Naval Base

Port facility for the support, maintenance , repair and refit of naval vessels. Made up of several distinct parts, the typical Imperial Navy base is comprised of an orbital berthing area, a surface berthing area, a maintenance section, and an administrative headquarters.

Berthing areas provide locations for ships to lay over, whether for a day or for months. Planetary surface facilities are generally provided for vessels of 1000 tons or less; orbital facilities handle larger ships. All berthing areas include provisions for refuelling from storage tanks or fuel lighters.

Maintenance sections vary from base to base. Where such a section would be redundant to the local shipyard, it is small, and repairs or alterations are carried out under contract to the local facility. Where adequate facilities do not exist, the naval base itself may have a large maintenance section capable of extensive repairs and refits. Maintenance is performed on the ships on the world surface or in orbit as necessary.

The administrative headquarters handles the day-to-day operations of the base as well as the paperwork, including allocation of funds, distribution of personnel, and disbursement of maintenance and repair contracts.

The naval base is not a tactical unit. It has no battle forces of its own, and does not exert control even over local SDBs (which are under a separate command). The naval base is responsible for supporting the fleet and keeping it in optimum shape for its combat missions.

(SUPP-8, 1107; MT-ENCYC, 1120)

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