Camp Wellfleet
Encyclopedia
Camp Wellfleet is a former United States military training camp. It occupies about 1738 acres (7 km²) of land located along the Atlantic Ocean
in the Town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The 548th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (75mm Gun) used the Camp for a firing range from 1954-1956. The majority of the site (1,688.8 acres) is owned and maintained by the National Park Service
, as the administrator of the Cape Cod National Seashore
. The Town of Wellfleet owns a portion (49.2 acres) of the site. It was officially opened on March 19, 1943.
also conducted several surface removal clearances prior to property transfer. In the 40 years since the military used the property, various ordnance items, including anti-aircraft projectiles, bazooka rounds, smoke grenades, and small arms ammunition have been recovered. The majority of this was found along the beach and dune areas due to wave action and erosion. The property was used by the Army as an anti-aircraft training center from 1942 to 1944. In 1944, the United States Navy
obtained a permit to use a portion of the property as a temporary bomb target. The Navy returned the site to the Army in 1947, and after World War II
it was used as a training center for guardsmen and reservists.
by President John F. Kennedy
to establish the Cape Cod National Seashore
. The periodic discovery of ordnance in beach areas heavily used by the general public, coupled with the potentially large volume of ordnance suspected to be at the site, resulted in the Corps’ initiation of an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) at the site.
and anti-aircraft rounds on the beach today. Recently a helicopter was flown overhead to find ammunition and duds that might someday turn up.
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in the Town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The 548th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (75mm Gun) used the Camp for a firing range from 1954-1956. The majority of the site (1,688.8 acres) is owned and maintained by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, as the administrator of the Cape Cod National Seashore
Cape Cod National Seashore
The Cape Cod National Seashore , created on August 7, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, encompasses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion...
. The Town of Wellfleet owns a portion (49.2 acres) of the site. It was officially opened on March 19, 1943.
Military Use
For almost 19 years, the former Camp Wellfleet property was used by the U.S. Government for military training purposes. The United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
also conducted several surface removal clearances prior to property transfer. In the 40 years since the military used the property, various ordnance items, including anti-aircraft projectiles, bazooka rounds, smoke grenades, and small arms ammunition have been recovered. The majority of this was found along the beach and dune areas due to wave action and erosion. The property was used by the Army as an anti-aircraft training center from 1942 to 1944. In 1944, the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
obtained a permit to use a portion of the property as a temporary bomb target. The Navy returned the site to the Army in 1947, and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was used as a training center for guardsmen and reservists.
National Park Usage
In 1961, the site was declared excess and conveyed to the United States Department of the InteriorUnited States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
by President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
to establish the Cape Cod National Seashore
Cape Cod National Seashore
The Cape Cod National Seashore , created on August 7, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, encompasses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion...
. The periodic discovery of ordnance in beach areas heavily used by the general public, coupled with the potentially large volume of ordnance suspected to be at the site, resulted in the Corps’ initiation of an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) at the site.
Site Today
It is not uncommon to find bazookaBazooka
Bazooka is the common name for a man-portable recoilless rocket antitank weapon, widely fielded by the U.S. Army. Also referred to as the "Stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was amongst the first-generation of rocket propelled anti-tank weapons used in infantry combat...
and anti-aircraft rounds on the beach today. Recently a helicopter was flown overhead to find ammunition and duds that might someday turn up.
See also
- South Weymouth Naval Air Station
- Nomans Land
- Otis Air Force Base
- SS James LongstreetSS James LongstreetSS James Longstreet was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II at a cost of $1,833,400. She was named after the Confederate general James Longstreet....
External links
- Official Site
- http://www.newenglandexplorations.com/capecodprojects/campwellfleet.html
- http://undergroundozarks.com/blog/sertile/index.php/2007/07/10/camp_wellfleet_freshbrook_village
- http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2005/03/17/1/?nc=1