Prior to 1998, the multiple Navy bases in San Diego were mostly run as separate entities. Base personnel on the air station, amphibious base, naval station and submarine base operated independent of each other. Bringing continuity to its forces, the Navy has regionalized in order to provide consolidated base operations support.

The aviation, surface and submarine forces still operate independently. The personnel assigned to the bases themselves, conducting day-to-day base operations, have been realigned under regionalization. The result is three fine-tuned naval complexes in San Diego that follow the same policies, procedures and standards, and report to the same command.

Navy Region Southwest Metro

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Naval Base San Diego comprises Naval Station San Diego, the Broadway Complex and Mission Gorge Recreational area. The property where Naval Station San Diego is located was deeded to the U.S. government by the city of San Diego on Sept. 3, 1919, to build a docking and fleet repair base. It consisted of 21 water acres and 77.2 land acres with the former being mostly tidelands and marsh flats. Today it consists of 1,535.20 acres; 739.3 acres of land and 326 acres in water at Naval Station San Diego, 22 acres at the Broadway Complex in Downtown San Diego and 447.9 acres at the Mission Gorge Recreational complex. Naval Base San Diego is home to the nation’s largest waterfront military population with more than 24,800 military personnel, and nearly 4,500 civilians.

Naval Base Coronado includes Naval Air Station, North Island, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach and San Clemente Island. Encompassing 6,205 acres of land, it is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the Navy. North Island is host to 21 aircraft squadrons and 303 aircraft vessels. The three aircraft carriers that call it home are the USS Constellation, USS Nimitz and USS John C. Stennis.

North Island was commissioned a naval air station in 1917. On Aug. 15, 1963, Congress granted the station official recognition as the birthplace of naval aviation.

Coronado has a personnel count of 24,625 military and 6,032 civilians. The daily staff count is about 739 military and 875 civilians.

Naval Base Point Loma includes Commander Third Fleet, stationed on the USS Coronado; Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, SPAWAR Systems Center, Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center, Fleet Intelligence Training Center Pacific, Fleet Combat Training Center Pacific. Five war submarines and the research sub Dolphin are stationed there. Point Loma is home port to 4,036 enlisted and 1,785 civilians. Day-to-day operations personnel is 237 military and 391 civilian. SPAWAR personnel are counted separately and include 95 military and 3,200 civilians.

SPAWAR develops the technology to collect, transmit, process, display and manage information essential to naval operations. Among the projects of this leading-edge high-tech R&D operation are sensors to track submarines, surface ships and aircraft; communication networks and data links to transmit critical information; navigation systems to pinpoint position; and command and control systems to process and display tactical information for officers in command.

— Maria L. Kirkpatrick