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. In 1964, as Hurricane Dora hammered the area, nearly 100 area residents were sheltered aboard base. Īlthough the army post 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-long (610 m), 87-foot-wide (27 m) concrete-and-steel wharf (600 m × 26 m). A 200-foot-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. History The early years Īrchaeological research has revealed a pre-Columbian era 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. This submarine base covers about 16,000 acres (6,500 hectares) of land, of which 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) are protected wetlands. Navy Fleet ballistic missile nuclear submarines capable of being armed with Trident missile nuclear weapons. Marys in Camden County, Georgia, on the East River in southeastern Georgia, and 38 miles (61 km) from Jacksonville, Florida. Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is a base of the United States Navy located adjacent to the city of St.

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