According to information published by U.S. Navy on June 2, 2021, Naval Station Everett was designated as the Navy's future homeport for the initial ships of the next generation of guided-missile frigates, the Constellation class, a new and improved class of small surface combatant ships.
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Artist rendering of the future Constellation-class frigates (Picture source: Fincantieri)
As an important homeport for Navy ships, Naval Station Everett will continue to support the fleet, its service members, and their families.
Everett will serve as the homeport for 12 Constellation-class Frigates, with a future Navy homeport decision planned for the following ships.
The Navy’s homeporting plan will ensure forces are optimally postured to support national security.
The new Constellation-class frigates will be built with improved capability to support the National Defense Strategy goal of achieving a resilient and agile force more quickly and affordably.
This new class of frigate are designed to be agile, multi-mission warships, capable of operations in both blue-water and littoral environments, within a strike group or independently, to provide increased combat-credible forward presence.
Specifically, Constellation-class frigates will include an Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR), Baseline Ten (BL10) AEGIS Combat System, Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS), enhanced C4ISR capabilities, MK 110 57mm Gun, countermeasures, and added design flexibility for future growth.
Last year the Navy awarded a contract to build the first new frigate, the USS Constellation (FFG 62), scheduled to be delivered in 2026.
The previous Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates entered service between 1977 and 1989. They were decommissioned between 1994 and 2015. The last Everett homeported frigate, USS Rodney M. Davis, was decommissioned in 2015.
Naval Station Everett (NAVSTA Everett) is a military installation located in the city of Everett, Washington, 25 miles (40 km) north of Seattle. The naval station, located on the city's waterfront on the northeastern end of Puget Sound, was designed as a homeport for a US Navy carrier strike group and opened in 1994.
NAVSTA Everett is home to five guided-missile Destroyers, a Coast Guard Keeper-class cutter USCGC Henry Blake, and a USCG Marine Protector-class patrol boat, USCGC Blue Shark. There are about 6,000 sailors and civil service persons assigned to commands located at Naval Station Everett. The Naval Station itself has about 350 sailors and civilians assigned.
