Leaders: Cost to move carrier too high

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - The fight to keep an aircraft carrier in Norfolk continued Monday as area lawmakers met with military leaders in Virginia Beach.

In January, the Navy released its the Quadrennial Defense Review, which re-affirmed its commitment to homeport an East Coast-based carrier in Mayport, Florida. Currently all East Coast-based carriers are homeported in Norfolk.

The Navy estimates the cost of preparing Naval Station Mayport to handle a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at $500 million.

However, members of the Hampton Roads Military Affairs Commission believe the cost will be much higher.

They say the Navy's estimate only considers moving a carrier to Mayport, not operating it there or moving its crew, and those costs could double the price to a billion dollars or more.

According to the Hampton Roads Military Affairs Commission, the move doesn't make sense financially or strategically.

Virginia Second District Congressman Glenn Nye, who formed the Hampton Roads Military Affairs Commission in January, told WAVY News 10 following a meeting of the group that "there has been a lack of transparency from the DOD during this entire process about how they arrived at this decision and why this is a top priority."

Nye has ordered a report from the Government Accountability Office to learn the total cost of moving a carrier Hampton Roads to Mayport.

He expects that report to be finished in May.