Kings Bay Submarine Base

Located in Camden Country in the immediate proximity of St. Marys, Kings Bay Submarine Base is among the most popular military installations in the southern part of Georgia. The base spreads over more than 16,000 acres and hosts some of the most advanced war machines, not to mention about the Trident nuclear weapons some of the missiles are fitted with. The base is run by the United States Navy.

Mission

Although it sounds a bit like some unrealistic self description, Kings Bay Submarine Base simply aims to change every challenge into a real and successful achievement. The base hosts multiple tenant units that are often seen as one team only. The primary mission is to provide full support to anything the US Navy might need. It supports the fleet with all of its ships, the military personnel that is always ready to fight when needed and the civilian families and workers. This means the facilities on site have not been forgotten either. In order to achieve the best results, the people must always feel satisfied and feel like home. The few principles Kings Bay Submarine Base is guided by include the teamwork, the innovation, the open and constant communication and last, but not least, the management of risky situations. It is a safe place that maintains a user friendly atmosphere for its inhabitants.

History

Prior to the military base, the place hosted a few farms and lands with sugar cane and cotton. Soon after the American Civil War reached to an end, the activity declined, so the inhabitants had no problems giving away their lands. The construction was done by the United States Army, which acquired almost 30 square kilometers in 1954. The construction started in 1955 and was finished three years later. The base was established for national emergencies only and to provide quick access to ammunition shipments. One year later, the US Army figured that there was no such thing as an emergency, so the base was useless. It was deactivated right away and placed in a standby mode. The wharf was leased to a private company for civilian uses. There were only two times when the US Army considered reopening the base – after Hurricane Dora in 1964 and during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In 1976, the US Army began the negotiations with the US Navy for Kings Bay Submarine Base, especially since the USA was also discussing with Spain the possibility to withdraw some of its units from a Spanish base. The transition was over in 1978, when the base was given the naval status.

Kings Bay Submarine Base missed the two most important wars of the 20-th century, but it played a major role throughout the Cold War, especially after it got to host the powerful and worldwide known Trident II submarines. Soon after the Cold War reached to an end, the US Navy was restructured and Kings Bay Submarine Base was affected as well. The number of submarines was reduced to 14. No other notable events took place since then.