NAVAL WEAPONS STATION EARLE

'Naval Weapons Station Earle' is a United States Navy base on Sandy Hook Bay in New Jersey.
Naval Weapons Station Earle's history began in 1943, when a pressing need developed for an ammunition depot in the greater New York metropolitan area to support the war effort. A board was established to locate a suitable site, and chose Earle's present location in New Jersey because it offered many advantages. The location provided ships with a safe and operationally advantageous port to take on ammunition, and it also had access to commercial rail facilities with lines coming from the west, where the majority of ammunition shipments originated. The rural location of the site also allowed for minimal dislocation of the local population.
On August 2, 1943, construction began on what was to be Naval Ammunition Depot Earle, named after Rear Admiral Ralph Earle, the Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance during World War I. The depot was commissioned on December 13, 1943, though much additional work was still required in building the military road and railway connecting mainside complex, the waterfront complex and the pier.
The pier stretches 2.2 miles into the Sandy Hook Bay and comprises 2.9 miles of pier / trestle surface area. Earle continued to develop after World War II, keeping pace with the changing needs of the Navy. In 1974, Earle's name was officially changed to Naval Weapons Station Earle. The Station is divided into two sections: Mainside, located in Colts Neck Township, and the Waterfront Area (which includes the pier complex), on Sandy Hook Bay, located in the Leonardo section of Middletown Township. Both areas are connected by Normandy Road, a 15-mile military road and rail line.
School-aged children at Naval Weapons Station Earle in grades K through 8 attend the schools of the Tinton Falls School District. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls, part of the Monmouth Regional High School District.

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Facilities

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Facilities

★ 'Mainside'—The 10,000+ acres in Colts Neck, house the majority of Earle's departments and facilities. The Atlantic Ordnance Command, Detachment Earle perform the station's primary mission—storing and providing ammunition to the fleet. An integrated work force of military and civilian personnel operate the inland storage, renovation, transshipment and demilitarization facilities.

★ 'Waterfront'—At the Waterfront complex, the Atlantic Ordnance Command provides ammunition for nearly every class of ship operated by the United States Navy and Coast Guard as well as commercial vessels from other countries.

★ 'Pier Complex'—The Station's Pier complex is one of the longest "finger piers" in the world. It is presently comprised of a two-mile long trestle which connects to three finger piers—which are Piers 2, 3, and 4. One mile from the shore the trestle branches off to Pier 1. At the junction of Piers 2, 3 and 4, a concrete platform exists which supports a forklift/battery recharging shop and the port operations building. This area is known as the "wye".

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★ NWS Earle