Quick answer: The Everett AquaSox open a six-game home series against the Spokane Indians on Tuesday, April 21 at Funko Field. First pitch is 7:05 PM. The series runs Tuesday through Sunday, April 26, and features Sunday’s popular Family Day doubleheader wrap. Tickets start in the low teens and every game offers the classic Funko Field experience — kid-friendly, affordable, and some of the best prospect-watching in the Pacific Northwest.

The Rematch Everett Has Been Waiting For

The AquaSox opened the 2026 season on the road at Avista Stadium in Spokane back on April 3. Everett dropped the opener 4-1. They came back the next night behind three solo home runs to take their first win of the year. And they nearly completed a historic eight-run comeback before losing the series finale 10-9 in 10 innings. Three games against Spokane, and all three were memorable.

Now the Indians come to Funko Field for the rematch, and the vibe is completely different. Everett has settled in. The pitching has started to look the way Mariners farm-system watchers thought it would. Colton Shaw went six innings with seven strikeouts and zero walks in the first Tri-City home series. The lineup is figuring out where it needs to be. This six-game stretch is going to tell us a lot about what the AquaSox actually are in 2026.

The Schedule: Six Games in Six Days

• Tuesday, April 21 — First pitch 7:05 PM
• Wednesday, April 22 — First pitch 7:05 PM
• Thursday, April 23 — First pitch 7:05 PM (Thirsty Thursday)
• Friday, April 24 — First pitch 7:05 PM (postgame fireworks)
• Saturday, April 25 — First pitch 7:05 PM
• Sunday, April 26 — First pitch 1:05 PM (Family Sunday)

Friday and Saturday nights are the ones that will feel the most electric. April in Everett is finally giving us the kind of evenings where you can walk out to Funko Field without three layers. The fireworks show after Friday’s game is one of the best events of the minor-league year in the Pacific Northwest.

Prospect Watch: Who to Watch This Week

The Seattle Mariners’ player development system has made Everett one of the best prospect stops in affiliated baseball. This series against Spokane is a great chance to see the names who are going to be at T-Mobile Park in a year or two.

Felnin Celesten, SS

One of the Mariners’ premier international signings. Smooth actions at shortstop and a bat that’s starting to come alive in his first extended taste of High-A pitching. Watch him in the 5-6 hole against Spokane right-handers.

Lazaro Montes, OF

The big left-handed power bat the entire Mariners farm system has been talking about for two years. Montes is here, he’s healthy, and Funko Field’s dimensions are going to get wrecked a few times this week if he connects.

Michael Arroyo, 2B

A disciplined middle-infield bat who’s been running into barrels early this year. Arroyo’s plate discipline is the kind that shows up at the big-league level first. Worth an at-bat-by-at-bat watch.

Colton Shaw, RHP

Shaw’s command has been the best thing about the early Everett pitching staff. His start this week is going to be one of the ones to plan your trip around.

Why Funko Field in April Is the Move

A week-night AquaSox game is a three-hour, $25-for-two-people experience where the parking is easy, the food is affordable, you can actually hear your kid yell when a ball gets put in play, and you walk out the gate at 10 PM into a 60-degree April night with the Port of Everett lights across the bluff. That is the case for showing up to Funko Field as a local.

This isn’t Mariners baseball. But it’s real baseball. The kind where you can tell who’s going to be great before the rest of the country finds out. The Mariners of the next few years — the guys who’ll be on the 40-man roster when the AL West race tightens up in 2027 and 2028 — are hitting in Everett right now. Get out to a game before the Funko Field era ends and the new downtown stadium takes over.

What the AquaSox Need This Week

Look — Spokane is a tough draw. They swept the early-season series in their building. The Indians’ pitching is deep, and their lineup is aggressive in counts. Everett needs to win the starting-pitching matchup two out of six nights, they need their bullpen to stop giving up two-out hits, and they need at least one big series from the middle of the order.

Four out of six at home is the realistic goal this week. Anything less than that and the AquaSox come out of the stretch under .500 on the year. Anything more and this team starts looking like the Northwest League playoff contender we expected.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do the AquaSox play Spokane at home?

Tuesday, April 21 through Sunday, April 26 at Funko Field. First pitch is 7:05 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:05 PM on Sunday.

What’s the AquaSox’s record so far this season?

Everett has been on a mixed early-season run, splitting series with Spokane, Tri-City, and Eugene. The Tri-City home series went 4-2. The most recent trip to Eugene produced some tough losses, including a 10-inning walk-off. The team is right around .500 entering this week.

Is there a fireworks night this week?

