Sandy Neck Bomb Target Range

Last updated
Sandy Neck Bomb Target Range
Part of United States Navy
Barnstable, Massachusetts
Coordinates 41°43′53.14″N70°19′2.12″W / 41.7314278°N 70.3172556°W / 41.7314278; -70.3172556 .
TypeRange
Site information
Owner Barnstable, Massachusetts
Controlled byTown of Barnstable
Open to
the public
Yes
Site history
In use1944-1946

The Sandy Neck Bomb Target Range was a former naval bomb range for fleet arm naval aviators, and located on Sandy Neck, in Barnstable, Massachusetts. [1]

Contents

History

The Sandy Neck Bomb Target Range was used from 1944 to 1946 when the Navy cancelled its leases. [1] It was used for the practice of dive bombing for carrier aircraft. [1] While it was in operation, it was part of the nearby Naval Air Station Quonset Point. [1] In 1946, after the war had ended and cruise missile technology was being developed, the Navy cancelled its lease on the range from the town. To the west of the site along the northern beach there was also an anti-tank mine area. [1]

Environmental cleanup

During the cleanup of the site in the mid-1990s, ordnance such the Mark 23 practice bomb was discovered at the site. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Crossroads</span> 1946 nuclear weapon tests at Bikini Atoll

Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity on July 16, 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The purpose of the tests was to investigate the effect of nuclear weapons on warships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodman's Neck</span> Peninsula in the Bronx, New York

Rodman's Neck is a peninsula of land in the New York City borough of the Bronx that juts out into Long Island Sound. The southern third of the peninsula is used as a firing range by the New York City Police Department; the remaining wooded section is part of Pelham Bay Park. The north side is joined to what used to be Hunters Island and Twin Island to form Orchard Beach and a parking lot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AGM-62 Walleye</span> Glide bomb

The AGM-62 Walleye is a television-guided glide bomb which was produced by Martin Marietta and used by the United States Armed Forces from the 1960s-1990s. The Walleye I had a 825 lb (374 kg) high-explosive warhead; the later Walleye II "Fat Albert" version had a 2000 lb warhead and the ability to replace that with a W72 nuclear warhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Target ship</span> Ship that is shot at for practice

A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used as a seaborne target for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing. Targets may be used with the intention of testing effectiveness of specific types of ammunition; or the target ship may be used for an extended period of routine target practice with specialized non-explosive ammunition. The potential consequences of a drifting wreck require careful preparation of the target ship to prevent pollution, or a floating or submerged collision risk for maritime navigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Consolidated PB2Y Coronado</span> Patrol bomber in the US Navy

The PB2Y Coronado is a large flying boat patrol bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft, and used by the US Navy during World War II in bombing, antisubmarine, medical/hospital plane, and transport roles. Obsolete by the end of the war, Coronados were quickly taken out of service. Only one known example remains, at the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Before WW2 large flying boats were important for long distance international routes, as the ability to land on water without a land-based airstrip was useful. It proved to be good supporting aircraft in the Pacific War, which often required transport across long distance of oceans in harm's way, to places with no prepared airstrips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Facility El Centro</span> Census-designated place in California, United States

Naval Air Facility El Centro or NAF El Centro is a United States Navy Naval Air Facility located approximately six miles (10 km) northwest of El Centro, in Imperial County, California. NAF El Centro is under the jurisdiction of Navy Region Southwest and serves both as temporary homeport to military units conducting air-to-air and bombing training, and as the winter training home of the Blue Angels aerobatics display team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach</span>

Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Imperial Beach is a United States Navy facility for helicopters, situated on 1,204 acres (5 km2) approximately 14 miles (23 km) south of San Diego and within the city limits of Imperial Beach, California. It is known as "The Helicopter Capital of the World".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Project Kingfisher</span> Anti-ship missiles

Project Kingfisher was a weapons-development program initiated by the United States Navy during the latter part of World War II. Intended to provide aircraft and surface ships with the ability to deliver torpedoes to targets from outside the range of defensive armament, six different missile concepts were developed; four were selected for full development programs, but only one reached operational service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic-Ford JB-2</span> Reverse engineered V-1 flying bomb

The Republic-Ford JB-2, also known as the Thunderbug, KGW and LTV-N-2 Loon, was an American copy of the German V-1 flying bomb. Developed in 1944, and planned to be used in the Allied invasion of Japan, the JB-2 was never used in combat. It was the most successful of the United States Army Air Forces Jet Bomb (JB) projects during World War II. Postwar, the JB-2 played a significant role in the development of more advanced surface-to-surface tactical missile systems such as the MGM-1 Matador and later MGM-13 Mace.

