Naval Station San Diego, also called NS San Diego or even Naval Base San Diego, is the west coast’s largest Navy base. The name of NS San Diego has been changed more than 5 times, so there is a lot of confusion surrounding it. Covering 977 acres of land, and 326 acres of water, NS San Diego is one of the largest bases in the whole US Navy. The base boasts more than 20,000 military personnel, and around 6,000 civilians, making it quite large in terms of population as well.
NS San Diego is homeport to most of the Pacific Fleet. It hosts more than 54 ships, as well as over 120 tenant commands. The base, unlike many others in the area, actually has 13 separate piers, each with their own command stations and docking areas. There are actually 44 US Navy Ships, along with 2 Coast Guard cutters and eight Military Sealift Command boats.
When it was created in 1922, NS San Diego was just a small port to host military and research boats. The base was heavily expanded during World War 2 to keep up with wartime demands. NS San Diego was renamed US Repair Base San Diego during this time, as it was used heavily to repair damaged ships.