Seventh Naval District
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United States Naval Districts is a system created by the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
to organize military facilities, numbered sequentially by geographic region, for the operational and administrative control of naval bases and shore commands in the United States and around the world. Established in 1903, naval districts became the foundational system for organizing U.S. naval forces ashore during the 20th century. The term "
Naval A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operatio ...
" forces includes
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
and current
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
units. About half of nearly 20 numbered naval districts, after decades of service as successful naval operational support commands, were merged or disestablished by the U.S. Navy between 1970 and 1998. By 1999 the remaining U.S. naval districts were reorganized and renamed as Navy Regions, except for Naval District Washington DC. The revised U.S. Navy organization of 11 geographic regions is now administered under Commander, Naval Installations Command (CNIC) in Washington DC. United States Marine Corps naval infantry forces operating with the USN are supported by the naval district system. Since 1903, USMC strength has grown immensely with combined-arms artillery, armor, and aviation capability, especially for expeditionary and
amphibious warfare Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conduc ...
during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
in Europe and
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in the Pacific. Although part of the Navy Department, the Marine Corps is a separate branch of the U.S. armed forces that now maintains its own organization of USMC support base locations. United States Coast Guard forces, responsible for U.S. maritime security, continue to operate today in nine USCG naval Districts, using a revised version of the original numbered United States Naval District map, consolidated under two USCG Area commands, CG Atlantic Area and CG Pacific Area. In 1903 the
Department of the Navy Navy Department or Department of the Navy may refer to: * United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DON) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. It was esta ...
first created 13 numbered U.S. Naval Districts as a system to improve the naval defense of the U.S. coast and extended territories from foreign attack. The
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
ordered creation of a system of districts for "the purpose of decentralizing administrative functions with respect to the control of coastwise sea communications and shore activities in states and territories outside department headquarters in Washington DC". The United States Naval District system established a geographic naval forces map, numbered in a clockwise sequence, that centralized under one regional command: :(a) Military coordination of all U.S. naval defense, security operations, and :(b) Administrative coordination of all naval activities, with specific exceptions, within the district and extended seaward waters thereof. Navy Regulations article 1480 first laid down the boundary limits of naval districts, which were based on existing coastal lighthouse districts dating to 1838. "Those limits extend to seaward so far as to include the coastwise sea lanes" (art. 1486 (1), Navy Regulations). The Navy specified that "each naval district shall be commanded by a designated
commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
(an appointed
admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
or
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
), who is the direct representative of the Navy Department, including its bureaus and offices, in all matters affecting district activity" (Art. 1481, Navy Regulations.). During World War I and World War II, the number of Naval Districts grew from thirteen to seventeen. The USN and USCG district system evolved continuously over the 20th century, with naval district shore activities, base facilities, and many ships, cutters, patrol boats, air stations, and jurisdictional map boundaries changing over the decades. Today, each of the current 11 U.S. Navy named Regions and 9 U.S. Coast Guard numbered Districts is commanded by a two star or one star
rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
.


Naval Districts in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard

The 1903 U.S. Navy District Plan designated a major regional naval base or shipyard facility as headquarters for each district. Some districts had no staff until after the outbreak of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
during August 1914. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the U.S. naval plan had grown to define 17 numbered districts on a coastal map of the United States and global U.S. territories, starting with the 1st Naval District in the Atlantic northeast, then proceeding clockwise south through Florida, across the Gulf of Mexico 8th District, up to the Great Lakes, west to the Pacific Ocean, and northwest to the 17th District in Alaska and beyond. In 1915, the newly formed United States Coast Guard also adopted the geographic organization of U.S. Naval Districts for operations and administration of USCG bases, stations, cutters, aircraft, and boats. As an agency in the
U.S. Department of Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...
from 1790 to 1967, the USCG predecessor Lighthouse Board was the first maritime bureau to establish a district organization as directed by an 1838 act of Congress for steamboat safety. When the
U.S. Revenue Cutter Service The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by an Act of Congress () on 4 August 1790 as the Revenue-Marine at the recommendation of the nation's first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. The federal government bod ...
and U.S. Life Saving Service merged to become the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, the naval district map system was used to organize the combined service. In the Coast Guard naval district organization, USCG districts were placed in the CG Eastern Area or Western Area. The two Coast Guard Areas were each commanded by a USCG admiral senior to their district commanders. Later, during World War II the Coast Guard military organization also absorbed three other legacy U.S. maritime safety agencies: the
Steamboat Inspection Service The Steamboat Inspection Service was a United States agency created in 1871 to safeguard lives and property at sea. It merged with the Bureau of Navigation in 1932 to form the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection, which in 1936 was reo ...
,
Bureau of Navigation The Bureau of Navigation, later the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection and finally the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation — not to be confused with the United States Navys Bureau of Navigation — was an agency of the Unite ...
, and U.S. Lighthouse Service (USLHS). United States federal law ( Title 14 US Code) specifies the Coast Guard is a maritime multi-mission military branch of the
U.S. armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...
, fully interoperable with the Navy and
Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...
services outlined under Title 10 USC, that in time of war when directed by the
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
becomes a part of the U.S. Navy fleet, as happened during World War I and World War II. Homeland Defense: Today's structure of land, air, and naval United States armed forces, with
active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. Indian The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the largest active service forces in the world, with almost 1.42 million Active Standin ...
and reserve components, was configured from 1903 to 1947 by a series of Congressional laws enacted to modernize U.S. state militias into a
National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
, strengthen military mobilization capability, and optimize U.S. land, air, and sea service organizations for the global conflicts of the 20th Century. The terrorist attacks of
11 September 2001 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
prompted efforts to improve United States
homeland defense Homeland defense (HD) is the protection of a territory, sovereignty, domestic population, and critical infrastructure against external threats and aggression. (Definition will be incorporated into JP 3-26Definition deferred to ''Homeland Defense, J ...
for the 21st Century. Homeland Security: In 2003, when the
Homeland Security Act The Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002 () was introduced in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and subsequent mailings of anthrax spores. The HSA was cosponsored by 118 members of Congress. The act passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 9 ...
transferred the Coast Guard from the
U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...
to the new
U.S. Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions involv ...
along with other federal protection agencies, CG District Commanders also began overseeing a coastal border organization of sectors. Sectors, named by region, state, or city within each district, align the maritime multi-mission coastal, ports and waterways activities of Coast Guard forces with U.S. Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection officers at land boundary ports of entry. USCG Districts and USCG Sectors are key parts of DHS.


