Coast Guard holds groundbreaking ceremony for new Base Charleston campus > United States Coast Guard News > Press Releases

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — Coast Guard Base Charleston held a groundbreaking ceremony, Friday, for a new 64-acre campus in North Charleston.

Adm. Linda Fagan, Commandant of the Coast Guard, presided over the ceremony.

The 64-acre campus along the Cooper River will support the five Charleston-based national security cutters, their crews and the support personnel with completion expected in late 2026.

Marking a new trajectory for the Coast Guard in Charleston, Base Charleston is slated to become the service’s largest homeport and a base for global operations, training and support.

Since its commissioning in 2015, Base Charleston has delivered customer-focused premiere support to all Coast Guard members, assets, and mission partners from Northern Florida to South Carolina. Moreover, the base generates Coast Guard global operational readiness.

Growth estimates show that the Coast Guard workforce may double in the Charleston area by 2030 and continued prioritization and investment in the future of Base Charleston is needed to make this vision a reality.

As one of the original 10 homeports for the Revenue Cutter Service, the greater Charleston area has proudly supported members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor agencies for more than 230 years.

The Coast Guard footprint in Charleston includes eight major commands; Coast Guard Base Charleston, Coast Guard Sector Charleston, and the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy, as well as numerous tenant commands and personnel in supporting roles throughout the region.

The Coast Guard is a seagoing service; Charleston is the homeport of four Legend-class cutters, the Hamilton (WMSL 753), James (WMSL 754), Stone (WMSL 758) and Calhoun (WMSL 759). The Coast Guard Cutter Friedman (WMSL 760), the eleventh Legend-class cutter, is currently under construction and will be homeported in Charleston. Additionally, the cutters Willow (WLB 202), Anvil (WLIC 75301) and Kingfisher (WPB 87322) are homeported here.

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