Jacksonville’s Mayport Naval Station is welcoming a new command center that’ll help coordinate a fleet of super-fast combat ships.
The high-tech building is the beginning of Mayport’s transformation into the country’s Eastern hub for the vessels called Littoral Combat Ships.
A Navy band roared under the hot midday sun as officers introduced the newest addition to Naval Station Mayport — a command center called the Littoral Combat Ship Support Facility.
The building, along with three others yet to be built, will coordinate operations for a fleet of eight super speedy combat vessels.
The ships are part of the Freedom Class, and Captain Paul Young, the fleet’s Commodore, said they’ll serve a very specific purpose.
“They are designed for access — missions in shallower waters,” Young says. “And specifically, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and mine counter measures.”
By the year 2020, almost 400 support staffers will work here to coordinate the fleet.
Each ship will have a rotating crew of 20 sailors, who’ll train using a hyper-realistic virtual program before they jump aboard.
The combat crews will continue training at San Diego’s western hub until training facilities are completed in Jacksonville.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JczHF_5j2K0