1st Naval District

First Naval District was established on 7 May 1903, headquartered at
Portsmouth Navy Yard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The naval yard lies along the southern boundary of Maine on ...
in
Kittery, Maine Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States, and the oldest incorporated town in Maine. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of ...
for coastal defense of the New England states in accordance with Navy General Order No. 128 issued by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling. Until late 1915 no personnel were assigned to 1st Naval District staff. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, large historic naval shipyards in the northeast United States peaked in ship building and repair activity. Naval bases in northeastern cities were key to supporting U.S. forces during the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...
1914–1918, and again in 1939–1945. By the end of World War II, First Naval District headquarters had transferred to
Charlestown Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...
in Boston, Massachusetts, with geographic boundaries for coastal defense of
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
,
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
,
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
, and
Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
. From 1960 to 1980, the Navy closed several naval bases in the northeastern states. On 7 October 1976, First Naval District at the old
Boston Naval Shipyard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...
was disestablished and passed command to the Fourth Naval District in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, PA. The New England states area of responsibility in the former 1st Naval District is now part of U.S.
Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is one of eleven current naval regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan,Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carol ...
. First Coast Guard District is headquartered in the downtown
Boston Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...
harborfront, and protects the navigable waters of the northeast United States within boundaries that include the entire New England coast. 1st Coast Guard District encompasses the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, plus eastern New York and northern New Jersey. First Coast Guard District includes five coastal sector commands, and is homeport for units including major Atlantic patrol cutters, buoy tenders, icebreaker tugs, homeland security boats, stations, shore bases, and a large air station on Cape Cod.


2nd Naval District

Second Naval District was the smallest of the original naval districts established in 1903. 2nd Naval District covered only
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
and adjacent waters, including
Block Island Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago in New England, located approximately south of mainland Rhode Island and east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Isl ...
and
NAS Quonset Point Quonset Point Air National Guard Station is the home base of the Rhode Island Air National Guard 143rd Airlift Wing. Naval Air Station (NAS) Quonset Point was a United States Navy, United States Naval Base in Quonset Point, Rhode Island that was ...
, with headquarters at
Naval Station Newport Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) is a United States Navy base located in the city of Newport, Rhode Island, Newport and the town of Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice Scho ...
, Rhode Island. 2nd Naval District was disestablished after the end of World War I on March 15, 1919, and its geography incorporated into the First and Third Naval Districts. The New England states area of responsibility in the former 2nd Naval District is now part of U.S.
Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is one of eleven current naval regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan,Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carol ...
. Second Coast Guard District: During World War II, when the U.S. Bureau of Navigation, a key part of the large central U.S. maritime transportation system, merged into the Coast Guard, the USCG designated the United States midwest geography containing the many navigable inland waterways of the Mississippi, Ohio and western rivers as the 2nd Coast Guard District with headquarters facilities in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. After 50 years of protecting vital river transportation, in 1996 the 2nd Coast Guard District was disestablished, and all inland western rivers operations became part of the new enlarged 8th Coast Guard District headquartered in New Orleans LA.


3rd Naval District

Third Naval District, headquartered at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a se ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, was established on 7 May 1903 in accordance with General Order No. 128, signed by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling.
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
was initially part of the district due to good communications between
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
and
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
. In 1919
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
was removed from 3rd District and placed directly under the control of the
Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...
. By 1945 3rd District geographic boundaries included:
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, the northern part of
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
(including counties of
Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (automobile), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City, US * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or tra ...
,
Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...
, and all counties north thereof), and also the Nantucket Shoals Lightship. In 1966, after the Brooklyn Navy Yard had provided significant maritime forces to win the Atlantic naval campaigns during both world wars, the U.S. Navy closed the aging yard as an operational naval base. Third Naval District was disestablished on 7 October 1976, and command functions were transferred to the Fourth Naval District in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, PA. The northeastern states area of responsibility in the former 3rd and 4th Naval Districts is now part of U.S.
Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is one of eleven current naval regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan,Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carol ...
. Third Coast Guard District operated from 1915 until disestablished on June 30, 1987, during Coast Guard re-alignment. CGD3 geographic area of responsibility was split between 1st Coast Guard District and 5th Coast Guard District. On July 1, 1987, the Coast Guard consolidated major cutter, aviation, and shore base resources to a new Maintenance and Logistics Command (MLC) for the five remaining districts comprising Coast Guard Atlantic Area. As an agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, after 2010 USCG Atlantic (and Pacific) Area MLCs were re-organized. USCG command for maintenance and logistics facilities now falls under one three star vice admiral, who is the Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Mission Support. Coast Guard founding in New York: New York City, the first U.S. capital, has been a key Coast Guard homeport ever since 4 August 1790, when the first Secretary of the Treasury
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...
established the Revenue Marine (later renamed
Revenue Cutter Service The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by an Act of Congress () on 4 August 1790 as the Revenue-Marine at the recommendation of the nation's first United States Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexand ...
) there. Hamilton requested President George Washington and the 1st United States Congress authorize construction of 10 fast, armed cutters to be stationed at Atlantic seaports in the 13 original U.S. states for defense and maritime law enforcement (as Hamilton had earlier proposed in Federalist Paper No. 11 and Federalist No. 12). In 1789 Hamilton had also established the
U.S. Customs Service The United States Customs Service was a federal law enforcement agency of the U.S. federal government. Established on July 31, 1789, it collected import tariffs, performed other selected border security duties, as well as conducted criminal i ...
for coastal commerce security, followed in 1791 by the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment for navigation safety. U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area:
New York Harbor New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States. New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...
, the major U.S. seaport from 1790 to 1914, continued serving as USCG Eastern/Atlantic Area headquarters from 1915 through the 1990s. In 1996 however, as part of the Coast Guard portion of the U.S. military's
Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was a process by a Federal government of the United States, United States federal government commission to increase the efficiency of the United States Department of Defense by coordinating the realignment and ...
(BRAC) process, the service closed the large USCG cutter support base on Governors Island NY (a New York harbor defense fortification since 1776) and moved CG Atlantic Area headquarters to Portsmouth VA.


