Naval Weapons Station Yorktown is a navy base in York County, Virginia. It supports the US Atlantic fleet by providing weapons and ammunitions storage for ships in the fleet, as well as providing a loading and docking facility. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown is approximately 20 square miles, and covers about 1/5 of the land mass in York County. Most of the base is in York County, except for a small area that’s in James City County.
Today, the base supports the entire Atlantic Fleet. It has grown over the years to keep up with the navy’s requirements. It has also expanded as several smaller bases have been combined with it, such as Cheatham Annex, which was incorporated into Naval Weapons Station Yorktown in October, 1998. The base currently supports 25 tenant commands, all of which work together with the base to provide ordinance logistics, technical and supply services to the Atlantic Fleet. The station is a hub of activity almost 24/7. It’s a bottleneck as far as the navy is concerned, and thousands of tons of ammunition and supplies pass through the base on a daily basis.