SS <i>James Longstreet</i> United States Liberty ship

SS James Longstreet was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. Named after the Confederate general James Longstreet, she entered service in 1942, but was wrecked in a storm on 26 October 1943 and was subsequently used as a target hulk by the United States Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Facility Nantucket</span> Former naval facility

Naval Facility Nantucket Island or simply Naval Facility Nantucket was a shore terminal of the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) active from 1955 to 1976. The true function of the system and the shore terminals, in which output of the array at sea was processed and displayed by means of the Low Frequency Analyzer and Recorder (LOFAR), was classified and the term "Naval Facility" was intentionally vague. Its function was described as oceanographic research.

Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Nantucket was a United States Navy facility located in Nantucket, Massachusetts operational from 1942 to 1945. It existed as an auxiliary air facility of Naval Air Station Quonset Point.

Naval Air Station DeLand was a United States Naval Air Station located in DeLand, Florida from 1942 to 1946. After the war, the airfield and associated infrastructure was redeveloped into DeLand Municipal Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt-Read LBE</span> Type of aircraft

The Pratt-Read LBE-1 was a prototype glide bomb, or "Glomb", developed for the United States Navy during World War II. Although there were high hopes for the concept, the limitations of the Glomb led to the production contract for the LBE-1 being reduced, then cancelled, and only four examples of the type were ever built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylorcraft LBT</span> Type of aircraft

The Taylorcraft LBT was a glider designed and built by Taylorcraft during World War II, in response to a United States Navy requirement for a glide bomb. One of three prototype "Glomb" models ordered by the Navy, the LBT suffered from technical and performance difficulties, and was cancelled early in production, none of the aircraft seeing operational service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovelock Aerial Gunnery Range</span> Military region in Nevada, United States

Lovelock Aerial Gunnery Range was a World War II facility in two Nevada areas used for "aerial gunnery, strafing, dive bombing [and] rocket fire". By 21 November 1944, the Lovelock Range had been approved by the Secretary of the Navy to be developed for Naval Air Station Fallon, and on 13 January 1945, "Lovelock Air to Air" began when "leased under the Second War Powers Act". By February 1945, land was being acquired for the North Range in the Black Rock Desert which was 1,122 sq mi (2,910 km2) that included 64.4 sq mi (167 km2) of "Patented" land. The South Range in the Granite Springs Valley was 2,436 sq mi (6,310 km2), and in March 1945 "1920 Acres more" were added.

Naval Auxiliary Air Station Martha's Vineyard was a United States Navy facility located in Edgartown and West Tisbury, Massachusetts operational from 1943 to 1946. It existed as an auxiliary air facility of Naval Air Station Quonset Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">773 Naval Air Squadron</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Navys Fleet Air Arm

773 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) which was last active between September 1950 and March 1951. 773 Naval Air Squadron initially formed during June 1940, as a Fleet Requirements Unit in Bermuda, in support of ships on the North America and West Indies Station. It performed this role four almost four years and eventually disbanded, at Bermuda, in April 1944. The squadron reformed during June 1945 as a Service Trials Unit, at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent. Tasked with investigating pilotless aircraft as targets, it was known as the Pilotless Aircraft Unit (PAU). It moved to HMS Goldcrest II, RNAS Brawdy where it disbanded in September 1946. The squadron reformed at the start of 1949 as a Fleet Requirements Unit, out of 771 Naval Air Squadron, lasting around three months and repeated this at the start of 1950 and again at the end of 1950, into 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman</span>

The Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman, informally known as the Boardman Bombing Range, is a military installation south of Boardman, Oregon in the United States. It is used by NAS Whidbey Island as their principal training grounds for testing EA-18G Growler aircraft and for drone testing. It is located about 70 miles (110 km) south of the Yakima Training Center, which is used by Joint Base Lewis-McChord for training exercises and about 15 miles (24 km) west of the now closed Umatilla Chemical Depot.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Conclusions and recommendations for Sandy Neck Bomb target range" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-08-27.