4th Naval District

Fourth Naval District was established on 7 May 1903 headquartered at historic
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy shipyard and was historically important for nearly two centuries. Construction of the original Philadelphia Naval Shipyard began during the American Revolution in 1776 at Front ...
on the Delaware River at
League Island League Island was an island in the Delaware River, part of the city of Philadelphia, just upstream from the mouth of the Schuylkill River. The island was developed as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Since the late 20th century, it has been re ...
, Pennsylvania, in accordance with General Order No. 128, issued by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling. Until 1915, no personnel were assigned to 4th District staff. During World War II, some 40,000 workers labored around the clock to build and repair naval ships at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. By 1945, 4th Naval District included the geographic areas with many facilities that were key to the war effort in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, the southern part of
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
(including the counties of Burlington,
Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...
, and all counties south thereof), and
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
(including Winter Quarters Shoal
Light Vessel A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...
). On 7 October 1976, Fourth District absorbed the command functions of the First and Third Naval Districts. On 30 September 1980 Fourth Naval District was also disestablished, as Navy fleet operations at the aging historic bases in the U.S. northeastern states continued slowly moving to southern and western naval districts in the 1980s and 1990s. Most U.S. Navy ship work at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was decommissioned by early 2000, pursuant to recommendations by the
Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was a process by a Federal government of the United States, United States federal government commission to increase the efficiency of the United States Department of Defense by coordinating the realignment and ...
commission, with the exception of supply depot logistics operations at Naval Support Activity Philadelphia. The northeastern states area of responsibility in the former 4th Naval District is now part of U.S.
Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is one of eleven current naval regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan,Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carol ...
.


5th Naval District

Fifth Naval District was established on 7 May 1903 headquartered at the
Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility ...
in southeast
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, in accordance with General Order No. 128 issued by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling. No personnel were assigned to district staff until 1915, when 5th Naval District headquarters was moved across the Elizabeth River to Naval Operating Base Norfolk. Starting in World War I,
Norfolk, VA Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
became the largest Navy location in the United States during the 20th Century. Norfolk Navy Yard, like historic naval shipyards in Boston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia, was key to Navy ship repair and maintenance operations that led to victory in the Atlantic theater during World War I and World War II. During NNSY's peak of wartime activity from 1940 to 1945, 43,000 personnel were employed and 6,850 vessels were repaired. By 1945,
Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Ham ...
had grown enormously and also become headquarters for U.S. Navy Atlantic Fleet. 5th Naval District boundaries included:
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
(except 6 counties nearest the District of Columbia, Anne Arundel, Prince Georges, Montgomery, St. Mary's, Calvert, and
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
County);
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
(except 6 counties nearest D.C.,
Arlington Arlington most often refers to: *Arlington, Virginia **Arlington National Cemetery, a United States military cemetery *Arlington, Texas Arlington may also refer to: Places Australia *Arlington light rail station, on the Inner West Light Rail in S ...
, Fairfax,
Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
,
King George King George may refer to: People Monarchs ;Bohemia *George of Bohemia (1420-1471, r. 1458-1471), king of Bohemia ;Duala people of Cameroon * George (Duala king) (late 18th century), king of the Duala people ;Georgia *George I of Georgia (998 or ...
,
Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...
, and Westmoreland County); plus northeast
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
(15 counties nearest Norfolk, VA, Currituck, Camden, Pasquotank,
Gates Gates is the plural of gate, a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. It may also refer to: People * Gates (surname), various people with the last name * Gates Brown (1939-2013), American Major League Baseball player * Gates McFadd ...
, Perquimans, Chowan, Tyrrell,
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
, Hyde, Beaufort,
Pamlico The Pamlico (also ''Pampticough'', ''Pomouik'', ''Pomeiok'') were Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans of North Carolina. They spoke an Algonquian languages, Algonquian language also known as ''Pamlico'' or Carolina Algonquia ...
, Craven,
Jones Jones or Joneses may refer to: People and fictional characters *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname * List of people with surname Jones, including fictional characters ** Justice Jones (disambiguation) ** Judge Jones (disambiguati ...
, Carteret, Onslow, and
Dare Dare may refer to: Places * Dare, Vera Cruz, a ''suco'' in Vera Cruz administrative post, Dili Municipality, Timor-Leste * Darè, Italy, a comune * Dare County, North Carolina, United States * Dare, Virginia, United States, an unincorporate ...
County); also the Diamond Shoals
Lightship A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...
. Between 1960 and 1980, the Navy closed aging historic
shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...
s in the northeast United States and merged about half of the numbered naval districts for budgetary efficiency and military effectiveness. Atlantic bases in the
Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...
, VA region, expanding since 1942, grew even larger with added ships, submarines, aircraft, and naval amphibious activities at bases like Little Creek,
Dam Neck Training Support Center Hampton Roads is, since 2004, the name of the facility in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, which was long-known as "FTC Dam Neck". It is the home of the Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic of the United States Navy. Hi ...
, and
NAS Oceana Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The station is located on 23.9 square kilometers. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mi ...
in
Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...
. But on 30 September 1980, Fifth Naval District became one of six original numbered districts disestablished on that date. The large area of responsibility for 20 northeast and midwest states in the former 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Naval Districts is now part of U.S.
Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is one of eleven current naval regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan,Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carol ...
. Fifth Coast Guard District headquarters is in Portsmouth VA. Coast Guard Atlantic Area command is also located in USCG Portsmouth HQ (transferred from USCG Base Governors Island NY in 1996). 5th Coast Guard District operates within geographic boundaries that include the entire mid-Atlantic east coast from southern New Jersey, the Delaware River, Pennsylvania, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, and North Carolina. Fifth Coast Guard District includes four coastal sectors, and is homeport for afloat and shore units including major Atlantic patrol cutters, forward deployed maritime security cutters patrolling the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
, buoy tenders, homeland security boats, stations, shore bases, and two Coast Guard air stations including a major USCG Shipyard in Baltimore MD, and a major USCG Aircraft Station and Maintenance facility in Elizabeth City NC.


