Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the United States Pacific Fleet, consisting of over 50 ships and over 150 tenant commands.

The 1,600 acres (650 ha)[1] of land on which the Naval Base sits today was occupied in 1918 by a coalition of concrete ship building firms known as the Emergency Fleet Corporation, under the single company name Pacific Marine Construction.

But Pacific Marine began to lose profits with the conclusion of World War I, and negotiated a return of the land back to the City of San Diego.

Still, three obstacles stood in the way of a Navy repair facility: the coalition company, Schofield Engineering Co., still retained an option to purchase the existing plant; a local shipping board had not granted permission for more construction; and finally, Congress had not yet passed an appropriations bill to authorize funds to begin work.

At the time, Admiral Roger Welles, then Commandant of the 11th Naval District, had grown weary of Schofield's delaying tactics and threatened to pull stakes and establish a repair base in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.

On 23 February 1922, acting Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt Jr. issued General Order 78 establishing the facility as the U.S. Destroyer Base, San Diego.

During its first years in commission, the base grew rapidly as repair facilities expanded, torpedo and radio schools were established, and more shops were constructed.

After World War II, base operations were again reorganized, with a post-war mission to provide logistical support (including repair and dry-docking) to ships of the active fleet.

Additionally, the base has rooms to house more than 4,000 men and women in modern apartment-like barracks, including new state-of-the-art residential towers.