Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach

I give the base one star because of the unpleasant civilian and guard at check in. They are the type of people that ruin your day because of the unnecessary rudeness. Learn to smile ladies, something little like that can make all the difference.

Nice base but nothing special. I lived here with my husband for about a year after we got married. There were always a ton of cool animals because of refuge. A lot of cool old building like places to take pictures.
The NEX was kinda small, but they did move to a different building after we left.
They just redid all the barracks and they look like hotel rooms!
Baseball field was nice, have bleachers for watching.
The ‘beach house’ they have is located on a nice private beach on base. We liked to take our dogs down there to run around and play in the water. They really enjoyed it, and it was nice cause there was usually no one there!
Overall a nice, small base.

«Alright, ya bastards!» I yelled while chambering a round into the big 50cal mounted amidships. «Line it up and look sharp… NOW!» We were going to have some fun one way or the other.
The US military is often shrouded in secrecy in what they do and how they do it. Rightfully so. Ergo, when an opportunity knocks to present some part of it to civilian eyes, well, you should answer the knock and see what your tax dollars are buying these days. An «open house» opportunity afforded itself for us to tour the USS Gridley, a modern guided-​missile destroyer spanning 511′, displacing 9000 tons and hosting a crew of 300 men and women. Yes, women. Over 40% of the crew is of the fairer sex. And soon, women will be part of future submarine crews. And so it goes. While America may be slow at transitioning to an equal representation of the populace, the military is coming on strong in allowing women to compete in historically male-​dominated services. Why, there’s even lots of female fighter pilots out there (ahem). Hurray for them! Whoo-​hoo!
But I digress.
Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station has been serving the USN for decades providing supplies to send our ships into harm’s way prepared for anything. This particular ship (USS Gridley) is assisting in the free movement of ships plying international waters as well as containing a pirate infestation (I think «infestation» is an apt term for pirates… like rats, they need to be exterminated).
The NWSSB also provides a very large safe haven for the preservation and conservation of native plants and animals, sea-​life and birds at the National Wildlife Refuge. Endangered species, such as the light-​footed clapper rail and Belding’s savannah sparrow have a refuge here.
The Weapons Station is also home to the West Coast site of the World War II Submarine Memorial. The Memorial is dedicated to the over 3000 submariners who lost their lives in US submarines in the 52 submarines lost during WWII (
). Two plaques are dedicated to the men who lost their lives in submarine accidents during the Cold War. The Memorial is located outside the main entrance to the Weapons Station on Seal Beach Boulevard and is open to the public.
It’s not difficult to get in to witness some of the key functions of this Navy-​operated station and as a taxpayer, you owe it to yourself to see how our government spends your hard-​earned dollars. You should take every opportunity to participate in an «open house» to observe, question, listen and learn. After all, in a way, you own it.

Popped my dumpster diving cherry here yesterday (I DEFINITELY don’t remember that being part of my job description)
Oh well. GO NAVY! :P