Posts Tagged:Military History

Throwback Thursday — The Tin Fish of Fort Pond Bay

Throwback Thursday — The Tin Fish of Fort Pond Bay

Two years into World War II, “tin fish,” a non-threatening nickname for torpedoes, became the prevailing fish running in Montauk’s Fort Pond Bay. What was once a bustling fishing village, still in recovery from the 1938 hurricane, was now occupied by a US Naval Torpedo Testing Range.  The US Navy started construction of the torpedo… Read more »

Throwback Thursday — Buffalo Soldiers at Camp Wikoff

Throwback Thursday — Buffalo Soldiers at Camp Wikoff

  It was August 1898 when Camp Wikoff opened to what quickly grew to be more than 20,000 sickened, injured, and weakened soldiers returning from the Spanish-American War. A hastily created patchwork of tents and infirmaries blanketed virtually all of Montauk, from Fort Pond Bay to Ditch Plains to Third House. It was intended to… Read more »

Throwback Thursday — Montauk’s Air Force Station

Throwback Thursday — Montauk’s Air Force Station

The Montauk Air Force Station operated from 1951 to 1981. Previously, the property had been used as a World War II coastal defense station disguised as a coastal fishing village. Subsequently, most was absorbed into Camp Hero State Park or used by the town for affordable housing. Originally from Pennsylvania, Ed Crasky had served as… Read more »