NAVAL BASE KITSAP

OVERVIEW

Naval Base Kitsap is the U.S. Navy's principal Pacific Northwest installation and the third-largest Navy base in the United States by population. Created in 2004 by consolidating Naval Station Bremerton, Naval Submarine Base Bangor, and several outlying activities, the base spans more than 9,000 acres across multiple sites along Hood Canal and Sinclair Inlet in Kitsap County, Washington. Approximately 14,000 active-duty Sailors and 13,500 civilian employees support a diverse portfolio of strategic, fleet, and industrial missions across the installation.

The Bangor side of the base — formally Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor — is the West Coast home of the Ohio-class submarine fleet. Eight Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) carrying Trident II D5 missiles and the two Pacific-based Ohio-class guided-missile submarines (SSGNs) operate from the deep, sheltered waters of Hood Canal. The Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific, located on the Bangor waterfront, handles Trident II missiles and is one of the most highly secured facilities in the Department of Defense. The Bremerton side hosts Pacific Fleet surface combatants and aircraft carriers in dry-dock and overhaul cycles at the adjacent Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, making Kitsap simultaneously a strategic deterrence hub and a major fleet maintenance center.

KEY FACTS

• CompositionConsolidation of NS Bremerton + Naval Submarine Base Bangor (2004)
• Strategic MissionWest Coast home of the Ohio-class SSBN and SSGN fleet
• Strategic WeaponsStrategic Weapons Facility Pacific — Trident II missile handling
• CarriersPeriodic Pacific Fleet aircraft carrier homeport (Bremerton)
• Largest Navy Base in Pacific NorthwestThird-largest Navy installation in the United States by population

HISTORY

The naval presence in the Kitsap Peninsula dates to 1891, when the U.S. Navy established the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton on Sinclair Inlet. The site was selected for its protected deep water, abundant timber, and strategic position guarding Puget Sound — and through the early 20th century, the shipyard grew into one of the principal naval industrial complexes on the Pacific Coast. Cruisers, destroyers, and battleships of the Great White Fleet era received construction, overhaul, and modernization at Bremerton, and Naval Station Bremerton emerged alongside the shipyard to support the resident fleet.

During World War II, the Navy expanded dramatically across Kitsap County. In 1944 the Navy opened Naval Magazine Bangor on Hood Canal as a Pacific theater ammunition handling depot, taking advantage of the deep, glacially carved waters that would later prove ideal for nuclear-powered submarines. After the war, the magazine was placed in caretaker status and reactivated as needs arose. The Cold War brought a transformation of the Kitsap region: the Navy selected Bangor as the West Coast strategic deterrence base, and in 1977 it was redesignated Naval Submarine Base Bangor. The first Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, USS Ohio (SSBN-726), arrived at Bangor in 1981, inaugurating the West Coast Trident submarine force.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, the Bangor base grew to host eight Ohio-class SSBNs of Submarine Squadron 17 and the supporting Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific. The September 11, 2001 attacks and subsequent strategic reviews led to the conversion of four Ohio-class submarines into guided-missile submarines (SSGNs), and two of those — USS Ohio and USS Michigan — joined the Pacific fleet under Submarine Squadron 19, also based at Bangor. Meanwhile, Bremerton continued hosting Pacific Fleet carriers and surface combatants in scheduled overhaul and refueling cycles at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

In 2004, the Navy consolidated Naval Station Bremerton, Naval Submarine Base Bangor, and several outlying installations into a single command — Naval Base Kitsap — to streamline shore support across the region. Today, the consolidated base remains the strategic deterrent anchor of the Pacific Fleet and one of the largest U.S. Navy installations west of the Mississippi.

MAJOR COMMANDS & TENANT UNITS

• Submarine Group 9 (Kitsap-Bangor)
• Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific
• Submarine Squadron 17 (SSBN)
• Submarine Squadron 19 (SSGN)
• Naval Intermediate Maintenance Facility Pacific Northwest
• Naval Hospital Bremerton
• Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers in scheduled depot maintenance and refueling complex overhaul (Bremerton/Carrier Pier)

LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY

NOTABLE EVENTS

1. 1891
   Bremerton Founded

   Puget Sound Naval Shipyard established at Bremerton on Sinclair Inlet.
2. 1944
   Bangor Established

   Naval Magazine Bangor opened during WWII for Pacific theater ammunition handling.
3. 1981
   First Trident SSBN

   USS Ohio (SSBN-726), first Ohio-class submarine, arrived at Naval Submarine Base Bangor.
4. 2004
   Naval Base Kitsap Created

   NS Bremerton and Naval Submarine Base Bangor consolidated into Naval Base Kitsap.

NEARBY BASES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

SOURCES

• Wikipedia: Naval Base Kitsap
• CNIC — Naval Base Kitsap
• Submarine Group 9