517:, and is the property of the State of Mississippi. It is about sixty miles [97 km] from New Orleans, nearly the same distance from the Northeast Pass, at the mouth of the Mississippi River, forty miles from Mobile, and ninety from Fort Pickens. It lies between Horn Island on the east and Cat Island on the west, and is distant about five miles [8 km] from each. Some ten or twelve miles [19 km] to the north, on the mainland of Mississippi, are the towns of Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Gulfport. These towns are favorite summer resorts for the wealthy planters and merchants of the Gulf States, and, in consequence of a bar off their shore, are now the places of refuge for rebel gun-boats.
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506:. They left Massachusetts in the steamer Constitution; their embarkation was duly illustrated in Harper's Weekly at the time. On 3d inst., as we said, they arrived at their destination, landed, and occupied the island without molestation. It is understood that they are to be followed by other troops, on whose arrival operations will be commenced against Mobile or New Orleans, or both. The following account of Ship Island will, with our illustrations, enable our readers to understand the importance of the movement:
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sleeping quarters for
National Park Service staff, public restrooms and showers, and the public concessions building. Fort Massachusetts received minimal damage and was soon reopened to the public. The pier and boardwalk were rebuilt as well. Temporary restrooms and a small concessions trailer were on the island while new facilities were rebuilt. The reproduction of the 1886 lighthouse was reduced to rubble.
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hourly expecting sixteen more very heavy guns from
Pensacola. Besides this, Captain Manning's battery has landed five of their steel rifled cannon, with the Sawyer projectile. There were six of these guns on board the Constitution, but unfortunately, one of them was lost overboard in removing them from the transport. It is hoped that they will be able to recover it, as a buoy floats right over the spot where
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km] in width. The harbor is safe for the most dangerous storms in the Gulf—those from the eastward, southward and eastward, and southward—and might be easily entered during these storms without a pilot if good light-houses were placed in proper positions. The rise and fall of the tide is only from twelve to fourteen inches [31-36 cm].
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399: (the French phrase for "Ship Island") due to its protected deepwater anchorage. After New Orleans was founded (1718) to the west, the island served as the principal port of entry from Europe for French colonists from 1720 until 1724. The island was given to Great Britain by France at the end of the
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This fort, which is situated on the sand spit at the extreme western end of the island, is nearly circular in shape, somewhat resembling a pear in form. As I have stated elsewhere, its construction was commenced by the
Federal Government, and when in a state of considerable progress was burned by the
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In April 2009, the rebuilding of the island's ranger station, restrooms, visitor center and snack bar washed away by
Hurricane Katrina began and was scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2009. As part of this rehabilitation, parts of Fort Massachusetts damaged by Hurricane Katrina are also being
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The rebels built eleven casemates, and our forces have built two more since they have occupied the fort. The casemates are bomb-proof. The fort is at present but one tier high. It is provided with
Dahlgren's 9-inch [229 mm] shell guns of very heavy calibre and in perfect order, and they are
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The island possesses a very superior harbor, into which nineteen feet can be carried at ordinarily low water. It is situated north of the west end of the island. The anchorage, with water equal to the depth on the bar, is five miles long [8 km], and averages three and a quarter miles [5
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Ship Island is somewhat undulating, and extends in a slight curve about seven miles [11 km] east-northeast and west-southwest. At West Point (the western end), where the fort is located, the island is little more than an eighth of a mile wide and is a mere sand spit, utterly barren of grass
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almost completely submerged East Ship Island. West Ship Island received most of the developed property damage as
Katrina's 30-foot (9.1 m) tidal surge wiped out the visitor and employee facilities on the island, as well as the island's pier and boardwalk. These facilities included offices and
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charted Ship Island on 10 February 1699, which he used as a base of operations in discovering 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
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split the island into two separate islands (West Ship Island and East Ship Island) in 1969. In early 2019, the US Army Corps of
Engineers completed the first stage of a project rejoining the two islands and recreating one Ship Island. Ship Island is the site of
626:. Scientists had a difficult time finding the island. The eastern half of the island had completely disappeared, leaving only parts of the western half. It is unknown whether the island was eroded by Hurricane Ike, or if erosion occurred when
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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 a fort on the island began in 1859, and continued up to the
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The whole island contains a fraction less than two square miles of territory. Excellent water can be obtained in unlimited supply by sinking a barrel anywhere on the place. The great advantage of this is too palpable to require
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12 miles (19 km) out to the island for a fee. Ship Island
Excursions has been running boats to the island since before the National Park Service acquired the island. Today, they are an official Park Service Concession.
