Boca Chica "Submarine Pens"

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Many of you who were stationed in Key West have heard of, or been to the area referred to as the "Submarine Pens" near D Battery.

I recently heard from one of the individuals who was with D battery when it came down from Fort Meade during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October, 1962.

This individual tells me that D Battery initially set up in this area prior to moving their equipment to an area near C battery's permanent site.

Prior to October 1962, the Navy in Key West had planned to build dependent housing North of the Naval Air Station. The area would be a combination of housing on ordinary lots as well as houses which would be waterfront property for those who could afford to own a boat,.....or not.

The large basin and canals were dredged out and the dredged material used to build a large breakwater on the West side of the basin. All the additional dredged material was spread out between the Southernmost canal and the Boca Chica viaduct connecting the Naval Air Station to Stock Island.

This area was marked off with lines which would later be streets on each side of which housing would be built. The Cuban Missile Crisis effectively killed the housing project.

The D Battery personnel lived in tent huts in this area for the next two years while awaiting the completion of their permanent site as well as the 727 Army barracks building at the Naval Air Station. There was even a mess hall built in the temporary area.

The dredged area would later be used for fishing, diving, dumping of cars and other items which were no longer wanted. Over the years, people forgot about the intended use of the area and began speculating about the "real" use of the area.

As with most stories, they are embellished every time they are told. The boat canals soon became WW2 submarine pens. There is another dredged out area just to the West of D battery's permanent site.

This dredged area is not connected to the large basin nor does it have access to open water. The dredged material from this area was used to build the missile launcher berms in D battery's permanent site.

(text from bit.ly/bsNpbS)