NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. -- Beginning in 2016, Mayport will be the new home of the Navy's Littoral Combat Ships (LCS.)
One of the first of the LCS fleet, USS Independence, has been docked at Mayport for much of 2011 as the crews work to learn the ship and discover the best ways to operate it.
Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn McFall is from Titusville and he has been enjoying his time close to home, even though Independence is homeported in San Diego, Ca.
"I've gone home every weekend to see my family," McFall said smiling.
As a mineman, McFall's work is highly specialized and is not needed on just any ship, but the LCS fleet specializes in surface warfare, underwater warfare and mine counter measures.
He is very excited about the possibility of being homeported on the First Coast in a few years.
"It would be nice because I could actually maybe make my way back to Florida some day," McFall added.
PICTURES: Scenes Viewed from USS Independence
Congressman Ander Crenshaw serves on the defense appropriations subcommittee and worked to make sure the ships were funded.
The Navy will have 17 LCS ships in Mayport by 2020, he explained.
"It's a win, win, win for everybody in Northeast Florida," said Rep. Crenshaw, the Republican whose district includes Mayport.
Right now, USS Independence has two crews: a gold crew and a blue crew.
Each crew rotates being on the ship and off the ship every four months.
However, the Navy will likely have three crews rotate on and off future ships.
Crenshaw said having so many people move to Mayport will be great for the local economy.
"That's huge, if you think a 120-man crew plus their families, times as many as 30 ships," explained the Congressman. "That's huge. It's almost as big as an aircraft carrier."
He also believes that homeporting the LCS ships at Mayport shows how important the Naval Station is to the Navy.
"There's no question when the Navy looks at Mayport, they see a national treasure," said Crenshaw. "Right there on the mouth of the St. Johns River, you can take a ship, you turn it around and all of a sudden it's in blue water.
"So, it's so strategically placed. It has a bright future and this is just part of that future."
First Coast News