Page 27 - Play Coastal Mississippi - Spring & Summer, 2026

> A Rhino ferry being unloaded of its cargo on a Normandy beach, June 1944. | Naval Construction Battalion Center (SeaBees)
Gulfport is home of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, Coast Guard Station, Naval Construction Battalion Center and Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center.
The Naval Construction Battalion Center (SeaBees) was established in 1942 primarily for training and logistical support for Seabees in World War II. Now the primary mission is to support the Naval Construction Forces as well as Naval Forces located at NASA’s Stennis Space Center and aboard naval vessels at Huntington Ingalls, Pascagoula.
The Gulfport Coast Guard Station averages 100 search-and- rescue cases annually. These cases range from minor disabled vessels to medical emergencies and vessels sinking. Law Enforcement missions include a wide variety from narcotics interdiction, fishery enforcement, to inspecting safety gear on board recreational and commercial vessels.
The Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center hosts regular deployments of Air National Guard units, and offers convenient offshore airspace that is fully instrumented for recording air-to-air engagements. All Airspace and ranges/drop zones are instrumented on the $26 million Air Combat Training System.
The Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) is a residential facility for retired and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of two AFRH campuses; the other being in Washington, D.C. The AFRH provides a community for enlisted veterans to live and receive care, with a focus on an activity-filled lifestyle in a beautiful setting. The current AFRH-G is a modern, multi-tower complex built to withstand hurricane-force winds.
Pascagoula is a major hub for U.S. naval shipbuilding and maritime security, anchored by Ingalls Shipbuilding and the U.S. Coast Guard. In 2026, the Coast Guard is restoring Station Pascagoula to full, 24/7 operations, focusing on maritime border security, while Ingalls Shipbuilding continues constructing Navy destroyers, amphibious ships, and frigates.
Supervisor of Shipbuilding (SUPSHIP) Gulf Coast is the United States Navy’s echelon III field activity that administers and manages shipbuilding contracts with privately-owned shipyards located along the Gulf Coast with detachments in Louisiana and Alabama, as well as post-delivery contracts with contractors in homeports around the country. This organization of approximately 600 military and civilian personnel, an activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command, provides engineering, quality assurance, contract management, and financial services required to streamline how shipbuilding contractors provide ships and crafts to the Navy.
Also in Pascagoula, the city was designated by the National Park Service as a World War II Heritage City, which recognizes the one city or region in each state that made the greatest contribution to the war effort. This designation involved an extensive application process. Local leaders and the Historic Preservation Commission conducted strategic research needed to formulate the application. The Mississippi Heritage Trust awarded Pascagoula a Historic Preservation Award for this nationalhonor.
> Air Force Salute
| Keesler Air Force Base
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