Commanders Fleet Activity-Yokosuka

The military installation isn't large....at least, not in comparison to some of the Air Force bases I've been on.  It is, however, a TRUE Navy shipyard - complete with ships!   This is the home port for several ships including the Blue Ridge, the John S. McCain and others.

The camp is small enough it can be traveled on foot, an option many of the personnel stationed here utilize, especially given the very limited parking spaces around Japan - there are people out walking and biking on the grounds at all times.  The installation houses both US and Japanese Navy forces and has quite an interesting history dating back to the mid 19th century.  Because of the US involvement in the area prior to WWII, there was little damage to the area during the war.  More can be read about the history of Yokosuka at:  http://wikitravel.org/en/Yokosuka

The hospital is designed to withstand earthquake damage - a significant concern in this part of Japan.

 View of the "front" of the hospital....the floors are staggered in size as part of the earthquake-proof design.

Front door to the hospital.....LOL, I didn't go in through them for the first week I was here!  Typical of most hospitals, the staff uses everything BUT the front door!  The hospital itself houses all of the medical clinics other than PT and mental health services - those clinics are located in the "old" hospital building.




The camp is shaped oddly due to the presence of a large hill in the middle......the hills around the area are rife with tunnels that were used for protection during WWI and WWII......it's rather disconcerting to see all of the tunnel entrances blocked up.  I've toured through Japanese war tunnels on other south Pacific islands....creepy is the best word to describe the sensation of being inside one!!

Back end of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington- currently in port for inspection and restocking of provisions before heading out on a 2 1/2 month trip.  The ship to too large to capture in a single photo!

(This picture was taken outside the base grounds at the adjacent shopping center (Daiei)......it is frowned on by the Navy to take pictures of the ships when actually on the Navy grounds.)



The facilities here are definitely geared toward the sailors....the electronics section of the Navy Exchange has the largest collection of handheld "toys" I've seen at an exchange!  The CFAY also sports a brand new state-of-the-art fitness center, Purdy gym.  It has an olympic sized pool located on the SECOND floor.....as best I can tell, they are hoping any sea surges won't reach the pool??

The gym has brand new equipment through-out....guess it's going to be hard to explain to my trainer back home why I didn't work out while I was in Japan.......sigh....

This is the view from the top of a hill overlooking the town and waterfront.  The Navy facility is designed so there is limited view of any of the military buildings and activity from the hill.