Naval Warfare Center digging out

On Nov. 1, Naval Support Activity Panama City, Fla., best known for housing a division of the Naval Surface Warfare command, issued an “all clear” order that signaled that the base was returning to routine operations three weeks after Hurricane Michael. Yet, everyone knows it’s going to take a lot more time for key tenant commands to become fully operational. NSAPC is about 30 miles west of Mexico Beach, where the "Cat 4" hurricane made landfall Oct. 10. The Naval Surface Warfare Center “sustained moderate to severe damage to approximately 25 percent of its facilities,” said Naval Sea Systems Command spokesperson Colleen O’Rourke. About 1,400 workers have returned to work. The base is the Navy’s premier command for developing mine-countermeasure, special warfare, amphibious, and maneuvers systems for coastal and littoral regions. But it’s also the home to the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center, and Navy Experimental Diving Unit, both of which also sustained damage. The Experimental Diving Unit avoided destruction and has returned to full operational capacity. The storm did not spare the dive and salvage training center, the largest diving facility in the world, which trains more than 1,200 personnel from all services, and Navy dive specialties. Carla McCarthy, deputy Public Affairs Officer for the Pensacola-based Naval Education and Training Command headquarters, estimated a full return to training won’t happen until at least January. In the interim, staff is "exploring and already implementing various training alternatives" and tweaking advanced courses that were in progress or slated to begin over the next two months. Some of those courses have been canceled and will be rescheduled; others will graduate early. “A small number of advanced students will remain to assist with clean up and will begin training in January.” (Source: Navy Times 11/06/18)