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By Katie Cadiao
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach held a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 10, to mark the completion of a $157 million modernization project to replace an aging ammunition pier and reimagine the layout of the Anaheim Bay to better meet present-day needs of the Navy.
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest joined representatives from Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, as well as government contractors from Manson – Connolly Seal Beach Joint Venture, to mark the tremendous occasion that has been years in the making.
“This project is the culmination of decades of work, going as far back as the early 1990s, when the first serious attempts were made to plan for the future of the base and address shortcomings in our then-current ammunition wharf,” said Capt. Jessica O’Brien, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Commanding Officer. “We have remained amazingly on track despite the many significant and largely unpredicted challenges, and that speaks volumes about what a great team we have assembled here. I could not be prouder.”
The new pier is 1,100 feet long by 125 feet wide and replaces an older ammunition wharf originally built in 1954.
The old ammunition wharf was only able to support one destroyer-sized ship at a time. The new pier will allow dual ship operations, along with the ability to support much larger vessels, including general purpose amphibious assault ships.
The larger footprint of the new pier significantly enhances readiness for the fleet by reducing ship load times.
“This increase in capability has tremendous implications for future crisis and conflict,” said Capt. T. J. Zerr, SURFPAC Chief of Staff. “The faster we can get our crisis-response ships into facilities such as Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, get them loaded up, and get them downrange, the more likely we will be to defeat a potential enemy.”
To turn this design-bid-build project from concept into reality, contractors had to dredge for a public boat channel, naval ship channel, and naval ship turning basin. Crews also excavated above water moles, hauled and disposed excess dredge material, and placed fill for vehicle causeway and habitat enhancements.
In addition, workers constructed a rock breakwater, rock armor shore protection, security structure, and a new ammunition pier to support large deck amphibious ship ordnance operations.
“NAVFAC Southwest was proud to be working with the installation over the years to develop this project and selecting a quality contractor to execute,” said Capt. Laurie Scott, NAVFAC Southwest Commanding Officer. “Our construction dream team, Manson and Connolly, formed a joint venture partnership specifically for this project, but neither are strangers to massive waterfront construction projects. They brought their expertise to the table and delivered this massive project for our warfighters.”
The new pier also increases security inside Anaheim Bay. Since Huntington Harbor was developed in the 1960s, civilian boats have passed through the Navy’s jurisdiction while entering and exiting the harbor.
Navy security forces often had to close the harbor for long periods while warships arrived or departed the old ammunition wharf. The civilian boat channel and causeway that were created through this replacement project now separate civilian watercraft from Navy operations, improving security at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach and shortening harbor closure times.