Yes — Friday, April 24 will feature postgame fireworks. This is typically the highest-attended game of the homestand, so plan to arrive 45 minutes before first pitch for parking.

Who are the top prospects to watch?

Lazaro Montes, Felnin Celesten, Michael Arroyo, and right-handed starter Colton Shaw are the four names to circle this homestand.

Where is Funko Field?

Funko Field at Everett Memorial Stadium is located at 3900 Broadway in Everett. Parking is plentiful and free on the surrounding streets, and the concourse opens 90 minutes before first pitch.

How much are tickets?

Tickets start in the low teens for outfield seating and range up through premium box and club seats. Group and family pack pricing is available through the AquaSox ticket office.

Quick answer: The Everett Silvertips beat the Kelowna Rockets 2-1 in overtime on April 17 to close out their second-round playoff series 4-1 and punch their ticket to the WHL Western Conference Final against the Penticton Vees. Defenseman Landon DuPont scored the series-clinching goal 29 seconds into overtime. Game 1 is Thursday, April 23 at Angel of the Winds Arena.

Landon DuPont Closes It. Again.

Twenty-nine seconds into overtime. That’s all the Everett Silvertips needed on Friday night to end the Kelowna Rockets’ season and send themselves to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2022.

Landon DuPont, the Silvertips’ 17-year-old blueliner and the player the whole hockey world is already watching, ripped a shot from the point that caught a redirection off a Kelowna defensive skate and beat Rockets goaltender Josh Banini. Game over. Series over. On to Penticton.

If you were at Angel of the Winds Arena on Friday, you know the sound that place made. Five thousand people going absolutely sideways at once. That sound only happens here when the Tips do something that matters in April, and this one absolutely mattered.

How Game 5 Went Down

This was a goaltending duel through two periods. Scoreless into the third, with Kelowna’s Banini standing on his head and Everett’s Anders Miller matching him every step of the way. Miller finished with 30 saves on 31 shots. Banini ended the night at 53 saves on 55 shots — a heroic effort that just barely wasn’t enough.

The scoring didn’t start until 11:34 of the third, when Carter Bear — the Tips’ captain and heart — broke the deadlock with a shorthanded goal. Shorthanded. In Game 5. With everything on the line. That’s the kind of moment that ends up on the highlight reel for a decade.

But Kelowna wasn’t done. With 1:13 left in regulation and their net empty, Shane Smith snuck one past Miller to tie it at 1-1 and force overtime. You could feel the arena tighten up. Twenty-four hours earlier, the Tips had coughed up a 3-0 lead in Game 4 and lost in OT to Tij Iginla. The ghost of that collapse was right there in the building.

And then DuPont ended it.

The Series in Five Lines

• Game 1 (Everett): Tips 4, Rockets 1
• Game 2 (Everett): Tips 4, Rockets 2
• Game 3 (Kelowna): Tips 4, Rockets 1
• Game 4 (Kelowna): Rockets 4, Tips 3 (OT) — the 3-0 collapse
• Game 5 (Everett): Tips 2, Rockets 1 (OT) — DuPont in overtime

Series: Everett 4, Kelowna 1. Postseason record: 9-1-0-0. The regular-season champs are playing the hockey we all thought they would.

Next Up: The Penticton Vees in the Western Conference Final

Here’s what we know about the Western Conference Championship matchup:

The Penticton Vees advanced by sweeping the Prince George Cougars in four games in their own second round. That’s the kind of detail that tells you Penticton is not a cupcake draw. Sweeping anyone in the WHL playoffs takes something real.

Game 1 is Thursday, April 23 at 7:05 PM at Angel of the Winds Arena. Game 2 is Saturday, April 25 at 6:30 PM, also in Everett. Tickets are available through the Silvertips’ playoff ticket central page. For the team that just won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as WHL regular-season champions with a franchise-best 57-8-2-1 record, home ice advantage all the way through the Western Conference Final is exactly what you’d expect. Use it.

Why This Silvertips Team Is Different

The Landon DuPont story alone is enough to draw fans from outside the arena’s normal catchment. DuPont is playing his first season of major junior at 17 after receiving exceptional status — the same designation given to John Tavares, Connor McDavid, Shane Wright, and Connor Bedard. He has lived up to the billing and then some. The game-winners in the playoffs are becoming a pattern, not a coincidence.

Around him, Carter Bear is having the captain’s postseason that Everett fans have been waiting for. Anders Miller in net has quietly been one of the best goaltenders still playing in the WHL. And the depth that got Everett to a franchise-record regular season is showing up when it matters.

