NORFOLK, Va. — Naval Station Norfolk gets some important new tools to protect the people and warships at the world's largest Naval Base.
It's a new fleet of Harbor Security Boats to defend the base's 12.4 miles of waterfront. It is a critical mission: looking out for the installation's 74,0000 people, 63 warships, and 188 aircraft from any waterborne threats.
Navy Masters-at-Arms will now be able to do so with brand new, state-of-the-art, 27-foot, V-hulled Harbor Patrol Boats. The goal is to detect, react to, and neutralize trouble more quickly.
"With us being a forward position on the waterfront, we can spot, initiate, and react to any kind of situation that might threaten not only the piers and the base itself, but the warships themselves, we're kind of like an early warning system in a sense," said Naval Station Norfolk Security Forces Master-at-Arms First Class David Harrington.
It's the first upgrade for these types of vessels in over a decade.
"It's been modernized, upgraded, has great sea-keeping ability, and basically with the boats on the water 24/7, after 10 to 12 years, they wear out. So, we needed new boats," said John Schmeckenbecher, Navy Region Mid Atlantic Port Operations Training Specialist.
Fellow Training Specialist John Garcia said the new boats make all the difference.
"It rides like a Cadillac," he said.
There will be 24 new boats in all, throughout the region.
The Navy said Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story are scheduled to receive their new boats before the end of the calendar year.