 We would like to welcome everyone to join us on this virtual tour of Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval station, and home to the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet. The naval station covers 6,200 acres and is home to 13 piers, an 8,000-foot runway supporting 61 ships, 187 aircraft, and 18 squadrons, all of which you will catch a glimpse of today. There are approximately 46,000 active duty Navy personnel assigned to a shore and a float and 21,000 civilians employed on the Naval Station. We will first look at our waterfront area and assets. When a strike group is deployed, the nucleus of the strike group or battle group is the aircraft carrier. The carrier is escorted by several other smaller ships that are equipped to defend under any circumstances or against any harm. These ships include anti-air, anti-surface, and even anti-submarine warfare. The ships, submarines, and service members assigned to Naval Station Norfolk are deployable worldwide. These ships are not limited to just escorting and defending aircraft carriers. Navy warships execute many missions to include counter-drug operations, search and rescue, anti-piracy, anti-terrorism, anti-humanitarian missions globally. If something goes wrong anywhere, we are there. In addition to the submarines, cruisers, destroyers, and amphibious ships home ported here, we also have oilers and supply ships which provide all of the fuel, food, and any other supplies needed by the ships. These ships are designated USNS which stands for United States Naval Ship and are distinguishable by the blue and gold painted bands around their stacks. A fun fact about our piers, the last two piers are numbered 12 and 14. The Navy does not use the number 13 because it's considered to be unlucky. Piers 12 and 14 are primarily used for aircraft carriers. These nuclear-powered ships are three and a half football fields long and a half football field wide. The flight deck itself covers four and a half acres. While deployed, it carries 75 to 90 aircraft, has a crew of 6,000 sailors, and has eight galleys that serve 21,000 meals a day. Aircraft carriers can operate for a period of over 14 years without refueling. However, it takes three years to refuel. To put United States Naval power into perspective, we have more aircraft carriers than the rest of the world combined. We have 10 aircraft carriers, and here in Norfolk alone, we have six. We are now going to the historical portion of the tour, which is the site of the Jamestown Exposition. In 1907, 10 years before the naval station was built, the World Fair was held here. Expo planners asked every state to construct a house that would represent their state. 21 states participated, but only 13 of these homes still stand today. These homes now serve as homes to our senior military officers, one star and above, and are located on Dillingham Boulevard, which is more commonly known as Admiral's Row. We will now touch on some very important memorials that we have here on base. First is the Iowa Point Memorial. In 1989, the USS Iowa's gun turret exploded, killing 47 sailors. The Navy planted 47 shrubs in the shape of an anchor to honor the sailors that lost their lives. The ammunition you see is the same size as the ammunition that exploded. Next is the USS Cole Memorial. In 2000, while in Port in Yemen, a small boat detonated a bomb alongside the coal, killing 17 sailors. The memorial consists of three sections. The main plaza of the memorial contains three 10-foot monoliths that represent the three colors of the American flag. And circling the monoliths are 17 low-level markers that represent the victims of the bombing. Three plaques are placed on the monument. The two outside pillars contain the names of the sailors killed during the bombing, and the center pillar contains the USS Cole emblem and an inscription that reads, enlasting tribute to their honor, courage, and commitment. Along the path to the memorial, there are 28 pine trees that represent 17 victims and the 11 children who lost their parents during the bombing. The memorial overlooks Willoughby Bay, where the ships leaving and returning to Naval Station Norfolk pass by. Each year, memorial services are held on base to commemorate the lives lost during both the USS Iowa and USS Cole tragedies. As mentioned at the beginning, Naval Station Norfolk has a fully operating airfield, Chambersfield. Chambersfield was previously known as Naval Air Station Norfolk and had a separate chain of command. In 1999, both the Naval Air Station and the Naval Station combined to simply become Naval Station Norfolk. Chambersfield is home to approximately 185 aircraft from multiple squadrons to include a marine medium tilt rotor squadron, three MH-53 Echo C Dragon squadrons, five Echo II Charlie Hawkeye squadrons, eight MH-60 Sierra Seahawk squadrons, and one C-2 Greyhound squadron. Chambersfield also hosts numerous transient aircraft and can accommodate any size and type of aircraft. To ensure that maximum support to all the squadrons is provided, Chambersfield operates 24-7. Each year, the aircraft executes an average of 45,000 flight operations. In addition to the daily operations, Chambersfield also hosts hundreds of distinguished visitors each year to include the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, Secretary of Defense, and multiple foreign dignitaries. Naval Station Norfolk is also home to the largest Air Mobility Command passenger terminal in the United States, providing around-the-clock support to local and deployed forces. Their mission is to enhance the combat readiness and effectiveness of our military forces while providing the highest quality service to arriving and departing distinguished visitors. They average 3,500 airlift missions annually. Thank you for joining us and allowing us to give you a very small glimpse into the operations that take place each and every day at the world's largest Naval Station. On behalf of myself and my commanding officer, Captain Rich McDaniel, I would like to thank you for joining us today and taking our tour of Naval Station Norfolk. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day.