Four wins from the WHL Championship Final. Eight wins from a Memorial Cup berth. That’s where we are.

Get to the Arena

If you’ve been waiting for a reason to go see this team before the Funko Field stadium conversation, the Conference Final is it. Angel of the Winds Arena is going to be loud on the 23rd. It’s going to be louder on the 25th. If the Tips take care of business at home, we’re looking at a potential series-clinching game back in Everett by early May.

Tickets, parking, and clear bag policy details are all at everettsilvertips.com. Pregame warmups start 20 minutes before puck drop. Get there early. This is the run we’ve been waiting for.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Silvertips-Vees Western Conference Final start?

Game 1 is Thursday, April 23 at 7:05 PM at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. Game 2 is Saturday, April 25 at 6:30 PM, also in Everett.

Who scored the overtime winner in Game 5?

Defenseman Landon DuPont scored 29 seconds into overtime, sending the Silvertips past Kelowna 2-1 and clinching the second-round series 4-1.

What is the Silvertips’ playoff record so far?

Everett is 9-1 in the 2026 playoffs after sweeping Portland in the first round 4-0 and beating Kelowna 4-1 in the second round.

Why is Landon DuPont such a big deal?

DuPont, 17, is playing his first WHL season under exceptional status — a designation previously granted to players including John Tavares, Connor McDavid, Shane Wright, and Connor Bedard. He is widely projected as a top pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Did the Silvertips have home ice advantage?

Yes. Everett finished the regular season at 57-8-2-1, the best record in the WHL, and won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. That earned them home ice through the Western Conference Final.

How did Kelowna get eliminated?

The Rockets lost the series 4-1. After dropping the first three games, Kelowna won a wild Game 4 in overtime before losing Game 5 at Angel of the Winds Arena 2-1 in OT. Kelowna’s focus now shifts to the Memorial Cup, which they are hosting.

Where can I buy tickets for the Western Conference Final?

Tickets are available at everettsilvertips.com through the playoff ticket central page. Single-game tickets for Games 1 and 2 at Angel of the Winds Arena are on sale now.

What’s happening at Naval Station Everett April 20–28, 2026? Naval Station Everett is conducting a scheduled training exercise from April 20 through April 28, 2026. Residents in surrounding communities — including parts of Everett, Mukilteo, and the waterfront areas — may hear noise from blank ammunition during the exercise. The Navy has confirmed it is a regularly scheduled readiness drill and is not in response to any specific threat.

NAVSTA Everett Begins Eight-Day Training Exercise This Week

Naval Station Everett kicked off a scheduled training exercise on Monday, April 20, 2026, that will continue through Tuesday, April 28. Over the next nine days, residents living near the base — particularly along the Everett waterfront, in north Everett, and in parts of Mukilteo — may hear sounds associated with security drills, including blank ammunition fire, and may notice increased activity around the base perimeter.

According to the public notice issued for the exercise, the training is described as a regularly scheduled, annual readiness event designed to ensure Navy personnel are trained and prepared to respond appropriately, quickly, and with confidence to a security threat. The Navy has emphasized that the exercise is not in response to any specific threat and is built on realistic scenarios designed to increase readiness.

For neighbors who have lived near the base for years, this kind of advisory is familiar. Naval Station Everett conducts force protection and security training on a recurring basis, and the same baseline message accompanies each one: the noise is real, the scenarios are realistic, and the threat being trained against is not.

What Residents in Surrounding Communities May Notice

Based on the public advisory and on past exercises of similar scope, residents in the communities closest to Naval Station Everett can expect a few things over the eight-day window:

• Noise from blank ammunition. Blanks produce a sharp, percussive sound that can carry across the water and through downtown Everett, particularly in the early morning or late afternoon when ambient noise is lower. The rounds contain no projectile and pose no risk to people or property outside the base.
• Visible base activity. Residents and commuters along West Marine View Drive may see additional security personnel, simulated incident response, and emergency vehicles moving in and out of base gates as part of the drills.
• Possible gate impacts. During training windows, the Navy sometimes adjusts gate operations to support exercise scenarios. Drivers with base access should plan for possible delays and follow any temporary signage or instructions from base security.

None of these activities indicate an actual emergency. They are part of a planned exercise. If you see something during the exercise window that does not appear to be part of normal base operations and feels genuinely off — for example, smoke or activity that extends beyond base perimeter — local emergency services and base public affairs are still the right point of contact.

