11/6/2023 0 Comments Naval submarine base kings bayThe base-now Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, not only occupies the former Army terminal land, but several thousand additional acres. Naval Submarine Support Base Kings Bay was established in a developmental status 1 July 1978. Soon afterward, the first Navy personnel arrived in the Kings Bay area and started preparations for the orderly transfer of property from the Army to the Navy. Senate ratified the treaty in June 1976.Īfter careful review, Kings Bay was selected in November 1976, shortly after the election of the Georgian Jimmy Carter as the President. It called for withdrawal of the submarine squadron from Rota by July 1979. In January 1976, the negotiators initialed a draft treaty between Spain and the United States. Anticipating that this would take place, the Chief of Naval Operations ordered studies to select a new refit site on the East Coast. A proposed change to the United States naval basing agreement with Spain included the withdrawal of the fleet ballistic-missile submarine squadron, Submarine Squadron 16, from its operational base at Rota, Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea. At that time, treaty negotiations between Spain and the United States were in progress. The chain of events that led to today’s combination of high-tempo submarine operations at Kings Bay and the complex construction project that reshaped the face of thousands of acres of land began in 1975. Also, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, an Army Transportation Battalion of 1,100 personnel and 70 small boats took up position at Kings Bay.ĭisplay of submarine-launched missiles on board the base, including the Tomahawk and Trident. In 1964, as Hurricane Dora hammered the area, nearly 100 area residents were sheltered aboard base. Īlthough the Army base was never activated to serve its primary purpose, it was used twice for other missions. It was soon realized that there was no immediate operational need for the installation, so it was placed in an inactive ready status, and Blue Star Shipping Company signed a lease to use the wharf in 1959. These mounds of dirt, still prominent features in many areas of the base, were designed to localize damage in case of explosive accidents. Spurs off the main line ran into temporary storage areas protected by earthen barricades. It had three parallel railroad tracks, enabling the simultaneous loading of several ammunition ships from rail cars and trucks.Įlsewhere on the base, the Army laid 47 miles (76 km) of railroad tracks. The most prominent feature of the terminal was its 2,000-foot (610 m)-long, 87-foot (27 m)-wide concrete and steel wharf (600 by 26 m). A 200' wide channel was dredged to Cumberland Sound, and included two turning basins. Construction began in 1955 and was completed in 1958. The US Army began to acquire 7,000 acres (28.33 km 2 10.94 sq mi) of land at Kings Bay in 1954 to build a military ocean terminal to ship ammunition in case of a national emergency. Such residents harvested shrimp, fish and other seafood, and trapped and hunted to supplement small-scale farming of corn, sugar and other vegetables. One land owner was paid four thousand dollars for 62 acres of deep water land. No residents were paid the going rate for the land that was used to build the submarine base. The plantation system declined following the Civil War, and the land was broken up into smaller holdings. John Houston McIntosh built a considerably larger plantation known as New Canaan, where he grew cotton and sugar cane. Beginning in the 1790s, Thomas King built a plantation along the bay. 3 Submarines with Home Ports at King's BayĪrcheological research has revealed a pre-Columbian Indian presence throughout the area, dating back thousands of years.Įarly in the 19th century, much of what is now the submarine base was the site of several plantations, including Cherry Point, Harmony Hall, New Canaan, Marianna and Kings Bay.2.6 Marine Corps Security Force Battalion.2.5 Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic.
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