Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY)
Despite the name, NNSY is in Portsmouth and is the U.S. Navy's oldest continuously operating shipyard, dating to 1767. Specializes in nuclear-capable submarine and aircraft carrier maintenance, modernization, and repair. Major Navy industrial base with thousands of civilian and military shipyard workers.
Branch
Navy
Portsmouth, VA
BAH MHA
IZ325 (Norfolk)
Same as NSN, Oceana, JBLE
Best for
Shipyard sailors, nuclear technicians, mechanical / electrical ratings, Navy civilian engineers
Best Neighborhoods for NNSY Families
Cradock (closest), Olde Towne Portsmouth, Park View, Western Branch.
BAH at NNSY
NNSY falls inside the Norfolk Military Housing Area (MHA IZ325). BAH is identical to all other Hampton Roads installations including Naval Station Norfolk, NAS Oceana, JEB Little Creek-Fort Story, and Joint Base Langley-Eustis.
Source: DTMO BAH Calculator.
PCS-ing to NNSY?
I'll send a curated home list matched to your duty station, BAH, and school priorities.
Sources: NAVSEA — Norfolk Naval Shipyard; DTMO BAH; REIN MLS.
Frequently asked questions about Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Where is Norfolk Naval Shipyard located?↓
Despite the name, Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) is in Portsmouth, Virginia, on the Elizabeth River. It's the oldest and largest U.S. Navy shipyard, immediately adjacent to Coast Guard Base Portsmouth.
What is NNSY's primary mission?↓
NNSY is the Navy's oldest and largest shipyard, specializing in repairing, overhauling, and modernizing nuclear-powered ships and submarines. It's one of only a few East Coast shipyards with the capability to perform major work on nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
What BAH applies?↓
NNSY falls within the Norfolk Military Housing Area (MHA Code IZ325) — same BAH rates as Naval Station Norfolk and other Hampton Roads installations.
Which neighborhoods are popular with NNSY staff?↓
Olde Towne Portsmouth (walkable, immediately adjacent), Churchland (quiet suburban with strong schools), and Western Branch in Chesapeake (top-rated schools, 15–20 min commute). For staff who don't mind the Midtown Tunnel, Norfolk's Larchmont and Ghent are also popular.
Are there security or commute considerations specific to NNSY work?↓
NNSY processes classified nuclear-related work and many positions require a security clearance. Distance from the base isn't typically a security factor for housing, but reliable commute time matters — which is why Portsmouth and Western Branch are popular choices.
About the Hampton Roads Real Estate Market
Hampton Roads is one of the most dynamic real estate markets on the East Coast, anchored by the largest naval complex in the world at Naval Station Norfolk and home to roughly 120,000 active-duty, reserve, and civilian Department of Defense personnel. The region spans seven cities — Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, and Newport News — plus the Peninsula communities of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Poquoson, with each market carrying its own personality, school district, and price profile.
Buying or selling here means thinking about more than just a house. Tidewater geography means flood zones, hurricane preparation, and waterfront premiums matter. Military presence means BAH affordability, PCS season inventory crunches (May through August), and VA loan eligibility are top of mind for a meaningful share of every neighborhood. School quality varies block by block, especially across the seven independent city school divisions, and is often the deciding factor for relocating families.
Why Buyers and Sellers Choose VaHome
The VaHome Team — Tom and Dariya Milan with LPT Realty — focuses on the Hampton Roads region with deep expertise in military relocation, VA financing, and the trade-offs that local buyers actually face. From listing strategy that gets your home in front of the right relocating buyer to buyer representation that respects your BAH cap and PCS timeline, the team treats every transaction as a long-term relationship. The site is built to make decisions clearer: BAH-aware search, drive-time mapping to every major installation, neighborhood guides written by people who live here, and a calculator that shows real monthly cost — taxes, insurance, HOA, and PMI included — instead of a teaser headline number.
Plan Your Next Move
Whether you are buying your first home with a VA loan, moving up while your kids transition between school districts, or selling a Hampton Roads property to relocate to your next duty station, the resources on this site are organized around the questions you are actually asking. Browse listings filtered by base proximity, paygrade-aware BAH cap, and commute time. Read neighborhood guides for Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, and the Peninsula communities. Use the mortgage calculator to compare conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, and jumbo loan scenarios side by side. When you are ready to talk, the contact form goes directly to a specialist who knows the area, the lenders, and the timing.