The US Navy will move four ships from Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville and evacuate non-essential active-duty military and other personnel from 10 Florida counties in preparation for Hurricane Ian, a release from US Fourth Fleet said Tuesday.
One of the ships, the littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, was moved earlier today. The other three ships will depart Jacksonville this afternoon.
The six remaining ships stationed at the port will stay and US Navy service members will “heavy weather moor” them at Naval Station Mayport, the release said. Some aircraft are expected to be relocated as well, but the release did not specify how many would be moved.
Rear Adm. Wes McCall, Navy Region Southeast, “has authorized the evacuation of non-essential active-duty military, civilian employees, drilling reservists, and authorized dependents,” from 10 Florida counties, including “Charlotte, Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota,” the release said.
“Given the storm’s unpredictability and the forecasted winds and storm surge, civilian authorities along the west coast have issued mandatory evacuations,” McCall said in the release. “Since these evacuations will affect our military personnel and their families I have authorized the evacuations of those personnel located in the mandatory evacuation zones in Florida.”
All Navy installations in the Jacksonville area are “currently open,” and are currently to set to US Navy Hurricane Condition of Readiness Three, the release said.
