San Diego is known for its amazing climate and chill vibe, but did you know that it has a huge US Navy presence?  It’s the principal port of the Pacific Fleet and the Naval Medical Center San Diego (the Navy’s largest west coast hospital) is up the freeway from the shipyard.  Most aren’t going to San Diego because of its military history, but for those interested, this post is for you.

Naval Base San Diego

The official name is Naval Base San Diego, but you’ll also hear it called the 32nd Street Naval Station.  I was stationed up in Puget Sound and we usually called it the former.  Needless to say it sits right on the Bay at 32nd St and Harbor.  It’s a little south of downtown, but you can’t miss it when you get there.  You’ll need a military ID to get on base, but you can see the ships from shore.  The other installations in the area are North Island Naval Air Station (active since 1911) which is across the Coronado Bridge and worth visiting if only to get some GREAT pictures of a San Diego sunset.  The Amphibious Base is off Coronado…you know the SEALS doing SEAL things.

The Naval Medical Center is on the grounds of Balboa Park and is up the freeway from base.  Just giving you a reference in case you were curious.  You have no reason to go there unless you need healthcare.

The Marines have a training facility near the airport and of course their main west coast installation is Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego.  The Marine Corps is near and dear to my heart, so I had to give them a mention in this post.

Naval Museum

The Navy has been in San Diego since 1919 and with the construction of the Naval Training Center in 1922 it has been in its current headquarters since.  There are plenty of maritime museums and landmarks to visit in and around downtown.  The USS Midway Museum is a perfect place to get to know the inner workings of an aircraft carrier.  And to feed your inner Maverick (yes, that’s a Top Gun reference).  From there you can walk to the kissing statue (the one with the sailor kissing the lady) and the National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military.

The waterfront area of San Diego is just really nice.   From the Naval Base north up Harbor Drive, you can enjoy a little slice of the city.  Keep in mind it can be congested given all the construction that’s going on with new buildings along Harbor, but with all there is in that area, it’s worth cruising around to see all the sights between base and the USS Midway.

Enjoy the San Diego waterfront!

Until next time…

May the road rise to meet you and the wind be at your back