6th Naval District

Sixth Naval District was established on 7 May 1903 with headquarters at
Charleston Naval Shipyard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. ...
in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
, in accordance with General Order No. 128, signed by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling. No personnel were assigned to 6th District staff until 1915–1916. Sixth Naval District peaked with the activity of 8,000 workers as Charleston Naval Shipyard and Naval Base Charleston grew from 1930 to 1960, supporting shipbuilding, repair, and fleet operations for many ships and submarines. 6th Naval District boundaries included
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, and most of
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, except fifteen northeastern North Carolina coastal counties nearest Virginia, which were part of 5th Naval District. Sixth Naval District was disestablished along with the Fourth, Fifth and Tenth Naval Districts on 30 September 1980. But Charleston Shipyard remained a major naval installation throughout the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
as homeport to numerous Navy cruisers, destroyers, attack submarines, ballistic missile submarines, destroyer tenders, and submarine tenders of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. The
1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
report recommended final closure of the Naval Base on 1 April 1996. The south Atlantic states area of responsibility of the former 6th Naval District command is now part of U.S. Navy Region Southeast. Coast Guard Base Charleston: Since the 1990s, U.S. Congressional representatives and senators from South Carolina have advocated for maritime agencies to re-locate federal government facilities to the former Charleston Naval Base, such as U.S. Coast Guard Sector Charleston and Charleston's National Weather Service office, a bureau of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...
. In 2020 the
Coast Guard Commandant A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...
announced a USCG plan to station more new major cutters and enlarge shore operations facilities at Base Charleston during this decade, as a "future Coast Guard operational center of gravity" for Atlantic Area cutters homeported in Seventh Coast Guard District.


7th Naval District

Seventh Naval District comprising all waters around Florida, was a district renamed as Navy Region-Southeast in 1999. Commander, Navy Region Southeast (NAVREGSE) headquarters is located in
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, home to major U.S. Navy Atlantic Fleet shore base installations including
Naval Station Mayport Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base on San Pablo Island in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier-size vessels, ship's intermediate maintenance activity (SIMA) and a m ...
, FL. Seventh Naval District headquarters was previously located at Naval Air Station Key West, FL for many years. Most of the current day boundaries of NAVREGSE encompass the former 1903 naval districts of the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Naval Districts. US Naval shore activities formerly in Tenth Naval District on island bases in the Caribbean Sea are now also part of Navy Region Southeast. Seventh Coast Guard District headquarters is located in
Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. The geographic boundaries of the 7th District include the entire coast of the state of Florida, except the western panhandle central time zone area from Apalachicola to Alabama, which is part of the Eighth District. Seventh Coast Guard District also includes the entire coast and waters of the states of Georgia and South Carolina, and operations in U.S. territories in the Caribbean Sea, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Seventh Coast Guard District includes six coastal sectors and is homeport for afloat and shore units including major Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean patrol cutters, buoy tenders, homeland security boats, stations, shore bases, deployable maritime security units, and four Coast Guard air stations.


8th Naval District

Eighth Naval District gulf coast headquarters was located in
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
from 1903 until the 1960s, when the U.S. Naval Station became
Naval Support Activity New Orleans Naval Support Activity New Orleans was a United States Navy installation until September 2011. During its time in operation, it was the largest military installation in greater New Orleans. It hosts activities for other branches of service and ...
. NSA NOLA was home to Commander, Naval Reserve Force and other major Navy and Marine Corps commands until the naval base size was reduced by the BRAC process in 2011. Naval base New Orleans is now renamed Marine Corps Support Facility NOLA. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve HQ is still located on the naval base, along with U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. Historically, Eighth Naval District also had a second headquarters location at the
Pensacola Navy Yard Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United Sta ...
. All U.S. Navy support commands in the former Eighth Naval District Gulf of Mexico area are now part of U.S. Navy Region Southeast. Eighth Coast Guard District command headquarters is the
port of New Orleans The Port of New Orleans is a significant transport hub located in Louisiana, United States. It serves as an embarkation point for cruise passengers and Louisiana’s sole international container port. The port generates $100 million in revenue a ...
for the USCG gulf coast, as well as inland western rivers. 8th District boundaries include the Gulf of Mexico coast from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, to the Florida panhandle central time zone, west of Apalachicola, plus a small part of southwest Georgia. 8th District is by far the largest Coast Guard District geographic area, with a secondary HQ base in St. Louis MO supporting the inland western river system. The 8th District map includes 26 states from Pennsylvania to Wyoming, through which flow many navigable western rivers, part of the vast inland waterways transportation system in the industrial and agricultural heartland of the United States. Eighth Coast Guard District includes seven sectors (four coastal, three river) and is homeport for major afloat and shore units including Gulf of Mexico patrol cutters, inland river cutters, Atlantic patrol cutters, buoy tenders, homeland security boats, stations, shore bases, deployable maritime security units, and three Coast Guard air stations including large pilot training bases.


