Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne
Encyclopedia
Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne (MOTBY) was a U.S. military ocean terminal
located in the Port of New York and New Jersey
which operated from 1942 to 1999. The site is on Upper New York Bay
south of Port Jersey
on the eastern side of Bayonne
, New Jersey
. Since its closure it has undergone maritime, residential, commercial, and recreational mixed-use development
. Part of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway
runs along its perimeter.
and became interested in the site for a large dry-dock and supply center. The Bayonne military base was opened by the Navy in 1942 as a logistics and repair base, well connected to the transportation network of the Northeast Corridor
. After the war MOTBY became port for part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet or the Mothball Fleet.
In 1967, the peninsula became a US Army base. It was a large shipping terminal by the standards of the day, and had the largest dry-dock on the eastern seaboard. Once cargo arrived at MOTBY, it could be placed directly into covered warehouses, or onto uncovered, but fully secure staging areas. All types of cargo, from heavy, outsized weapons such as the M1A2 tank
and the Patriot missile
, to the full range of munitions available to fighting forces could be loaded by Bayonne's specially trained unionized work force using state of the art, dedicated rail lines. Every type of roll-on/roll-off vessel in the Military Sealift Command (MSC) inventory could be accommodated. This capability was used during the Persian Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991) and during operations in Somalia and Haiti. Dozens of military units (men and equipment) were shipped through MOTBY, as did as outsized cargo such as M1A2 tanks from as far as Fort Hood, Texas
. The facility closed in 1999 under a US Base Realignment and Closure
1995 directive.
, which had been decommissioned at the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in 1948, were unsuccessful. The long pier has since been renamed The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor by the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority (BLRA) and is being redeveloped into a mix-used waterfront community of residential, light industrial, commercial, and recreational space. Construction is planned to take place in phases, with one section of housing currently completed.
A memorial park for the Tear of Grief
, commemorating September 11th, 2001
and the Cape Liberty Cruise Port
are located at the end of the long pier. In 2005, eight PCC trolley
cars from the Newark City Subway were given to the Bayonne
to be rehabilitated and operated along a proposed 2.5 miles (4 km) loop to connect to the 34th Street station
of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
.
Much of the HBO prison drama Oz
was around MOTBY.
purchased 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) along the waterfront for future use. The Port Authority said it would likely not use the land for housing as currently zoned, indicating that additional port facilities would be created. On July 29, the city counsel approved the sale at a price of $235 million, to be paid out over 24 years, much less than the city had hoped to earn from developing the property for housing. However economic conditions were not favorable to that project, which envisioned 6,700 housing units, and the city needed the cash to balance its budget. The Port Authority is expected to develop the property as a container port that will be capable of handling the larger container ships to be in service once the new, wider Panama Canal
opens in 2014. Some of these new ships will not fit under the current Bayonne Bridge
, preventing them from reaching the large container facilities at Port Newark and Port Elizabeth. Transhipment of containers to the national rail network is possible via the National Docks Secondary
line using Lehigh Valley Railroad Bridge
over Newark Bay
, to the Long Dock Tunnel
through Bergen Hill
.
Originally, a condition of the land sale was that the monuments to United States Marines who fought in the Korean War
, and the 100 feet (30.5 m) Tear of Grief
would be relocated. However, the move is no longer planned.
Military Ocean Terminal
Military Ocean Terminals are operated by the U.S. Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command for distribution of surface cargo from storage and repair depots to military forward based units.-Current facilities:...
located in the Port of New York and New Jersey
Port of New York and New Jersey
The Port of New York and New Jersey comprises the waterways in the estuary of the New York-Newark metropolitan area with a port district encompassing an approximate area within a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument...
which operated from 1942 to 1999. The site is on Upper New York Bay
Upper New York Bay
Upper New York Bay, or Upper Bay, is the traditional heart of the Port of New York and New Jersey, and often called New York Harbor. It is enclosed by the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island and the Hudson County, New Jersey municipalities of Jersey City and Bayonne.It...
south of Port Jersey
Port Jersey
Port Jersey is an intermodal freight transport facility that includes a container terminal located on the Upper New York Bay in the Port of New York and New Jersey. The municipal border of the Hudson County, New Jersey cities of Jersey City and Bayonne runs along the long pier extending into the bay...
on the eastern side of Bayonne
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Since its closure it has undergone maritime, residential, commercial, and recreational mixed-use development
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
. Part of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway
Hudson River Waterfront Walkway
The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as the Hudson River Walkway, is an ongoing and incomplete project located on Kill van Kull and the western shore of Upper New York Bay and the Hudson River, implemented as part of a New Jersey state-mandated master plan to connect the municipalities...
runs along its perimeter.
History
In 1932, a basic plan was initiated to build a port terminal off the east coast of Bayonne into the bay to create additional industrial, maritime, and distribution space. After the plan was completed in 1939, dredging and filling began. At the outbreak of World War II, the United States Navy was looking for a location for a port on the East CoastEast Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
and became interested in the site for a large dry-dock and supply center. The Bayonne military base was opened by the Navy in 1942 as a logistics and repair base, well connected to the transportation network of the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
. After the war MOTBY became port for part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet or the Mothball Fleet.
In 1967, the peninsula became a US Army base. It was a large shipping terminal by the standards of the day, and had the largest dry-dock on the eastern seaboard. Once cargo arrived at MOTBY, it could be placed directly into covered warehouses, or onto uncovered, but fully secure staging areas. All types of cargo, from heavy, outsized weapons such as the M1A2 tank
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
and the Patriot missile
MIM-104 Patriot
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company of the United States. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium...
