KEYPORT — The Navy wants to extend its Washington state ranges so that its subsurface warfare center can adequately test manned and unmanned underwater vehicles.
As world threats change, the Navy is more likely to operate submarines near the shore instead of deep at sea, lending more importance to underwater vehicles that can sniff out mines, monitoring devices and vessels.
“They’re out there searching for information that can help keep our sailors out of harm’s way,” Naval Underwater Warfare Center at Keyport spokeswoman Diane Jennings said of the evolving reconnaissance and surveillance vehicles.
The Navy is conducting an environmental review to extend its Keyport range from 1.5 square nautical miles to 3.2 square nautical miles, and the average number of days the range would be used each year from 55 to 60 days. The service also wants to enlarge the Dabob Bay range from 32.7 square nautical miles to 45.7 with no increase in the 200-day annual use.
The Navy also seeks to expand the Quinault range in the Pacific Ocean from 48.3 square nautical miles to 1,840., including a new 7.8-square-nautical-mile surf zone at Pacific Beach. The average annual use offshore would increase from 14 to 16 days, and testing in the surf would occur an average of 30 days per year.
Four public hearings on the plans have been scheduled for this week.
The ranges are rarely closed to recreational use, and that isn’t expected to change, Jennings said.
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