NB Point Loma, CA Installation Guide

The base is located at the mouth of the San Diego Harbor. It is on the south-west side of Point Loma, at the end of Rosecrans Street. The base is comprised of 316 acres of beautiful but rugged coastline, although the main facilities are located on approximately 30 acres of relatively flat land.

Naval Base Point Loma is home to the west coast fast-attack submarines and various support activities. The primary mission of Naval Base is to provide the finest services and facilities to our tenant commands, residents, and Naval Station personnel while supporting the community and other commands as a good neighbor.

--------------- TELEPHONE ACCESS

DSN 553-XXXX Commercial (619) 553-XXXX Dialing from on base 3-XXXX Base Operator 553-1011

--------------- HISTORY

The history of Ballast Point begins in September 1542, when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese sailor under the service of Spain, was sailing the seas looking for China. He landed here and explored the area for six days. Cabrillo raised the flag of Spain and named the port San Miguel Bay.

Sebastian Vizcaino, a Spanish trader who operated between Mexico and the Orient, visited the bay next in November of 1602. He re-named it San Diego in honor of Saint Diego d'Alcala, a Franciscan lay brother, upon his return to locate a settlement. His records establish Ballast Point as the site of the first Roman Catholic mass to be celebrated in what is now the State of California. A monument in front of the present day Chapel at Point Loma commemorates that mass.

The Spanish decided to build a fort at Ballast Point because the peninsula guarded the only access to the bay. Completed in 1797, the fort was made of adobe and armed with 9-pounder cannon. The fort was named Fort Guijarros, Spanish for cobblestone. In 1835, when San Diego received Pueblo status, the fort and presidio were decommissioned; lumber and tiles from the forts were salvaged and used for homes in Old Town. From 1850 to 1870, English-speaking sailors used the stones from the area as ballast for their sailing ships - hence the name of "Ballast Point." The Point was used by New England whalers who hunted the southern California waters for migrating whales. Whale blubber was boiled down into whale oil in tryworks ovens located on Point Loma.

In 1870, the Army took possession for use as a military reservation. In 1898, Fort Rosecrans was established as a coastal defense battery. During WWI and WWII, the fort was used as a major training center for US troops.

In 1959, Fort Rosecrans was turned over to the Navy. The Navy Submarine Support Facility was established on November 1, 1963. On November 27, 1974, the U.S. Naval Submarine Support Facility became a shore command, serving assigned submarines, Submarine Group FIVE, Submarine Squadrons THREE and ELEVEN, Submarine Development Group ONE, and Submarine Training Facility (SUBTRAFAC). On October 1, 1981, the U.S. Naval Submarine Support Facility was designated as Naval Submarine Base, San Diego, indicative of its expanding scope and mission.

Starting in April 1995, several commands were decommissioned or their homeports were changed, to meet the down-sizing requirements of the Navy. Current commands include Squadron ELEVEN, COMSUBDEVRON FIVE, 6 submarines and one dry dock (ARCO). Shore commands include Submarine Training Facility (SUBTRAFAC),the Navy's Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Department (SARD) and Military Sealift Command(MSC).

As of this update, there are still changes to be experienced, and many unknown final decisions to be made.