361:, the island served as a vital anchorage for ships bearing explorers, colonists, sailors, soldiers, defenders and invaders. The French, Spanish, British, Confederate and Union flags have all flown over Ship Island.
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led by Colonel Nathan W. Daniels), a unit composed of African-American soldiers. On July 9, 1861, a twenty-minute cannon exchange between Confederates in Fort Twiggs and the screw steamer
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with its 30-foot (9.1 m) tidal surge cut Ship Island into two distinct islands, to form East Ship Island and West Ship Island. The gap was known as the Camille Cut.
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in honor of the Union warship which had seized the abandoned outpost. Construction on Fort Massachusetts was halted in 1866, although the fort was not fully completed.
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Ship Island is accessible through private or chartered boat. It is also accessible by a privately owned ferry boat company, Ship Island Excursions, running from
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rebels, who afterward rebuilt and then abandoned it. It is of brick and rendered bomb-proof by sand-bags placed five or six feet deep in front of the walls.
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or foliage of any kind. This eastern end, or East Point, is about three-quarters of a mile in width and is well wooded with pine, cedar, and live-oak.
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used the island for anti-submarine beach patrol. In 1942, the Army Air Corps used the quarantine station as a military recreation facility, as did
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In 1858, Mississippi passed legislation that gave jurisdiction over the island to the United States government. After the war,
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In early 2019, the US Army Corps of Engineers completed the project to rejoin the two islands, eliminating Camille Cut.
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In 1999, Friends of Gulf Islands National Seashore dedicated a commemorative reproduction of the 1886 wooden lighthouse.
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In 1886, a wooden lighthouse was built to replace the brick lighthouse erected in 1853, which was damaged by waves.
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Today, Ship Island serves as a tourist destination. Activities include fishing, swimming, and tours of
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station. The fort closed in 1903, and the quarantine station was placed on reserve status in 1916.
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Ship Island (right) before (April 2001, bottom) and after (September 2005, top) Hurricane Katrina.
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Aerial view of previously divided Ship Island, looking east (with West Ship Island in foreground)
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Accompanying Harper's Weekly January 4, 1862 illustration of Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts.
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FORT MASSACHUSETTS, of which we give an illustration, is thus described in the Herald letter:
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when the Confederates named the uncompleted structure Fort Twiggs after Confederate General
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Ship Island's 1886 wooden lighthouse. It was accidentally burned down in 1972 by campers.
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813:"Hancock County, Then and Now", Hancock County Historical Society, 2010, webpage:
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In 1972, the original 1886 wooden lighthouse was accidentally burned down by campers.
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In 1853, the island's first lighthouse was built. It was made of brick and mortar.
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with a fleet of fifty British warships and 10,000 soldiers in preparations for the
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782:"Ship Island off Mississippi Coast is one island again | Biloxi Sun Herald"
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encircled the island in an attempt to protect it from oil leaking from the
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Ship Island, Mississippi: Rosters and History of the Civil War Prison
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mercenaries on nearby islands for paramilitary invasion of Cuba.
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and the island was used as a launching point for British forces.
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Island in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States of America
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892:"After Hurricane Ike, Finding the Coastline Rearranged, Again"
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On the top of civil war era Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island.
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Ship Island before (top) and after (below) Hurricane Katrina.
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Historical map of the changing geomorphology of Ship Island
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In 1880, the island was designated as the country's first
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SHIP ISLAND was occupied by the advance-guard of General
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Ship Island's original brick and mortar 1853 lighthouse.
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fortification. Part of the island is included in the
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In 2008, Ship Island was surveyed just 2 weeks after
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463:. The island later became a prison for Confederate
67:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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1020:Gulf Islands National Seashore - Official NPS site
440:anchored at Ship Island to discourage assembly of
407:, Great Britain transferred the island to Spain.
