| Crete Naval Base Ναύσταθμος Κρήτης | |
|---|---|
| Souda Bay, Crete, Greece | |
_arrives_for_a_logistics_stop_on_the_Greek_island_of_Crete.jpg) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) arrives at Souda Bay, Greece. | |
 Logo of the Hellenic Navy's Crete Naval Base | |
  Crete NB Location of Crete Naval Base, Greece | |
| Coordinates | 35°29′46.5″N 24°08′51.5″E / 35.496250°N 24.147639°E |
| Site information | |
| Owner |  Greece |
| Controlled by |  Hellenic NavyAllied Maritime Command (NATO) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1951 |
| Built by | Greek Government |
| In use | 1951 – present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Commodore John Sarigiannis |
| Garrison | 2nd Branch - DDΜΝ - Hellenic Navy General Staff |
Crete Naval Base (Greek: Ναύσταθμος Κρήτης, Nafstathmos Kritis) is a major naval base of the Hellenic Navy and NATO at Souda Bay in Crete, Greece.
Formally known in NATO as Naval Support Activity, Souda Bay (NSA-Souda Bay),[1] and more commonly in Greece as the Souda Naval Base (Greek: Ναυτική Βάση Σούδας, Naftiki Vasi Soudas), it serves as the second largest (in numbers of warships harboured) naval base of the Hellenic Navy and the largest and most prominent naval base for NATO in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.[2][3][4][5] Additionally, it features the only deep water port in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea that is suitable and capable of maintaining the largest aircraft carriers (class "supercarriers"). The only other such options available for the US Navy are Norfolk Naval Station and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in the United States and the Port of Jebel Ali, Emirate of Dubai in the Persian Gulf.[6]
- ^ "NSA Souda Bay: Welcome to U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay". Installations. Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- ^ Sitilides, John (June 5, 2017). "Greece deal will give U.S. valuable port: Souda Bay gives the U.S. a singulary valuable port in the Eastern Mediterranean". Opinion: Commentary. Washington Times. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Souda Bay US Naval Base 'best in the Med'". Category: ελλάδα [Greece]; Tags: Bay, Souda. Daily Hellas. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ Goure, Daniel (August 10, 2015). "Souda Bay Base Anchors NATO Role In Eastern Med". Related Topics: Mediterranean, NATO, Souda Bay. RealClearDefense. Lexington Institute. Retrieved 27 March 2017. Reproduced from: Gouré, Daniel (August 10, 2015). "Vital Souda Bay Base Anchors NATO Role In Eastern Med". Lexington Institute. Arlington, VA. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ Dinella, Harry (Spring 2015). "The Expanding Strategic Significance of Souda Bay" (PDF). The AHIF Policy Journal. 6 (3). American Hellenic Institute Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ U.S. Embassy in Athens (May 3, 2017). "Ambassador's Remarks at EXPOSEC-DefenseWorld Conference". News & Events; Topics: Ambassador, News, Speeches, U.S. & Greece; Tags: Defense, Exposec. U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Greece (published 2 May 2017). Retrieved 2024-11-12.