommodate any aircraft owned by the Department of Defense, and there are more than 100,000 helicopter and fixed-wing flights from here every year. The airfield is also a popular place with thousands of military personnel, who hop aboard military flights as passengers. In addition to ships’ crews and their squadrons, Naval Station Mayport hosts a large maintenance facility that repairs Seahawk helicopter engines. The current Naval Station Mayport grew slowly from its beginnings in 1939. It was used during World War II then deactivated until 1948. Once reactivated, the base grew steadily, often expanding to accommodate bigger ships and planes. The harbor was dredged deeper, more acreage was added to the base, and runways were extended. Today Naval Station Mayport covers 3,409 acres.