Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is located adjacent to the town of St. Mary’s, Georgia, in the county of Camden. Kings Bay is homeport to many of the Atlantic Fleet’s many submarines, and especially the Ballistic Missile Nuclear Submarines of the US Navy. On land, the base stretches over about 16,000 acres, 4,000 of which are protected wildlife wetlands.
Kings Bay was originally a US Army controlled base, but in 1975, the Navy took the area and began developing a massive submarine complex. The United States was negotiating a treaty with Spain, and one of Spain’s conditions was that all Nuclear Submarines in the area must be removed. The Navy needed a place to relocate the subs, and that’s why Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay was proposed, and was eventually established on July 1, 1978.
Today, Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base is the home to most of the Navy’s Trident Missile-armed submarines. It is a massive base, home to more than 5,000 active duty members, more than 8,000 family, and more than 2,000 civilians.