, to the full range of munitions available to fighting forces could be loaded by Bayonne's specially trained unionized work force using state of the art, dedicated rail lines. Every type of roll-on/roll-off vessel in the Military Sealift Command (MSC) inventory could be accommodated. This capability was used during the Persian Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991) and during operations in Somalia and Haiti. Dozens of military units (men and equipment) were shipped through MOTBY, as did as outsized cargo such as M1A2 tanks from as far as Fort Hood, Texas
Fort Hood, Texas
Fort Hood is a United States military post located outside of Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. It islocated halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas....
. The facility closed in 1999 under a US Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
1995 directive.
Redevelopment plans
After closure, bids to permanently berth the battleship USS New JerseyUSS New Jersey
USS New Jersey may refer to one of the following ships of the United States Navy named after the U.S. state of New Jersey:, a battleship commissioned in 1906, decommissioned in 1920, and sunk in 1923 in bombing tests, a battleship commissioned in 1943, seeing service in World War II, Korean War,...
, which had been decommissioned at the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in 1948, were unsuccessful. The long pier has since been renamed The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor by the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority (BLRA) and is being redeveloped into a mix-used waterfront community of residential, light industrial, commercial, and recreational space. Construction is planned to take place in phases, with one section of housing currently completed.
A memorial park for the Tear of Grief
Tear of Grief
To the Struggle Against World Terrorism is a 10-story-high sculpture by Zurab Tsereteli that was given to the United States as an official gift of the Russian government as a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing...
, commemorating September 11th, 2001
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
and the Cape Liberty Cruise Port
Cape Liberty Cruise Port
The Cape Liberty Cruise Port , sometimes called Port Liberty, in Bayonne, New Jersey is one of three trans-Atlantic passenger terminals in New York Harbor...
are located at the end of the long pier. In 2005, eight PCC trolley
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
cars from the Newark City Subway were given to the Bayonne
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
to be rehabilitated and operated along a proposed 2.5 miles (4 km) loop to connect to the 34th Street station
34th Street (HBLR station)
34th Street is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail located at Avenue E and East 34th Street in Bayonne, New Jersey.The station opened on April 22, 2000. Northbound service from the station is available to Hoboken Terminal...
of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail is a light rail system in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by New Jersey Transit and operated by the 21st Century Rail Corporation, it connects the communities of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City , and North Bergen.The system began...
.
Much of the HBO prison drama Oz
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
was around MOTBY.
Port Authority purchase
In 2010, the Port Authority of New York and New JerseyPort Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state port district, established in 1921 through an interstate compact, that runs most of the regional transportation infrastructure, including the bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, within the Port of New York and New Jersey...
purchased 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) along the waterfront for future use. The Port Authority said it would likely not use the land for housing as currently zoned, indicating that additional port facilities would be created. On July 29, the city counsel approved the sale at a price of $235 million, to be paid out over 24 years, much less than the city had hoped to earn from developing the property for housing. However economic conditions were not favorable to that project, which envisioned 6,700 housing units, and the city needed the cash to balance its budget. The Port Authority is expected to develop the property as a container port that will be capable of handling the larger container ships to be in service once the new, wider Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
opens in 2014. Some of these new ships will not fit under the current Bayonne Bridge
Bayonne Bridge
The Bayonne Bridge is the fourth longest steel arch bridge in the world, and was the longest in the world at the time of its completion. It connects Bayonne, New Jersey with Staten Island, New York, spanning the Kill Van Kull. Despite popular belief, it is not a national landmark.The bridge was...
, preventing them from reaching the large container facilities at Port Newark and Port Elizabeth. Transhipment of containers to the national rail network is possible via the National Docks Secondary
National Docks Secondary
National Docks Secondary is freight rail line within Conrail's North Jersey Shared Assets Area in Hudson County, New Jersey, used by CSX Transportation. It provides access to the national rail network to maritime, industrial, and distribution facilities at Port Jersey, the Military Ocean Terminal...
line using Lehigh Valley Railroad Bridge
Lehigh Valley Railroad Bridge
The Lehigh Valley Railroad Bridge is a vertical lift bridge spanning the Newark Bay in northeastern New Jersey. It is used by CSX Transportation travelling through the North Jersey Shared Assets Area of the United States rail network along the National Docks Secondary line. The bridge is just north...
over Newark Bay
Newark Bay
Newark Bay is a tidal bay at the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers in northeastern New Jersey. It is home to the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, the largest container shipping facility in Port of New York and New Jersey, 3rd largest and one of busiest in the United States...
, to the Long Dock Tunnel
Long Dock Tunnel
The Long Dock Tunnel is a tunnel in New Jersey that runs diagonally through Bergen Hill, a section of the New Jersey Palisades in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States...
through Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill
Bergen Hill refers to the lower Hudson Palisades in New Jersey, USA, where they emerge on Bergen Neck, which in turn is the peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson River, and their bays. In Hudson County, it reaches a height of 260 feet.-Rail:...
.
Originally, a condition of the land sale was that the monuments to United States Marines who fought in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, and the 100 feet (30.5 m) Tear of Grief
Tear of Grief
To the Struggle Against World Terrorism is a 10-story-high sculpture by Zurab Tsereteli that was given to the United States as an official gift of the Russian government as a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing...
would be relocated. However, the move is no longer planned.