9th Naval District

Ninth Naval District was established on 7 May 1903 in accordance with General Order No. 128, signed by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling, for command of the United States Great Lakes area, with headquarters at the new naval training station on
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
near
North Chicago, Illinois North Chicago is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 30,759 at the 2020 census making it the third-most populous city by population in the county, after Waukegan and ...
. Construction of
Naval Station Great Lakes Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only current recruit training, boot camp, located near North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois, along Lake Michigan. Important tenan ...
was authorized during the presidency of
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
, who starting in 1897 had expanded U.S. naval sea power in his earlier role as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. 9th Naval District was activated in 1911 as part of an administrative unit called the "Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Naval Districts". In 1920, 9th District became a separate Navy entity with its own district staff for the Great Lakes region states. Ninth Naval District boundaries expanded during World War II to midwest states beyond the Great Lakes by 1945, including
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
,
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
,
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
,
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
,
North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
,
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
,
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
, and
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
. Ninth Naval District was disestablished on 30 June 1979, and its functions divided between the Fourth, Eighth, Eleventh and Thirteenth Naval Districts. In 1993 the
Base Realignment and Closure Commission Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was a process by a Federal government of the United States, United States federal government commission to increase the efficiency of the United States Department of Defense by coordinating the realignment and ...
recommended closing two of three U.S. Navy Recruit Training Centers. RTC San Diego, CA and RTC Orlando, FL were shut down by 1999, making
Recruit Training Command Great Lakes The Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes (RTC Great Lakes), is a command unit within the United States Navy primarily responsible for conducting the initial orientation of incoming recruits, also known as boot camp and recruit training, or RTC. ...
the sole Navy boot camp. Naval training centers of the former 9th Naval District and naval shore activities in the Great Lakes states and are now supported by
Naval Service Training Command The Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) is a one-star echelon III command of the United States Navy that is responsible to the Chief of Naval Education and Training for the indoctrination and training of all new accessions into the Naval Service ...
and by U.S.
Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is one of eleven current naval regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan,Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carol ...
. Ninth Coast Guard District operates as the guardian of the U.S. Great Lakes, with headquarters on the south shore of Lake Erie in
Cleveland Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
. Coast Guard 9th District works closely with agencies across the water border in Canada to protect the security, navigation (summer and winter), and natural environment of the large Great Lakes system from the
St. Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...
to
Duluth, MN Duluth ( ) is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population was 86,697 at the 2020 census, m ...
. 9th Coast Guard District geographic boundaries include Lake Superior, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Lake Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Huron, Michigan, Lake Erie, Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, Lake Ontario, and western New York state. Ninth Coast Guard District includes four sectors spanning the Great Lakes, and is homeport for afloat cutters and shore units including icebreaker patrol cutters, buoy tenders, homeland security boats, stations, shore bases, deployable maritime security units, and four Coast Guard air stations.


10th Naval District

Tenth Naval District boundaries included the Caribbean Sea, but was headquartered at the new
Naval Station Great Lakes Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only current recruit training, boot camp, located near North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois, along Lake Michigan. Important tenan ...
on
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
near
North Chicago, Illinois North Chicago is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 30,759 at the 2020 census making it the third-most populous city by population in the county, after Waukegan and ...
. Established on 7 May 1903 in accordance with General Order No. 128, signed by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling, the district was activated in 1911 as part of a larger administrative unit called "Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Naval Districts". During the 1920s the Tenth was disestablished, but was reactivated on January 1, 1940, at
San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...
under the command of Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, USN. 10th Naval District boundaries covered the Caribbean Sea, including
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
,
Vieques Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island, town and municipality of Puerto Rico, and together with Culebra, it is geographically part of the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques lies about east of the mainland of Puerto Rico, measuri ...
, Culebra,
Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, Caribbean islands or West Indie ...
,
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by the U.S. military) is a United States military base located on of land and water on the shore of Guant ...
, plus U.S. Naval shore activities at
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
,
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...
,
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
,
Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...
,
St. Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
, and
British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...
. Tenth Naval District was one of six original naval districts disestablished by the Navy after 30 September 1980. U.S. Navy operational facilities in the Caribbean Sea have been significantly reduced since the 1990s, including Guantanamo, Cuba (GITMO) and Vieques, PR. Many shore activities and fleet training in the Caribbean moved to naval bases around Jacksonville and
Mayport, Florida Mayport is a small community located between Naval Station Mayport and the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the Jacksonville Beaches communities on San Pablo Island. The only public road to Mayport is State Road A1A, wh ...
. Those facilities are now supported by Navy Region Southeast or
United States Fleet Forces Command The United States Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) is a service component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U.S. forces. The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United Sta ...
.


