Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) year in review highlights some of the significant insights of 2022.
January
The Navy continued to partner with the Oxnard Harbor District through existing legal agreements to provide support of reducing port congestion and the national supply-chain shortage.
This was regarded as ‘outside the box thinking’ as commercial dry cargo had never landed on a Navy Wharf. Soon, FedEx joined the fight to land their first-ever seafaring cargo vehicle from Asia to Port Hueneme.
“This is the first U.S. Navy base I’ve ever been on,” said Udo Lange, President & CEO, FedEx Logistics. “Thanks to the innovative thinking and dedication from the FedEx Logistics, Navy, and Port of Hueneme teams, we are able to turn a challenge into an opportunity.”
February
NBVC celebrated the grand opening of the “Fox Den” multiuse Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) food and beverage facility onboard San Nicolas Island (SNI).
A ribbon cutting ceremony welcomed all Sailors and civilians working on SNI, the most remote of the Channel Islands, off the Southern California coast.
“This has been years in the making,” said Cdr. Keith “Fudge” Buckingham, officer in charge, SNI. “The Fox Den is a big improvement to food service, morale and the quality of life on the island.”
The building was originally opened as a military galley in 1952. The Navy decided to repurpose it as a multiuse MWR facility in 2018, and broke ground on the project one year later. The construction was a gut-renovation that included major layout changes.
March
Port Hueneme is home of the Pacific Seabees who celebrated their 80th anniversary.
“From around the world, our Civil Engineer Corps, and Seabee communities join together to celebrate our great history and re-commit ourselves to build upon the strong legacy and foundation laid by all those who have come before us,” said Rear Adm. John W. Korka, commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command and chief of Civil Engineers. “We will stay true to our hard-earned motto: ‘With compassion for others, we build, we fight for peace with freedom.’”
April
NBVC continues to demonstrate a diverse range of capabilities, to include support of the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command container ship MV Ocean Giant’s mission to Antarctica during Operation Deep Freeze (ODF).
“Naval Base Ventura County has the potential to become a center for power projection into ungoverned spaces,” said Craig Hooper, senior contributor, Forbes Magazine. “The base has a long history of working on Polar projects.”
May
Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 original starring Tom Cruise, soared into theaters showing first-of-its-kind special camera footage inside and outside the cockpit of F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet aircraft and featuring U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps pilots performing on multiple ships and shore facilities.
Sailors from NBVC attended star-studded screenings in Hollywood, while an advanced premiere was hosted at Port Hueneme, Needham Theater.
“Through our Navy Office of Information in Los Angeles, we will continue to support film and television projects, and to help Hollywood realistically and accurately characterize life in the world’s finest Navy,” said Cmdr. David Benham, director of public affairs, Navy Recruiting Command.
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June
Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC) transferred to the U.S. Space Force (USSF), under Space Delta 8 and designated as the 10th Space Operations Squadron, during a historic Disestablishment and Assumption of Command Ceremony, onboard Point Mugu.
“For 60-years NAVSOC has advocated and advanced American maritime superiority,” said Vice Adm. Ross Myers, commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command / U.S. 10th Fleet. “NAVSOC enabled satellite communications to afford the United States and her allies the crucial ability to provide…
Read More: Naval Base Ventura County Year in Review