Ship Island (Mississippi)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ship Island is the collective name for two barrier islands off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, part of Gulf Islands National Seashore: East Ship Island and West Ship Island. It used to be one island before Hurricane Camille in 1969 split it into two.
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[edit] History
Having the only deep-water harbor between Mobile Bay and the Mississippi River, the island served as a vital anchorage for ships bearing explorers, colonists, sailors, soldiers, defenders and invaders.
French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville discovered Ship Island in February 1699, which he used as a base of operations in discovering the mouth of the Mississippi River. The island served as a point of immigration to French colonies in the New World. Some immigrants died upon arrival at Ship Island, and their bodies were burned in a furnace which is still in place on the island.
In the War of 1812, Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane anchored between Ship Island and Cat Island with a fleet of fifty British warships and 7,500 soldiers in preparations for the Battle of New Orleans and the island was used as a launching point for British forces.
After the war, Congress approved an ambitious plan to construct state-of-the-art masonry fortifications at strategic locations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, including Ship Island. Construction of Fort Massachusetts began in 1859, but was halted due to the Civil War and finally completed in 1866.
The island was then designated the country's first quarantine station in 1880. The fort closed in 1903 and the quarantine station was placed on reserve status in 1916. During World War II, the Coast Guard used it for anti-submarine beach patrol.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina almost completely submerged East Ship Island. West Ship Island was also damaged, but Fort Massachusetts survived. Unfortunately, a lighthouse on the island was reduced to rubble.
[edit] Activities
Today Ship Island serves as a tourist destination. Activities include fishing, swimming, and tours of Fort Massachusetts.
[edit] How to Visit
East Ship Island is accessible only by private or chartered boat.
West Ship island is accessible through private or chartered boat. It is also accessible by a public ferry boat running from Gulfport, Mississippi 12 miles (19 km) out to the island. Ship Island Excursions has been running boats to the island since before the National Park Service acquired it. Today, they are an official Park Service Concession.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Ship Island People. Gulf Islands National Seashore. National Park Service. Retrieved on May 3, 2006.
- Centuries of Change. Gulf Islands National Seashore. National Park Service. Retrieved on May 3, 2006.
- Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast. NASA Earth Observatory. Retrieved on May 3, 2006.