11th Naval District

Eleventh Naval District boundaries included the southwestern United States and Pacific coast of California. When established on 7 May 1903, headquarters was also originally located at the new
Naval Station Great Lakes Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only current recruit training, boot camp, located near North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois, along Lake Michigan. Important tenan ...
on
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
near
North Chicago, Illinois North Chicago is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 30,759 at the 2020 census making it the third-most populous city by population in the county, after Waukegan and ...
as per General Order No. 128, signed by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling. Eleventh District was activated in 1911 as part of the larger administrative unit known as the "Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Naval Districts". In 1920 the Eleventh Naval District became a separate Naval District with headquarters at
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. During World War II, 11th Naval District supported numerous Navy and Marine Corps facilities crucial to the Pacific war effort, including
Naval Base San Pedro Naval Base San Pedro and San Pedro Submarine Base were United States Navy bases at the Port of San Pedro, California officially founded in 1919. While commissioned in 1919, the Navy started operating out of the port in 1910, by renting dock spac ...
,
Long Beach Naval Shipyard The Long Beach Naval Shipyard (Long Beach NSY or LBNSY), which closed in 1997, was located on Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles Internationa ...
,
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (MCRD San Diego) is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former N ...
, and Air Station Miramar. From 1945 until 1980, 11th District included the geographic areas of:
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
;
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
;
Clark Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland, ultimately derived from the Latin ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...
County,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
; the southern part of
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, including Counties of Santa Barbara,
Kern Kern or KERN may refer to: People * Kern (surname), includes a list of people with the name * Kern (soldier), a light infantry unit in Medieval Irish armies Places * Kern, Alaska, a ghost town in Alaska * Kern, Austria, see Sankt Marienkir ...
, and
San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...
, and all counties south thereof. Eleventh Naval District was one of six original numbered districts disestablished on 30 September 1980. All U.S. Navy and Marine Corps facilities, shore bases, and support commands in the southwestern United States from the former 11th Naval District are now part of
Navy Region Southwest The Navy Region Southwest is one of eleven current naval regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, ...
, headquartered in downtown San Diego, California. Eleventh Coast Guard District operates on the California coast with headquarters on San Francisco Bay in Alameda CA. Coast Guard Pacific Area command is also located on Coast Guard Island in Alameda with 11th Coast Guard District. 11th District's geographic boundaries include all waters of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Eleventh Coast Guard District includes four coastal sectors and is homeport for afloat and shore units including major Pacific patrol cutters, homeland security boats, stations, shore bases, deployable maritime security units, and four major Coast Guard air stations.


12th Naval District

Twelfth Naval District was established on 7 May 1903 with headquarters at
Mare Island Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...
Naval Shipyard in
Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California, United States, and the second largest city in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the ci ...
, in accordance with General Order No. 128, signed by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling. During World War II, 12th District headquarters moved to
San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
with geographic boundaries including northern
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
counties north of
Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County, officially the County of Santa Barbara (), is a county located in Southern California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa M ...
, and the states of
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
;
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
; and
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
except
Clark County Clark County may refer to: *Clark County, Arkansas *Clark County, Idaho *Clark County, Illinois *Clark County, Indiana *Clark County, Kansas *Clark County, Kentucky *Clark County, Missouri *Clark County, Nevada, containing Las Vegas *Clark County, ...
. 12th Naval District bases, shipyards, air stations, hospitals, and manufacturing facilities were essential to winning World War II in the Pacific theater, and remained vibrant military facilities through the 1970s. Twelfth Naval District was disestablished in 1977, and functions were transferred to the Eleventh Naval District. As part of the post-
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
military
Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was a process by a Federal government of the United States, United States federal government commission to increase the efficiency of the United States Department of Defense by coordinating the realignment and ...
process in the 1990s, many historic large Pacific U.S. naval facilities such as
Mare Island Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...
,
Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...
, Hunters Point Shipyard, and
Naval Air Station Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station mostly in Alameda, California, with a slight portion of it within San Francisco proper, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and ...
in the
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
area, and Los Angeles- Long Beach port area of California were closed or re-located to
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
or to
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
. Twelfth Coast Guard District operated from 1915 until disestablished on June 30, 1987, during Coast Guard re-alignment. CGD12 area of responsibility for California and western states was transferred to 11th Coast Guard District. On July 1, 1987, the Coast Guard consolidated major cutter, aviation, and shore base resources to a new Maintenance and Logistics Command (MLC) for the four remaining districts comprising Coast Guard Pacific Area. As an agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, after 2010 USCG Atlantic (and Pacific) Area MLCs were re-organized. USCG command for maintenance and logistics facilities now falls under one three star vice admiral, who is the Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Mission Support.


13th Naval District

Thirteenth Naval District was established on 7 May 1903 with headquarters at the
Puget Sound Navy Yard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted ...
in
Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, Kitsap County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city ...
, in accordance with General Order No. 128, signed by Acting
Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
Charles H. Darling. In 1926, 13th District headquarters transferred to
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
. In 1945, 13th District geographic boundaries included the states of Washington,
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
,
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
, and
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
. 13th Naval District bases, shipyards, air stations, hospitals, and manufacturing facilities were essential to winning World War II in the Pacific theater, and remained vibrant military facilities supporting North Pacific and Alaska Naval operations through the 1970s. Thirteenth Naval District was one of six original numbered districts disestablished on 30 September 1980. All U.S. Navy and Marine Corps facilities, shore bases, and support commands in the northwestern states from the former 13th Naval District, plus Alaska, are now part of
Navy Region Northwest The Navy Region Northwest is one of several United States Navy Regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nort ...
, headquartered on Puget Sound at
Naval Base Kitsap Naval Base Kitsap is a United States Navy, U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington (state), Washington state, created in 2004 by merging the former Naval Station Bremerton with Naval Submarine Base Bangor. It is the home ba ...
, WA. Thirteenth Coast Guard District operates on the northwest Pacific Ocean coast with headquarters on Puget Sound in Seattle WA. 13th District's geographic boundaries include the Pacific coastline and all navigable waters of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Thirteenth Coast Guard District includes two coastal sectors and is homeport for afloat and shore units including major Pacific patrol cutters, polar icebreakers, buoy tenders, homeland security boats, stations, shore bases, deployable maritime security units, and three Coast Guard air stations.


