Former Mare Island Naval Shipyard

Base Property and Historical Use
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINS) was the first United States naval station established on the Pacific Coast. It is located in Solano County, California, and approximately 25 miles northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River (Mare Island Strait) separates the peninsula shipyard from the City of Vallejo. The Navy purchased the original 956 acres of MINS in 1853 and commenced shipbuilding operations on September 16, 1854. As shipbuilding technologies advanced from wooden sail vessels to steel construction and nuclear propulsion, MINS underwent vast transformations during its years of operation. In the early 1920s, the Navy initiated construction and maintenance of submarines at MINS. During World War II, MINS reached peak capacity for shipbuilding, repair, overhaul, and maintenance. Following the War, MINS was considered to be one of the primary stations for construction and maintenance of the Navy’s Pacific fleet of submarines. Its land mass was over 5,200 acres, and it was responsible for the construction of over 500 naval vessels and overhaul of thousands of other naval vessels. In addition to shipyard operations, ordnance manufacturing and storage was another key mission at MINS for nearly the same time period--including those used prior to the Civil War. 

Closure date, planned reuses, parcels transferred
MINS was identified for closure during the Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) process of 1993. Naval operations ceased and the facility was decommissioned on April 1, 1996. The planned reuse for the base consists of primarily industrial and commercial uses and also residential housing. The reuse would also include community uses such as a public golf course and regional park. A large portion of the base has already been conveyed via the following disposal methods: 1151 acres have been conveyed to the City of Vallejo via an Economic Development Conveyance, 42 acres have been transferred via Fed to Fed Transfer and 2836 acres have reverted to the State of California. Public sale acreage conveyed to date is 30 acres. Public benefit conveyance acreage conveyed to date is 7.51 acres.

Remaining disposal work
There are 12 parcels, totaling 1,218 acres, remaining to be disposed. These parcels include land where environmental work remains to be completed.

Updated: March 2017

Mare Island Conveyance Status
For a larger image please click on the chart below.