Spurs off the main line ran into temporary storage areas that were protected by earthen barricades. In addition, three parallel railroad tracks would have enabled the simultaneous loading of several ammunition ships from rail cars and trucks.Įlsewhere aboard the base, the Army built 47 miles of railroad tracks. The most prominent feature of the terminal was the 2,000-foot-long, 87-foot-wide concrete and steel wharf. Since there was no immediate operational need for the installation, it was placed in an inactive ready status. Construction actively began in 1956 and was completed in 1958. The Army began to acquire land at Kings Bay in 1954 to build a military ocean terminal to ship ammunition in case of a national emergency. 1982-present: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.1978-1982: Naval Submarine Support Base Kings Bay.

1954-1978: Military Ocean Terminal Kings Bay, U.S.An exhibit about the fort and battle is on display at the Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum in downtown St. Marys, the British left in early March 1815. After occupying and looting Point Peter, Cumberland Island and St. The British then destroyed the fort, barracks, and magazine. A peace treaty ending the War of 1812 was signed in Belgium in December 1814, but the soldiers, far removed from Europe, knew nothing of the treaty. The Americans retreated and made a last stand against the invaders along what is now Kamehameha Avenue on lower base. Point Peter was the site of the last major military engagement of the War of 1812 in January 1815, when the British landed in force on Cumberland Island and staged a two-pronged attack against the fort. Just west of the Stimson Gate, across Georgia Highway Spur 40, rests the two-story tabby ruin of McIntosh’s sugar mill. Investigations by University of Florida archaeologists revealed a broad spectrum of previously unknown information about the lifestyle of the plantation owner of the day.Įlsewhere on what is now base property, John Houston McIntosh built a considerably larger plantation known as New Canaan, where he grew cotton and sugar cane. Buying the land in the 1790s, King built a small-to-medium sized plantation. Along the bay, Thomas King developed his Kings Bay plantation. Archeological research conducted over the past three decades has revealed a pre-Columbian Indian presence throughout the area.Įarly in the 19th century, much of what is now a bustling modern submarine base was the site of several plantations, including Cherry Point, Harmony Hall, New Canaan, Marianna, and Kings Bay. The Kings Bay region is a pleasant place to live, as shown by the fact people have populated the area for thousands of years. Aerial photograph of the base fitness center and swimming pool circa 1985.

Kings bay naval submarine base tours