Norfolk, Va. (WTKR) - The Hampton Roads region will soon be home to six aircraft carriers under a plan confirmed by Senator Mark Warner Thursday.
"This won’t be a permanent homeporting decision for this additional carrier, but it will mean for at least the next few years – some projections maybe even up to five years potentially even more. We will have that extra carrier with its 2500 plus personnel in the region," Senator Warner told NewsChannel 3's Todd Corillo.
The Gerald R. Ford - the first in a new class of aircraft carrier - is currently under construction in Newport News.
Warner on Thursday said the Navy has confirmed plans to make Norfolk the homeport for the future USS Gerald R. Ford.
The carrier homeport decision is partially due to schedule and maintenance requirements for the Navy.
In addition to the additional carrier, Warner says the region also stands to gain two amphibious assault ships to be based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek.
"That may be even bigger news because it’s saying in any future consolidation or future BRAC Little Creek is actually a place to add to," Warner stated.
The additional carrier will join the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Abraham Lincoln (currently undergoing overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding), USS Harry S. Truman, USS George H.W. Bush and eventually the USS George Washington at Naval Station Norfolk.
