U.S. Coast Guard Base Portsmouth

The U.S. Coast Guard Base Portsmouth is located across from the Craney Island Fuel Terminal in Hampton Roads, Virginia. This Coast Guard base houses many important commands for Homeland Security. Through the years, the ever-changing needs of the Coast Guard have caused establishments and reconfigurations of many commands at this station. The prime site along the Elizabeth River helps allow Coasties here to positively impact both the region and the country.

The beginnings of present-day U.S. Coast Guard Base Portsmouth all started more than a century ago. A lighthouse depot was established here in 1870 to help maritime vessels better their navigation into the Hampton Roads harbor. This site was enlarged and called the Portsmouth Coast Guard Base once the Lighthouse Service merged with the Coast Guard in 1939. Expansion was inevitable as this location was perfect for those stationed here to aid boats and the service members manning them. Support Center Portsmouth was commissioned in 1974. A little more than 20 years later in 1996, the Coast Guard welcomed Integrated Support Command (ISC) Portsmouth and in 2009, it was disestablished to make room for other needed commands.

Today, this military base houses around two dozen U.S. Coast Guard commands. The result of combining Marine Safety Office Hampton Roads and Group Eastern Shore, Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads uses this homeport to enforce maritime laws, conduct search and rescue missions, address boating safety issues and maintain navigational devices. The Base Support Unit (BSU) takes care of base security and is responsible for the maintenance of site grounds and structures while supporting the comptroller. The Personnel Services and Support Unit (PSSU) supports Coast Guard personnel through bookkeeping, travel arrangement assistance and overseeing MWR services. Health, Safety and Worklife Field Office (HSWL FO) is primarily a clinic serving active-duty but can accommodate dependents and veterans as time permits. Commands at Coast Guard Base Portsmouth also take on duties involving administrative duties, technical support, engineering and warehouse management.

When getting orders to this Coast Guard base, service members have many options. Portsmouth is a scenic city with a charm that never goes out of style. Hampton Roads homebuyers looking for single-family houses can find residences nearby in neighborhoods like River Pointe, Churchland, Long Pointe, Hidden Cove, Merrifields, Bishops Green, Castle Heights and Briarwood. Busy service members may like the less demanding role of owning an attached home in close complexes such as River Pointe, Creekside, Cypress Cove Villas, Windmill Shores, Wimbledon Chase and Edgefield. A new development, called First Watch at River Pointe, has townhomes, condos and new single-family houses.