The Busan Naval Base () is a group of ports and land facilities of the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy ...

(ROKN), located at

Nam-Gu Nam-gu (), or " Southern District," is the name of a ''gu'' in several South Korean cities: *Nam-gu, Busan * Nam-gu, Daegu *Nam-gu, Gwangju *Nam-gu, Incheon *Nam-gu, Pohang Nam-gu is a non-autonomous district in the City of Pohang in North Gye ...

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

. The

United States Naval Forces Korea U.S. Naval Forces Korea is a major shore command of the United States Navy that serves as the shore support agency for all U.S. Naval activity in South Korea. Known by the initials "CNFK", an abbreviation of the address format of the unit ("Comm ...

headquarters sit within this base. The base can accommodate up to 30 vessels, including the Republic of Korea Navy ''Dokdo''-class amphibious assault ship and the US Navy's ''Nimitz''-class aircraft carriers.

History

The Busan Naval Base was completed in 5 years and 6 months from January 2001 to June 15, 2006, based on the construction cost of KRW 50 billion. 30 ships, including the ''Sejong the Great''-class destroyers, can be anchored at port at the same time. The base became operational in 2007, when the Republic of Korea Navy relocated to Busan from

Jinhae Naval Base Commander Fleet Activities Chinhae ( ko, 진해 함대지원부대;
l

. Among the reasons for the relocation were speed restrictions around Jinhae which slowed access to and from the base. On September 12, 2010, Admiral Seong-chan Kim, Chief of Naval Staff of the Republic of Korea, and Admiral

Patrick M. Walsh Patrick Michael Walsh (born January 13, 1955) is a former United States Navy four-star admiral who last served as the 59th Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from September 25, 2009 to January 20, 2012. He served as the 35th Vice Chief of Nav ...

, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, discussed a plan to relocate the U.S. Naval Command to Busan Naval Base. Starting with the

groundbreaking ceremony Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are ...

on August 29, 2013, the headquarters building with one basement level and two stories above the ground was completed in September 2015 on a site of 9040 sq. metre with an investment of approximately KRW 6.4 billion. On 19 February 2016, the relocation from the

Yongsan Garrison Yongsan Garrison ( ko, 용산기지; Hanja: ), meaning "dragon hill garrison," is an area located in the Yongsan District of central Seoul, South Korea. The site served as the headquarters for U.S. military forces stationed in South Korea, known ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

was completed.

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

ships enter the port mainly for combined training and

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

, and on October 22, 2013, three Russian Navy ships ( destroyer Admiral Vinogradov, salvage tug Kalar, and tanker Irkut) arrived at the naval base. On December 1, 2015, the ROKN 7th Task Flotilla moved to the

Jeju Naval Base The Jeju Civilian-Military Complex Port for Beautiful Tourism (Hangul: ; Hanja:) or Jeju Naval Base (Hangul: ; Hanja:) is a joint civil and Republic of Korea Navy base constructed by the South Korean government in Gangjeong village on the souther ...

Facilities and operational units

* *

Gallery

File:US Navy 100721-N-2013O-422 Tugboats move the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) to a pier in Busan, Republic of Korea.jpg, USS George Washington being moved into dock File:ROKS Dokdo (LPH 6111).jpg,

ROKS Dokdo ROKS ''Dokdo'' (LPH-6111) is the lead ship of the of the Republic of Korea Navy, launched on 12 July 2005 at the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Constructions Co. in Busan. ROKS ''Dokdo'' was the flagship of the Fifth Component Flotilla ...

in port File:Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - USS Carl Vinson Sailors play soccer while in South Korea..jpg,

USS Carl Vinson USS ''Carl Vinson'' (CVN-70) is the United States Navy's third supercarrier. She is named for Carl Vinson (1883-1981), a congressman from Georgia, in recognition of his contributions to the U.S. Navy. The ship was launched during Vinson's lifet ...

at Busan Naval Base File:US Navy 160219-N-WT427-291.JPG,

headquarter File:US Navy 080717-N-7032B-042 The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) is moored during a scheduled port visit to Pusan, Republic of Korea.jpg,

USS Ronald Reagan USS ''Ronald Reagan'' (CVN-76) is a , nuclear-powered supercarrier in the service of the United States Navy. The ninth ship of her class, she is named in honor of Ronald W. Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was ...

moored on 17 July 2008

References

{{reflist, 1 Republic of Korea Navy bases Nam District, Busan Military installations established in 2007 2007 establishments in South Korea