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Overview

Located on a peninsula of land in Solano County, just to the west of Vallejo, CA, this important naval shipyard produced and serviced US Naval ships between 1854 and 1996. Mare Island played an especially crucial role launching and servicing ships during World War II. In its last years, between 1970 and 1996, it developed into the most important submarine servicing port on the Pacific Coast. Mare Island

Building History

The U.S. Congress appropriated $83,410 in 07/1852 to buy Mare Island for use as the first permanent Naval base on the West Coast. On 09/16/1854, Commander David Glasgow Farragut (1801-1870) arrived on the U.S.S. Warren at Mare Island and he began supervising construction of the shipyard facilities. The US Navy.mil said of Mare Island's early history: "The island, technically a peninsula, is in the northern San Francisco Bay. On 18 September 1854, it was established to support the naval defense of the new Pacific Coast territories won from Mexico during the Mexican-American War. Commander David Glasgow Farragut oversaw construction of the new naval base and served as its commanding officer from 1854–58. Upon Farragut’s arrival, the yard was virtually uninhabited and consisted of only one house and a few buildings erected by agents of the shipping company that had built the island’s floating dry dock. After five years of operation, the Mare Island yard built its first ship—USS Saginaw. On 3 March 1859, the side-wheel steamer slid down the ways into the Napa River. Saginaw was commissioned on 5 January 1860." (See Wendy Arevalo, US Navy.mil, "Mare Island Naval Shipyard Mare Island, California," accessed 06/18/2024.)

President Clinton followed the recommendations of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission in 1993, and had the Mare Island facility shut down by 03/31/1996. Most of the 5,000-acre was transferred to the City of Vallejo, although some military buildings remained as part of a National Historic Landmark. These included Naval Officer's Quarters, a museum, chapel and cemetery. (See Wendy Arevalo, US Navy.mil, "Mare Island Naval Shipyard Mare Island, California," accessed 06/18/2024.)