Why This Matters for Everett

Naval Station Everett is the only homeport of its kind on Puget Sound’s eastern shore, and the base’s training cycle is one of the regular rhythms of life in this part of Snohomish County. The base sits at the north end of the Everett waterfront, just a few minutes from downtown, and its presence is woven into the city’s economy, its housing market, its restaurants, and its identity.

That proximity is exactly why the Navy publishes advisories like this one. A loud, unexplained noise from a military base ten minutes from your living room is unsettling. A loud, expected noise from a base that warned you a week earlier is just Tuesday in a Navy town.

The base is currently the homeport for a group of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and serves as a Pacific Northwest support facility for fleet operations. It is also at the center of a much larger ongoing conversation about its long-term future — one that has dominated Everett military coverage over the past several months as the Constellation-class frigate program was cancelled at the federal level and as Snohomish County’s recently rebooted Military Affairs Committee has begun pushing for the base to remain a homeport for whatever the Navy builds next under the FF(X) program.

Against that backdrop, a routine training exercise is a small story. But it is also a reminder that the operational mission of the base continues regardless of program-level uncertainty. Sailors still train. Security teams still drill. The base still runs.

How NAVSTA Everett Communicates Exercises to the Public

The Navy typically announces these exercises through a standard set of channels:

• Official press releases distributed to local media and posted to Commander, Navy Region Northwest news pages
• The Naval Station Everett Facebook page, which posts community advisories about gate closures, exercises, and special events
• Coordination with local outlets including The Daily Herald, My Everett News, and the Edmonds Beacon, which carry the advisories to readers in surrounding communities
• Direct notice to local emergency services, so 911 dispatchers know to expect calls about noises that turn out to be exercise-related

This week’s exercise follows a pattern Everett residents have seen before. Earlier this year, the base participated in Exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain, the Navy-wide anti-terrorism and force protection exercise that ran January 26 through February 6, 2026. That exercise, which involves nearly every Navy installation in the country, brought louder and more visible activity, including simulated explosions and emergency vehicle movement. The April 20–28 exercise appears to be smaller in scope and more locally focused, but the underlying purpose is the same: training Navy security forces to respond to scenarios they hope never to face for real.

What to Do If You Have Concerns During the Exercise

For most neighbors, the right response to exercise-related noise is simply to know that it is happening. The Navy’s standard guidance for these training windows is straightforward: residents do not need to take any action.

If you live close enough to the base that the noise is genuinely disruptive — for example, if it interferes with sleep schedules, with pets, or with someone in your household who is sensitive to sudden sounds — Naval Station Everett’s public affairs office is the appropriate point of contact for questions about timing, scope, or expected duration of specific drills.

For commuters who cross near base gates during the exercise window, allow a few extra minutes during morning and evening peak times in case temporary security adjustments are in place.

The Bigger Picture: A Community Used to Living Alongside the Fleet

Everett has been a Navy town since Naval Station Everett officially commissioned in 1994. Over three decades, residents have learned to read the rhythms of the base: when destroyers leave for deployment, when they come home, when carriers visit, when training cycles intensify. The April 20–28 exercise is a small entry in that ongoing rhythm.

The fact that the Navy publishes these advisories — and that local media run them — is itself part of what makes the relationship between the base and the city work. The base does not operate as an island. It operates as a neighbor. Neighbors warn each other when they are about to make noise.

If you hear blanks across the waterfront this week, that is what is happening. The exercise concludes Tuesday, April 28.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Naval Station Everett training exercise happening?

The exercise runs from Monday, April 20, 2026 through Tuesday, April 28, 2026 — a nine-day window covering one full work week and the surrounding weekends.

Will I hear gunfire from Naval Station Everett?

You may hear sounds from blank ammunition, which produces a sharp, percussive noise but contains no projectile. The sounds can carry across the water and through nearby neighborhoods, particularly during quieter times of day. There is no risk to people or property outside the base.

Is the exercise in response to a specific threat?

No. The Navy has explicitly stated this is a regularly scheduled training exercise and is not in response to any specific threat. It is built on realistic scenarios to ensure security personnel are prepared to respond effectively if a real situation ever arose.

Will base gates be affected during the exercise?

Gate operations may be temporarily adjusted during specific drill windows. People with base access should plan for possible delays, follow signage and instructions from base security, and allow extra time during peak commute hours.

What should I do if I hear noise from the base this week?

For most residents, no action is needed. The noise is expected. If the noise is genuinely disruptive or you have specific concerns, Naval Station Everett’s public affairs office is the appropriate point of contact for questions about the exercise.

How will I know when the exercise is over?

The exercise ends Tuesday, April 28, 2026. The Navy and local media typically publish a follow-up notice if any portion of the exercise is extended or rescheduled.

