Sailors assigned to Naval Support Activity Souda Bay prepare to moor the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman at the NATO Marathi Pier Complex in Souda Bay, Crete, Greece, during a scheduled port visit on Feb. 6, 2025. The Navy recently opened a 14,000 square-foot warehouse at Souda Bay designed to better support ships operating in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. (U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay)
NAPLES, Italy — A $5.2 million Navy logistics facility that recently opened in Greece will better support ships operating in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, service officials say.
The 14,000 square-foot warehouse at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the island of Crete includes space for storage, visiting ship cargo and offices, said Paul Cage, a spokesman for Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Europe, Africa, Central.
The opening of the facility last week at the NATO Marathi Pier Complex delivered a much-needed capability for the base and all visiting vessels, Cage said.
He noted that previous storage capacity for ship cargo “did not include refrigerator and freezer spaces, rendering ability for cold storage nonexistent.”
Construction began in the fall of 2021 and was completed in January. The project included a hazardous materials storage canopy and an above-ground water tank with a pump house, among other work, he said.
Located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, NSA Souda Bay has an airfield, a deep-water pier facility and refueling and resupply services. The airfield is shared with a Greek air force combat wing and a civilian airport.
About 1,000 active-duty service members, Defense Department civilians, contractors, local workers and family members are assigned to the base.
Earlier this year, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman was repaired at Souda Bay following a Feb. 12 collision with a civilian cargo ship near the Suez Canal.
The carrier returned to duty in the Middle East in late February and is conducting airstrike operations in the Red Sea against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp are among other Navy ships that have made port visits within the last year to NSA Souda Bay for supplies, maintenance and crew rest.
The base also is the homeport for the expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, assigned to U.S. Africa Command.
On Thursday, Williams returned to Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, where the ship will begin a routine maintenance period later this month. Williams is scheduled to return to the fleet in fall 2026, said Jillian Morris, a spokeswoman for Military Sealift Command.
Williams is among 17 MSC logistics support ships going into extended maintenance as part of the service’s plan to address a civilian mariner shortage.