14th Naval District

Fourteenth Naval District established in 1916, was headquartered at
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Rec ...
. From 1899 when the U.S. Navy established bases in Hawaii until the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the
United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor ...
grew enormously. By 1945, 14th Naval District boundaries included the geographic areas of the
Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...
, and islands to westward, including Midway, Wake,
Kure is a city in the Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 208,024 in 106,616 households and a population density of 590 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . With a strong industrial and naval heritage, ...
, and Johnston, and
Kingman Reef Kingman Reef () is a largely submerged, uninhabited, triangle-shaped reef, geologically an atoll, east-west and north-south, in the North Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway between the Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa. It has an area of 3 hecta ...
. 14th Naval District bases, shipyards, submarines, air stations, and hospital facilities were essential to winning World War II in the Pacific theater, and remained vibrant military facilities supporting Pacific naval operations through the 1970s. Fourteenth Naval District was disestablished on 30 June 1979, and command of the U.S. Navy Pacific area of responsibility was transferred to Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Pacific Fleet headquarters is now at
Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (JBPHH) is a United States military base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is Joint Base, an amalgamation of the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base and the United States Navy's Naval Station Pearl ...
, Hawaii. Fourteenth Coast Guard District command is headquartered in Honolulu HI. CCGD14 comprises all waters around Hawaii, Guam, and U.S. territory islands in the Pacific Ocean. 14th District's geographic boundaries cover a wide portion of the central Pacific Ocean. Fourteenth Coast Guard District includes two coastal sectors in Hawaii and Guam, and is homeport for afloat and shore units including major patrol cutters that deploy to the South Pacific and east Asia, buoy tenders, homeland security boats, stations, shore bases, deployable maritime security units, and Coast Guard air stations.


15th Naval District

Fifteenth Naval District encompassed the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...
, headquartered at
Balboa, Panama Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. It was the capital of the Panama Canal Zone under American administration. History The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the constru ...
, and was established on 28 November 1917 by an executive order dated 27 August 1917. After
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
construction was completed in 1914 and the Canal opened to ship traffic between the oceans, 15th Naval District boundaties included "the waters adjacent to the Panama Canal Zone exclusive of the area between the inner limits of the defensive sea areas established at the Atlantic Ocean Entrance and the Pacific Ocean Entrance of the Panama Canal". For most of the 20th Century, including two world wars, the U.S. military oversaw ship transit operations from ocean to ocean through the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...
. On 31 December 1975, Fifteenth Naval District was disestablished and its responsibilities transferred to
Naval Base Panama Canal Zone Naval Base Panama Canal Zone refers to a number of United States Navy bases used during World War II to both protect the Panama Canal and the key shipping lanes around the Panama Canal Zone. Bases were built and operated on the Atlantic Ocean ...
. Under President Jimmy Carter's administration, the Panama Canal Zone was disestablished in 1979. All canal operations were subsequently civilianized over to Panamanian and U.S. citizens. In 1999, the United States closed military facilities in Panama and transferred control of bases and the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
to the government of
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
. U.S. Navy operations in the Panama Canal area, Caribbean Sea, and southeastern Pacific are now supported by Navy Fourth Fleet and
United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida, Doral in Greater Miami, Greater Miami, Florida, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providi ...
.


16th Naval District

Sixteenth Naval District comprised the entire
Philippine Islands The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
before 1941. The Philippines was a colony of the United States from 1898 to 1946. The former
United States Asiatic Fleet The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...
patrolled the many isolated islands in the
Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a List of seas#Marginal seas by ocean, marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean east of the list of islands of the Philippines, Philippine Archipelago (hence the name) and the List of seas#Largest seas ...
,
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
, and
Celebes Sea The Celebes Sea ( ; ) or Sulawesi Sea (; ) of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawes ...
area. From December 1941 U.S. Naval Bases in the Philippines 16th Naval District were taken and controlled by the
Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
until they were regained by U.S. military forces as World War II ended in 1945. From 1945 until 1992, this part of the southwest Pacific region was called U.S. Naval Base Philippines, consisting of a number of naval stations located on the many islands in the Philippines, including the large Naval Base Subic Bay ship repair facility. Most of these bases were shore support facilities built during World War II by Navy Seabee Construction Battalions as U.S. forces regained control of the islands from the Japanese Empire. In 1992 the United States returned all naval bases to the
Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) () is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 91 combat ...
, as well as closing other U.S. military facilities in the Philippines, including the large
Clark Air Force Base Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base in Luzon, located west of Angeles City, and about northwest of Metro Manila. It was previously operated by the U.S. Air Force and, before that, the U.S. Army, from 1903 to 1991. The base cover ...
. U.S. Navy operations in the Philippines area are now supported by one of the Navy Regions in the western Pacific, such as
Navy Region Center Singapore The Navy Region Centre Singapore (NRCS) is a United States military installation in Admiralty, Sembawang, Singapore, that manages shore support facilities. It does so for departments such as the Department of the Navy (DoN) and Department of Def ...
. In 2022 amid growing tensions with China, the United States and Philippine governments quietly began preparations for U.S. forces to return to the Subic Bay naval facility.