Does this exercise affect ship movements at Naval Station Everett?

The Navy does not typically share specific operational details about homeported ships during training windows. Routine ship movements continue on their own schedules independent of base security exercises.

Has Naval Station Everett held similar exercises this year?

Yes. Naval Station Everett participated in Exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain, the Navy-wide anti-terrorism and force protection exercise, January 26 through February 6, 2026. That exercise was larger in scope. The April 20–28 training is a smaller, more locally focused readiness drill.

If you’re a military family stationed at Naval Station Everett — or planning a PCS move there — the Navy’s cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program has direct implications for your day-to-day planning and the community you’re moving into.

The short version: base operations are unchanged, your current assignment is unaffected, but the growth trajectory the community expected — more housing, more services, more military-family resources — is deferred indefinitely.

What the Cancellation Actually Does (and Doesn’t Do)

The Navy canceled four of the six Constellation-class frigates already under contract in November 2025. Two ships — USS Constellation and USS Congress — continue construction in Wisconsin, with delivery projected no earlier than 2029. No homeporting commitment for those two ships has been made.

What this means practically: the 2,900 additional sailors and civilian personnel projected by the Navy’s own environmental study are not coming — at least not on the timeline that was anticipated. NAVSTA Everett continues with its current operational footprint. Ships deploy and return. The base runs normally.

Housing: What Changes

Military housing in and around NAVSTA Everett — both on-base and off-base in the surrounding Mukilteo, Everett, and Lynnwood areas — had been expected to face increased demand as 2,900 new personnel arrived. That pressure is now reduced. For families currently looking for off-base housing, this is arguably good news: competition for rental properties and starter homes near the base will not spike the way it might have under the expansion scenario.

On-base housing managed by Lincoln Military Housing serves NAVSTA Everett. Availability varies by rank and family size — the wait list situation that a 2,900-person influx would have created is now less likely. Families expecting a long wait for on-base housing may find the situation slightly less constrained.

Schools: Everett School District and Military Families

Everett School District (ESD) schools serving areas near NAVSTA Everett — including schools in Mukilteo and north Everett — had been expecting enrollment growth tied to the frigate homeporting. That enrollment growth projection is now removed. For families PCS-ing to the area, this means school availability should be less pressured than it might have been in a 2,900-person growth scenario.

The Mukilteo School District (which serves much of the area immediately surrounding the base) has strong academic programming. Everett School District serves students living in Everett proper. Both districts have experience serving military families with PCS timelines, mid-year enrollments, and frequent school transitions.

The Community Services Question

Military family services — childcare, Fleet and Family Support Center programs, commissary, NEX — at NAVSTA Everett are sized to the current population. The planned frigate expansion had created expectations of increased investment in base services to serve a larger population. Those service expansions are now on hold.

The off-base community has also been investing in anticipation of growth — the city’s Outdoor Event Center (400,000 projected annual visitors), the waterfront redevelopment, new restaurants and retail in the downtown Broadway District. These investments continue, driven by the broader Everett growth story rather than military expansion specifically.

Long-Term Base Stability: The Honest Assessment

Military families understandably want to know: Is NAVSTA Everett stable? The honest answer is yes — with a caveat. The base survived the 2005 BRAC process, when it came close to being recommended for closure, only through sustained advocacy by Rep. Larsen, state leaders, and local business groups. The frigate cancellation weakens the strategic expansion argument, but doesn’t remove Everett’s geographic and infrastructure advantages for Pacific Fleet operations.

Rep. Larsen has already begun advocating for Everett as the homeport for replacement vessels under whatever program follows the Constellation. The Navy’s stated replacement concept (based on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class cutter design) is not yet in active procurement, but Larsen’s early engagement suggests Everett will be positioned as a candidate when homeporting decisions are made.

Frequently Asked Questions — For Military Families

Is NAVSTA Everett safe from closure?

No BRAC process is currently active, and NAVSTA Everett is not on any closure list. The base survived the last major BRAC round (2005) and remains strategically important for Pacific Fleet operations. The Constellation cancellation reduces planned expansion but doesn’t threaten current operations. Congressional advocates — primarily Rep. Rick Larsen — remain active in supporting the base’s strategic case.

Are PCS moves to NAVSTA Everett still happening normally?

Yes. PCS orders to NAVSTA Everett continue normally. The cancellation doesn’t affect current ship assignments, deployment schedules, or personnel management at the base. If you have orders to Everett, nothing about the Constellation cancellation changes your reporting situation.

What is the off-base housing market like near NAVSTA Everett in 2026?

