Naval Support Activity Panama City

Coordinates: 30°10′24″N 85°45′00″W / 30.17333°N 85.75°W / 30.17333; -85.75

Naval Support Activity Panama City
Part of Navy Region Southeast
Bay County, near Panama City, Florida
Naval Support Activity from the St. Andrew Bay
In use	July 20, 1945 - present
Controlled by	United States Navy
Commanders	CDR Jessica M. Pfefferkorn, USN
Occupants	Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Navy Experimental Diving Unit, Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center, United States Coast Guard

The United States Naval Support Activity Panama City (NSA PC), is located just outside Panama City, Florida and is a United States Navy military base. It is located within Bay County. Among other commands, it houses Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) and the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU).

History

The NSA PC was founded as the U.S. Navy Mine Countermeasures Station on July 20, 1945, as a result of the transfer of the test station from Solomons, Maryland, but was renamed ca. 1955 to the U.S. Navy Mine Defense Laboratory. In 1972, it was renamed the Naval Coastal Systems Laboratory. The base has been a subsidiary of several other commands in the past including Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, and Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, under which it was designated Naval Surface Warfare Center: Coastal Systems Station. It obtained its current name in 2007 after changing from the prior command structure to the tenant command structure used by the Navy today in its command of research and development centers.

Tenant Commands

NSAPC consists of several tenant command organizations:

• Naval Surface Warfare Center: Panama City Division (NSWC PCD): This is the largest tenant command and the Research and Development arm of the base. It is part of the NAVSEA System of Naval Surface Warfare Centers.
• Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU): The Experimental Diving Unit is the evaluation facility for Navy Diving. These divers are trained for such missions as wreckage recovery, mine defusing, and reconnaissance.
• Navy Diving Salvage and Training Center: The Navy Diving Salvage Training Center is the training facility for Navy Diving. These divers are trained for such missions as wreckage recovery, mine defusing, and reconnaissance.
• Deployable Joint Command and Control System
• Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment
• Coastal Operations Institute

Research

NSWC PCD conducts basic and applied research in all littoral warfare-related areas and pursues scientific disciplines including optics, acoustics, mine warfare and robotics. NSWC PCD employs approximately 1100 scientists & engineers within NSWC PCD The newest facility on the base for research is the Littoral Warfare Research Facility, a $10 million research & development facility dedicated to littoral warfare research, and completed in 2006^[1].

Engineering projects of historical note include the Swimmer Delivery Vehicle and Landing Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC). Current projects include the majority of US research into hovercraft technology and weapons integration for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Work also includes research for the Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS)

Geography

NSWC PCD Heliport
IATA: none – ICAO: KNBV – FAA LID: NBV
Summary
Airport type		Military
Owner		United States Navy
Location		Panama City, Florida, USA
Elevation AMSL		10 ft / 3 m
Helipads
Number	Length		Surface
	ft	m
H1	390	119	Concrete
Statistics
Based Aircraft			2

NSA PC totals 657 acres (2.66 km²) and houses 221 buildings. Additionally, NSA PC operates several miles of inter coastal waterways for a direct connection to the Gulf of Mexico.^[2]

Economic impact

NSWC PCD is a major research, development, test and evaluation laboratories of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). It is one of the largest employers in Bay County, Florida with an annual payroll of about $117 million. NSA PC employs approximately 2800 civilian and military personnel, for an annual payroll of over $150 million. NSA PC contracts services, buys local goods, and maintains an active construction program. Its economic impact on Bay County is about $400 million annually.^[3]

References

1. ^ [1] "Sen. Bill Nelson Constituent Report, 2003" Page
2. ^ [2] "NSA PC About" Page
3. ^ [3] "NSA PC About" Page

External links

• NSWC PCD website
• CDSA Website
• NSAPC Website

See also

• Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division
• Naval Surface Warfare Center