U.S. Navy leaving Duluth Sept. 9 after 109 years

Duluth, Minn. — (AP) - The U.S. Navy will close its Operational Support Center in Duluth on Sept. 9, ending a 109-year naval presence in the northeastern Minnesota city.

The center's six full-time staff members are being transferred to naval bases across the United States. The 78 reservists who drill at the Duluth base will be headquartered at the Minneapolis Naval Reserve Center.

While the federal base closure committee targeted the Duluth base for closing in 2005, the closing date hadn't been announced before.

"It's kind of a sad day for Navy people in Duluth. It's been a tradition here since 1898," said Lt. Ron Flesvig of Duluth, a Navy spokesman in Minnesota. "And it's going to be a hassle for the folks who have to drive down to the Cities now to drill, from Duluth and the Iron Range and Northwestern Wisconsin."

A private ceremony to mark the closure was scheduled for 2 p.m. Sept. 9 at the base. A free public ceremony will be held outside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Superior Maritime Visitors Center in Duluth's Canal Park.

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