The Mukilteo and north Everett rental and housing market near the base is moderately tight but significantly more affordable than Seattle or Bellevue. Average monthly rents for a 3-bedroom in the Mukilteo/Everett area run in the $2,200-$2,800 range. The cancellation of the 2,900-sailor expansion reduces anticipated demand pressure on this market. BAH rates for E-5 and above with dependents in the Seattle/Everett area cover most of the market effectively.

What schools serve families near NAVSTA Everett?

The Mukilteo School District serves most of the area immediately surrounding the base — highly rated schools with strong STEM programs. Everett School District serves Everett city proper. Both have military-family liaison resources and experience with mid-year enrollment from PCS transfers. Contact the specific district for School Liaison Officer information before your arrival.

Related Exploring Everett coverage: Navy Cancels Constellation Frigate Program — Full Story

Q: What does the Constellation frigate cancellation mean for Naval Station Everett?
A: The Navy’s decision to cancel most of the Constellation-class frigate program eliminates Everett’s planned homeport for 12 next-generation frigates and puts 2,900 projected new military billets in doubt. The two ships still under construction may or may not homeport in Everett — that decision hasn’t been made. The base remains active with its current fleet, but its long-term strategic expansion is now uncertain.

Navy Cancels Constellation Frigate Program — What It Means for Naval Station Everett

In June 2021, the U.S. Navy announced that Naval Station Everett would become the homeport for 12 Constellation-class guided-missile frigates — the Navy’s next-generation surface combatant, designed to replace the aging Freedom and Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships. For Everett, it was a major strategic win: thousands of new sailors, significant base investment, and a clear signal of NAVSTA Everett’s long-term importance to the Pacific Fleet.

That plan is now largely gone.

Navy Secretary John Phelan announced in November 2025 that the Navy is ending its commitment to the Constellation program, canceling four of the six frigates already under contract. Only two ships — USS Constellation (FFG-62) and USS Congress (FFG-63), currently under construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin — will be completed. Even those two ships’ homeporting is unresolved: Navy officials stated that “homeporting decisions are not made until much closer to a ship’s commissioning date,” and the first ship isn’t expected until 2029 at the earliest.

What Went Wrong with the Constellation Program

The Constellation class was conceived as a return to a capable, mid-size surface combatant — based on the Franco-Italian FREMM frigate design, adapted for U.S. Navy requirements. The adaptation proved far more complex and costly than anticipated. Major design changes from the FREMM parent ship caused cascading delays. By late 2025, USS Constellation was only approximately 10% complete despite construction beginning in August 2022 — years behind schedule. The cost per ship had risen from the original $1 billion target to approximately $1.4 billion. The first delivery, originally projected for April 2026, slipped to 2029 — a three-year delay.

Phelan characterized the cancellation as a straightforward prioritization decision: “I won’t spend a dollar if it doesn’t strengthen readiness or our ability to win.” The replacement concept draws on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class cutter design, with a target delivery as early as 2028 — faster than the troubled Constellation program could achieve.

The Everett Impact

A Navy environmental study from 2024 projected that 12 Constellation-class frigates homeporting at Everett would bring 2,900 new sailors and civilian personnel to Snohomish County. That projection assumed seven existing guided-missile ships would relocate away from Everett to make room — meaning the 2,900 figure was net new, above current staffing levels.

With the program canceled, that workforce expansion is off the table. NAVSTA Everett continues to operate with its current complement of ships and personnel, but the growth trajectory that military families, Everett businesses, and local housing developers had been anticipating is gone — at least in its original form.

Ray Stephanson, president of the Economic Alliance Snohomish County, flagged a deeper concern: “Military leadership constantly evaluates base necessity.” Everett narrowly avoided closure in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, surviving through intensive lobbying and advocacy. The loss of the frigate homeport assignment reduces the strategic argument for Everett’s expansion — though it doesn’t immediately threaten the base’s existence.

Rep. Rick Larsen’s Response

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Everett), whose district includes Naval Station Everett and who has been one of the base’s most consistent congressional advocates, expressed disappointment but pivoted quickly to advocating for Everett’s role in whatever comes next. He emphasized the base’s geographic asset: “It’s one of the closest locations to the Pacific Ocean,” making it logically compelling for Pacific Fleet homeporting regardless of which ship class is assigned.

Larsen has pushed the Navy to commit to Everett as the homeport for the replacement vessel program, whatever form that takes. No such commitment has been made publicly as of April 2026.