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608:washed away a mile of East Ship Island's beach.
1229:Protected areas of Harrison County, Mississippi
986:"Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast"
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467:, and a base for the U.S. Second Regiment (
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353:Having the only deep-water harbor between
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1244:Landforms of Harrison County, Mississippi
127:Learn how and when to remove this message
827:Theresa Arnold-Scriber, Terry G. Scriber
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32:Ship Island, Newfoundland and Labrador
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403:in 1763. In 1783, at the end of the
65:adding citations to reliable sources
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1056:Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands
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550:it fell. —
318:Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands
254:Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands
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410:The United States, as part of the
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488:The January 4, 1862, edition of
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1178:Fort Massachusetts (Mississippi)
870:Louisiana State University Press
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698:Entrance to Fort Massachusetts.
52:needs additional citations for
1239:Gulf Islands National Seashore
1214:Barrier islands of Mississippi
1137:Gulf Islands National Seashore
968:Gulf Islands National Seashore
946:Gulf Islands National Seashore
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481:In 1862, the fort was renamed
414:, claimed the island in 1810.
395:In 1702, the island was named
335:Gulf Islands National Seashore
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890:Dean, Cornelia (2008-09-23).
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30:For the Canadian island, see
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1234:Deepwater Horizon oil spill
643:Deepwater Horizon oil spill
509:Ship Island is situated in
369:Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
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862:The Civil War in Louisiana
630:hit just 2 weeks earlier.
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736:(right-click to enlarge).
732:(center right), south of
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18:Ship Island (Mississippi)
1224:American Civil War sites
839:McFarland & Company
494:describes Ship Island:
469:Louisiana Native Guards
1015:Ship Island Excursions
990:NASA Earth Observatory
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581:Keesler Air Force Base
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513:and a little north of
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329:(built 1859–66), as a
972:National Park Service
964:"Centuries of Change"
950:National Park Service
742:Gulfport, Mississippi
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431:Battle of New Orleans
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1219:History of Louisiana
942:"Ship Island People"
61:improve this article
792:on 20 February 2019
684:Fort Massachusetts.
405:American Revolution
230: /
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897:The New York Times
763:Mississippi portal
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710:Fort Massachusetts
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483:Fort Massachusetts
423:Alexander Cochrane
412:Louisiana Purchase
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327:Fort Massachusetts
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1158:Petit Bois Island
1148:Santa Rosa Island
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1090:Petit Bois Island
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786:www.sunherald.com
639:containment booms
616:Hurricane Katrina
606:Hurricane Georges
588:Hurricane Camille
397:Ile aux Vaisseaux
359:Mississippi River
322:Hurricane Camille
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234:30.217°N 88.917°W
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76:"Ship Island"
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72:Find sources:
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50:This article
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19:
1183:Fort Pickens
998:. Retrieved
994:the original
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953:. Retrieved
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925:. Retrieved
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901:. Retrieved
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880:, pp. 49-50.
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331:Third System
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59:Please help
54:verification
51:
1168:Ship Island
1163:Horn Island
1153:Perdido Key
1085:Horn Island
1080:(submerged)
1072:Ship Island
866:Baton Rouge
577:Coast Guard
419:War of 1812
314:Mississippi
302:Ship Island
282:Mississippi
250:Archipelago
237: /
213:Coordinates
188:Ship Island
140:Ship Island
1208:Categories
1193:Fort McRee
1173:Cat Island
1067:Cat Island
1000:2006-05-03
977:2006-05-03
955:2006-05-03
903:2010-05-23
796:17 January
749:References
704:Activities
634:repaired.
563:quarantine
478:occurred.
442:Filibuster
427:Cat Island
355:Mobile Bay
310:Gulf Coast
87:newspapers
604:In 1998,
586:In 1969,
583:in 1955.
473:USS
457:Civil War
438:U.S. Navy
367:explorer
200:Geography
117:July 2019
922:Wlox.com
872:, 1963,
841:, 2012,
525:comment.
452:Congress
357:and the
308:off the
205:Location
927:28 July
571:During
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