September 1, 2004 - MAYPORT COULD BE NEW HOME FOR DESTROYER - The Commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic Fleet has requested that a new warship being built in Bath Maine be homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida when it is delivered to the fleet in May 2006. If the request to U.S. Fleet Forces Command is approved, the USS Farragut DDG-99, an Arleigh Burke guided missle destroyer, will bring to the First Coast a crew of 23 officers and 270 enlisted sailors with a combined payroll of just under $19.3 million, according to a Navy message requesting the assignment. The request must be approved by high-level Navy officials, said Robert Natter, a retired Navy Admiral and Jacksonville resident. But such requests are normally because they are generally made only after considerable coordination between the staffs at Fleet Forces Command and the requesting command, he said.
"This is a process that happens any time a new ship is delivered," said Natter, who is heading Florida's lobbying efforts with respect to the ongoing 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process. Natter said homeporting decisions are based "not only on the capacity of any port but also on the stratigic balance of the fleets and the strategic advantage of having more than one port for ships on each coast." The request to base the Farragut here came as a pleasant surprise to city officials. Dan McCarthy, director of Military Affairs for the city of Jacksonville, said he was aware of the Farragut's new construction status but that earlier projections he has seen did not show the ship coming to Mayport.
"It's just one of those things that's fallen into our lap, and I'm happy about it," McCarthy said. "Jacksonville ought to get some new ships once in a while. To get a top-of-the-line Arleigh Burke destroyer is nice."
The Farragut's mission will be to operate independently as an offensive asset with multiple capabilities or in support of battle group screens and convoys.
The USS Farragut DDG-99 Christening will be July 23, 2005 in Bath, Maine. All who are interested in attending should contact Tom Randall at tr1957@att.net with your name, address and phone number. Bath Iron Works is going to provide seating for ALL Farragut Shipmates. This is not the reunion. That will be in May of 2006. Hope to see many of you in Bath.......Tommy Anderson president USS Farragut DLG6/DDG37 Association.