NAVSTA Everett Today

Naval Station Everett remains an active, strategically significant installation. The base currently homeports a mix of surface combatants, and its deep-water port, proximity to the Pacific, and existing infrastructure make it one of the most capable homeports on the West Coast. The Constellation cancellation removes a planned expansion — it doesn’t reduce current capability.

For military families currently stationed at NAVSTA Everett, daily base operations are unchanged. The impact of the cancellation is on planning horizons: anticipated growth in services, housing, and community resources tied to 2,900 new personnel is deferred indefinitely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Naval Station Everett closing?

No. The Constellation frigate cancellation does not close NAVSTA Everett. The base remains operational and actively homeports Navy surface ships. The cancellation eliminates a planned expansion — the homeporting of 12 new frigates — but the existing base mission continues.

Will USS Constellation homeport in Everett?

Unknown. The Navy has not made a homeporting decision for USS Constellation (FFG-62) or USS Congress (FFG-63), the two ships still under construction. Navy policy is that homeporting decisions are made closer to a ship’s commissioning date — and the first ship isn’t expected until 2029. Everett remains a candidate but has no committed assignment.

How many sailors are stationed at NAVSTA Everett?

Naval Station Everett supports approximately 10,000 military personnel, civilian employees, and family members in Snohomish County. The 2024 environmental study projected adding 2,900 more with the Constellation homeporting — that expansion is now on hold.

What ships are currently at Naval Station Everett?

NAVSTA Everett homeports guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) and other surface combatants. The base has historically homeported between 10-14 ships. The Constellation cancellation had planned to increase that number, potentially to 14, by adding the new frigates. Current ship assignments are managed by the Navy and subject to deployment schedules.

What is the Navy’s replacement for the Constellation frigate?

Navy Secretary Phelan announced the replacement concept will be based on the Coast Guard’s proven Legend-class cutter design, potentially capable of delivery by 2028 — faster than the troubled Constellation program could achieve. No formal homeporting plans for replacement vessels have been announced.

Why does Everett matter strategically to the Navy?

NAVSTA Everett offers direct deep-water Pacific Ocean access, existing pier infrastructure, and geographic proximity to the Pacific Fleet’s operating area. Rep. Rick Larsen has repeatedly cited these factors in advocating for Everett’s role in Navy force planning. The base’s 2005 BRAC survival was based on similar strategic arguments.

Q: What does Naval Station Everett do now that the frigates are cancelled?
A: NAVSTA Everett remains home to seven guided-missile destroyers and continues operating as one of the Pacific Fleet’s most important surface combatant homeports. Local congressional leaders, base advocates, and city officials are now working to secure additional ship homeporting, new mission assignments, and infrastructure investment to replace what the frigate program would have brought.

NAVSTA Everett After the Frigate Collapse: What the Base Fights For Next

The November 2025 cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program removed the clearest pathway Naval Station Everett had to long-term expansion. For four years, the base’s future had been defined by a single, concrete vision: become the Pacific homeport for 12 brand-new FFG-62 frigates. That vision is now gone. What replaces it is less certain — and more contested — than most people in Snohomish County realize.

Understanding what is actually happening at NAVSTA Everett in 2026 requires separating three things: what the base has today, what the cancellation actually cost, and what local leaders are doing about it.

What NAVSTA Everett Has Today

Naval Station Everett is not a struggling installation. It is, by most measures, one of the most strategically positioned Navy bases on the West Coast. The base currently homeports seven Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers (DDGs), a USCG Keeper-class cutter (USCGC Henry Blake), and a USCG Marine Protector-class patrol boat (USCGC Blue Shark). Its deep-water pier access on Port Gardner Bay, proximity to Paine Field’s industrial infrastructure, and position along the I-5 corridor between Seattle and the Canadian border make it a natural hub for Pacific Fleet operations.

The base employs approximately 6,000 military personnel and 500 civilian workers — making it one of Snohomish County’s largest employers. Its economic footprint includes roughly $1.2 billion in annual regional economic impact through direct payroll, housing spending, local business patronage, and contractor employment. Military families in the Everett area occupy housing across multiple ZIP codes, from the base itself to Marysville, Mukilteo, and Mill Creek.

What the Frigate Cancellation Actually Cost Everett

The Constellation-class program was cancelled by Navy Secretary John Phelan on November 25, 2025, after the program fell approximately three years behind its original delivery schedule and the lead ship, USS Constellation (FFG-62), accumulated nearly 759 tons of additional weight beyond original specifications. Phelan’s assessment was blunt: the ship had become “80 percent of the cost of a destroyer and 60 percent of the capability.”

