Naval Station Mayport Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville , Florida . It contains a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier - size vessels , ship ' s intermediate maintenance activity ( SIMA ) and a military airfield ( Admiral David L . McDonald Field ) with one asphalt paved runway ( 5 / 23 ) measuring 8 , 001 × 200 ft . ( 2 , 439 × 61 m ) . Since its commissioning in December 1942 , NS Mayport has grown to become the third largest naval surface fleet concentration area in the United States . Mayport ' s operational composition is unique , with a busy harbor capable of accommodating 34 ships and an runway capable of handling most any aircraft in the Department of Defense inventory . Naval Station Mayport is also home to the Navy ' s United States Fourth Fleet , reactivated in 2008 after being deactivated in 1950 . The base has historically served as the homeport to various conventionally powered aircraft carrier s of the Atlantic Fleet , including the , , ( September 1977 - January 1983 ) , and , most recently , the . With the decommissioning of all conventionally powered aircraft carriers by the Navy , no carriers are presently assigned to Mayport . However , both houses of Congress have passed legislation authorizing about US $ 75 million for dredging and upgrades at Mayport to accommodate a nuclear - powered aircraft carrier . On January 29 , 2010 , the " Quadrennial Defense Review Report " stated that a nuclear aircraft carrier would be homeported at NAS Mayport . The action will help protect the fleet against a potential terror attack , accident or natural disaster , because all east coast aircraft carriers are currently based at Naval Station Norfolk , according to the report . West coast aircraft carriers are split between Naval Station San Diego and Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state . Robert Gates , Secretary of Defense , stated , " Having a single ( nuclear carrier ) homeport has not been considered acceptable on the west coast and should not be considered acceptable on the east coast . " The decision was opposed by elected officials in Virginia , who would lose 3 , 500 sailors and their dependents , $ 425 million in revenue each year , and most importantly , 6 , 000 support jobs . The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce estimated the loss at 11 , 000 jobs and $ 650 million per year . Infrastructure changes and facility construction at Mayport are estimated to take five years and cost over half a billion dollars . The 2011 budget commits $ 590 million during the fiscal years from 2011 to 2019 , so a carrier may not move to Mayport until 2019 . However , an amphibious group is coming sooner , between 2013 and 2016 . The Virginia congressional delegation has fought the loss of even one carrier ' s boost to their economy by citing other areas such as shipbuilding to spend the navy ' s tight budget . A 2013 report from the USN revealed that they are considering basing as many as 14 Littoral combat ship s at Mayport . Adm David L . McDonald Field . On 1 April 1944 , the air facility at Mayport was commissioned a Naval Auxiliary Air Station Mayport . Following the Second World War , both the NAAS was decommissioned and placed in a caretaker status . The United States Coast Guard took over the base and operated a small “ Boot Camp ” there for several years , but they vacated Mayport in late 1947 due to budget cuts . Mayport was reactivated again in June , 1948 as a Naval Outlying Landing Field under the cognizance of the Commanding Officer , Naval Air Station Jacksonville . As helicopter aviation evolved during the Cold War , Mayport became the East Coast home for the Light Airborne Multi - Purpose System ( LAMPS ) MK III squadrons . As a reflection of growth , Mayport Naval Air Facility was re - designated as a naval air station in 1988 . Aircraft squadrons . Helicopter squadrons