17th Naval District

Seventeenth Naval District was established on 15 April 1944, headquartered at
Kodiak Island Kodiak Island (, ) is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the Un ...
, Alaska for command of northern Pacific naval operations during World War II. Starting in 1942, the
Alaska territory The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; th ...
and
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...
played a major role in the U.S. military effort to drive back and defeat the Japanese empire. Japanese attacks during the
Aleutian Islands campaign The Aleutian Islands campaign () was a military campaign fought between 3 June 1942 and 15 August 1943 on and around the Aleutian Islands in the American theater (World War II), American Theater of World War II during the Pacific War. It was t ...
on Dutch Harbor in 1942, and Attu and Kiska in 1943 were the only battles of World War II fought on American soil. In 1944,
President Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
visited Adak Island air base, meeting with military commanders and eating with soldiers of the Aleutians garrison. In 1945, 17th District encompassed the very large geographic area of
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
, and the entire
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...
. Three decades and many naval operations later, Seventeenth Naval District was disestablished on 30 June 1971, after which the U.S. Coast Guard gradually took over Kodiak naval base. By 1997 other aging WWII naval installations in Alaska, such as Adak Naval Air Station, were closed. U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations in the former 17th Naval District of Alaska are now supported by
Navy Region Northwest The Navy Region Northwest is one of several United States Navy Regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nort ...
, headquartered on Puget Sound at Naval Base Kitsap, WA. In 2021, the Navy began considering re-opening Adak Air Station due to heightened global power competition with Russia and China. Seventeenth Coast Guard District headquartered in Juneau AK, includes the vast waters of Alaska from
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
north and west to the
Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...
,
Chukchi Sea The Chukchi Sea (, ), sometimes referred to as the Chuuk Sea, Chukotsk Sea or the Sea of Chukotsk, is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, ...
,
Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...
,
Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...
, and
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...
. 17th Coast Guard District maintains a large USCG air and sea base on Kodiak Island, AK and operates withi
geographic boundaries
that cover a wide distance of waters from the stormy
North Pacific Ocean North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' ...
to polar ice between Canada and Asia. Seventeenth Coast Guard District includes two coastal sectors in Anchorage and Juneau, and is homeport for afloat and shore units including major patrol cutters that deploy for fisheries law enforcement across the North Pacific and Bering Sea, buoy tenders, homeland security boats, stations, shore bases, two major Coast Guard air stations and an air support facility.


18th, 19th, 20th Naval Districts

District numbers 18, 19, and 20 were reserved for future use by the United States Navy district plan, but between 1903 and 1991 were never assigned to specified naval forces and shore installations in any geographic region of the world. Post-Cold War District Reorganization: During the 1990s, U.S. Navy shore installation echelon systems were significantly reduced for government efficiency. Numbered naval district commands were completely discontinued by the U.S. Navy. The remaining 11 naval districts were renamed by regional geography, and have operated since 1999 as U.S. Navy Regions. Five of the current U.S. Navy overseas flag commands that support naval force installations in Japan, Korea, Europe, Singapore, and the Pacific Marianas Islands including the territory of
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
were established after the numbered naval district system was reorganized as eleven geographic regions.


Naval District Washington

Naval District Washington The Naval District Washington is one of eleven current naval regions responsible to Commander, Navy Installations Command for the operation and management of Naval shore installations in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. The Commandant is cu ...
is one of eleven current U.S. Navy commands re-organized as Regions in 1999, but NDW retained the naval district name. NDW operates and manages Naval shore installations in the
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washington, D.C., the fed ...
. Naval District Washington headquarters is located next to
Commander, Navy Installations Command The Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) is an Echelon II shore command responsible for all shore installations under the control of the United States Navy. As an Echelon II command, it reports directly to the Chief of Naval Operations, ...
HQ in the historic
Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is a ceremonial and administrative center for the United States Navy, located in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (federal District of Columbia). It is the oldest shore establishment / base of ...
on the
Anacostia River The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid-Atlantic states, Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Ch ...
in southeast DC. The NDW Commandant is a Navy rear admiral who leads the oldest district that remains from the original 1903 Naval District system. Naval District Washington is a U.S. Navy asset in the National Capitol Region military district Joint Force Headquarters. JFHQ-NCR is responsible for homeland defense of the greater Washington, DC National Capital Region, including
The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...
,
Headquarters Marine Corps The Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The funct ...
, U.S. Coast Guard HQ, and all U.S. military facilities in the area.


U.S. Coast Guard District organization

Since the modern USCG was formed by the Coast Guard Act in 1915, USCG cutters, boats, aircraft, and shore forces have operated using a revised version of the original 1903 numbered naval district map. The former Coast Guard East and West Areas were renamed CG Atlantic Area and CG Pacific Area in the 1960s, with each Area command led by a USCG three star
vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...
. By 1987 the number of Coast Guard districts was reduced from 13 to 10 through several district mergers and many boundary line adjustments. When the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
ended in 1991, all U.S. military services down-sized force organizations, consolidated, and realigned bases. On 30 May 1996, Coast Guard 8th District (Gulf of Mexico), and CG 2nd District (Mississippi & Ohio western river system) were combined to form the enlarged new 8th Coast Guard District, leaving th
Coast Guard organizational map
with the current nine geographic districts. The two USCG Atlantic and Pacific Area Commanders are operationally responsible to the
Commandant of the Coast Guard Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
, the U.S. armed forces
Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...
, and the
Secretary of Homeland Security The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the U ...
for coastal defense and the maritime security of the United States homeland. U.S. Coast Guard District Commanders report to the two Area Commanders for homeland defense, and lead the training operations of part-time
Coast Guard Reserve The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of ...
component forces, as well as
U.S. Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...
training units assigned to coastal security duties in USCG Sectors. District Commanders also lead
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the uniformed, civilian volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the unit on 23 June 1939, as the United States Coast Guard Reserve. On F ...
uniformed service volunteers organized in local civilian boat flotillas, who perform safety assistance patrols in each USCG naval district geography. The Coast Guard Auxiliary District map adds sixteen sub-regions, aligned with USCG Sectors, that administratively support the U.S. recreational boating safety public outreach activities of thousands of CG Auxiliarists. USCG Districts have retained the original number designation as first assigned in the 1903 naval district plan. District number designations and Commander, Coast Guard District headquarters locations are: * 1st Coast Guard District * 5th Coast Guard District * 7th Coast Guard District * 8th Coast Guard District * 9th Coast Guard District * 11th Coast Guard District * 13th Coast Guard District * 14th Coast Guard District * 17th Coast Guard District


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