What Everett lost is best understood in concrete terms. The frigate homeporting plan would have brought 12 new ships, each with a crew of approximately 200 sailors plus associated support personnel. Twelve ships at roughly 200 sailors each represents 2,400 additional military billets — plus their families, their housing, their school-age children, and their consumer spending. The Navy had already secured $19 million in Congressional funding to build 88 new family housing units at the Navy Support Complex in Smokey Point, in Marysville, in direct anticipation of that influx. That infrastructure investment is now frozen pending new mission decisions.

The two lead ships — USS Constellation (FFG-62) and a second hull — will be completed at Fincantieri Marinette Marine’s Wisconsin shipyard. But the Navy has not announced where they will be homeported, and those decisions may be years away.

The Advocacy Response: Rebooting the Community Committee

The local response to the cancellation has been swift and organized. Snohomish County’s Joint Base Lewis-McChord/Naval Station Everett Community Committee — which had gone dormant in recent years — is being reconstituted specifically to advocate for the base’s interests in the post-frigate environment. The committee’s mandate includes pushing for new ship homeporting assignments, supporting base infrastructure investment, and maintaining the congressional relationships that matter when the Navy makes basing decisions.

Representative Rick Larsen, whose district includes NAVSTA Everett, has publicly stated that the Navy’s commitment to the Everett homeport “remains ironclad” — meaning the base itself is not at risk of closure or consolidation. What is at risk is the growth trajectory that the frigate program represented.

What Could Come Next

The Navy is not standing still on the frigate question nationally. A next-generation frigate development program is in early stages, though no public announcements have been made about production timelines, shipyard selection, or homeporting plans. If a successor program eventually produces ships, Everett’s existing infrastructure, deep-water pier access, and congressional support put it in a strong position to compete for homeporting assignments.

In the near term, NAVSTA Everett’s advocacy focus is on maximizing the use of the base’s existing capacity — potentially by rotating additional ships through the installation, taking on new administrative or training functions, or positioning the base for any Pacific Fleet restructuring driven by evolving threat assessments in the Western Pacific.

The Everett waterfront, meanwhile, is a factor in the base’s strategic positioning. The $1B+ Port of Everett redevelopment underway at Waterfront Place is expanding commercial and maritime infrastructure adjacent to Navy assets — a dynamic that could support future base expansion if the Navy’s mission priorities align.

What This Means for Snohomish County

For a county that has historically treated NAVSTA Everett as a stable, permanent economic anchor, the frigate cancellation is a reminder that federal defense commitments are subject to change. The base is not going anywhere. But the path to growth is now less defined than it was 18 months ago.

The Boeing North Line’s midsummer 2026 launch at Paine Field provides some economic counterweight — a parallel defense-adjacent jobs engine building momentum at exactly the moment the Navy’s expansion plans stalled. Everett’s economic resilience has always depended on holding multiple large-employer relationships simultaneously. That dynamic is being tested and, so far, holding.

Frequently Asked Questions About Naval Station Everett in 2026

Q: Is Naval Station Everett at risk of closure after the frigate cancellation?
A: No. Representative Rick Larsen and Navy officials have stated that the base itself is not subject to closure or consolidation review. The cancellation affects planned expansion, not existing operations.

Q: How many ships are currently homeported at NAVSTA Everett?
A: Seven Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, a USCG Keeper-class cutter (USCGC Henry Blake), and a USCG Marine Protector-class patrol boat (USCGC Blue Shark).

Q: What was the Constellation-class frigate (FFG-62)?
A: The Constellation-class was designed as a mid-tier surface combatant — smaller and less expensive than an Arleigh Burke destroyer, but capable of anti-surface, anti-air, and anti-submarine warfare. The lead ship, USS Constellation (FFG-62), was being built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin before the program was cancelled.

Q: What happens to the two frigates already being built?
A: Construction on the first two hulls will continue to completion. Their homeport assignments have not been announced and may not be for several years.

Q: What is the economic impact of NAVSTA Everett on Snohomish County?
A: The base generates approximately $1.2 billion in annual regional economic impact, employs 6,000 military personnel and 500 civilian workers, and supports thousands of indirect jobs through housing, retail, and contractor spending.

Q: Will Everett still get new Navy ships in the future?
A: Possibly. The Navy is developing next-generation frigate concepts, and NAVSTA Everett’s infrastructure, deep-water pier access, and congressional representation position it competitively for future homeporting assignments — but no timeline or commitment exists as of April 2026.

Related: Naval Station Everett’s Fight for Its Future After the Frigate Program Collapse | Boeing’s North Line Is Coming to Everett | Exploring Everett