Naval Facility Centerville Beach

Historic Resources Inventory and Evaluation Report

JRP prepared a historic resources report for Naval Facility Centerville Beach to assist the Navy’s compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Naval Facility Centerville Beach is located in rural Humboldt County, along the Pacific Ocean coast, about five miles west of the small City of Ferndale. The 32-acre facility opened in 1958 as part of the Navy’s secret Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS), which included facilities around the world. The program was established to conduct underwater acoustic surveillance of notoriously loud Soviet submarines during the Cold War. Its successes were numerous, including detection of a submarine in the Caribbean Sea during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Architecturally, the Humboldt County facility was modest, exhibiting typical Cold War military construction. As the Cold War ended and improved submarine technology led to quieter vessels, SOSUS became nearly obsolete. Subsequently most of the program facilities closed, including Naval Facility Centerville Beach which shut down in 1993.

Prepared for Naval Facility, Southwest Division Engineering Command, 2009.