What are those posts / pilings in the bay east of the 331 bridge?

[AAbsolute]

Check it out BlueMtnRunner

I'm attaching a link to an environmental study. Apparently there are UXO (unexploded ordinance) in the area you mentioned in Choctawhatchee Bay. In the attached study on page 7 that area with the poles in the Bay is called area D55. Several military references say that indeed the area was used for a military practice range during World War II.

http://www.eglin.af.mil/shared/media/document/afd-081016-059.pdf

 

[AAbsolute]

There's more about the military testing in that area in the attached report. Page 1 is rather imposing. It kinda makes me want to vote for McCain.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/budget/fy2004/army/rvol1.pdf

 

[ASH]

I saw the area shown on the map, but nothing about the UXO. Too many pages to read the whole thing. I scanned it fairly good though, or so I thought.
I just wish someone would pull together an informational piece for anyone interested. If there are UXO, I would hope that area is labeled so folks don't go in there with boats and drop an anchor in the wrong spot. :shock:

Thanks for the info

 

[florida girl]

Those posts were put up in the 50's, and used to have satellite dishes on them. It was a military operation. It is rather dangerous to get close to them as some of the posts have broken off just below the waters surface.

 

[AAbsolute]

I saw the area shown on the map, but nothing about the UXO. Too many pages to read the whole thing. I scanned it fairly good though, or so I thought.
I just wish someone would pull together an informational piece for anyone interested. If there are UXO, I would hope that area is labeled so folks don't go in there with boats and drop an anchor in the wrong spot. :shock:

Thanks for the info

These military documents are overly cumbersome. I'll try and attach some relevant pages.

 

[beachmouse]

There's a restaurant at the BW marina that decorated its tables by putting nautical navigational charts down and then clear laminate over them. I can remember a couple different 'here be the dragons and UXB' parts of Choctaw Bay labeled on the relevant chart when we ate at that table.

 

[AAbsolute]

I added some details of Unexploded Ordinance in that area in my last post. There's quite a bit of military data on it, but I had such a hard time copying the text from the reports.

 

[AAbsolute]

Maybe they'll find some of the UXO's when they add lanes to the bridge. That area D-55 looks like it is real close to the East side of the 331 bridge and runs almost straight towards it. One would assume overshots of that target would put ordinance at or near the North foundation.

 

[Abby Prentiss]

Record pinpoints pilings place in history | friends, pilings, amazing - MYSTERY SOLVED - WaltonSun.com

But finally my friend Timothy Mahar, historian, and map enthusiast, nailed the solution to the mystery. Somehow he found the clue, did research and has the official verification of why the pilings were initially placed in such an orderly array. He was so thorough that he came across the actual data that gave the positive proof of when the pilings were placed in the back of the bay.​

It must be remembered that when the pilings were sunk in a parallel formation the back bay was all but uninhabited except for a few cottages.​

Tim, plus his contact have graciously given permission for the official release, seen below.
______
2.2 HISTORY OF THE FORMULATION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Test area D-55 is an air-to-ground radar resolution test facility installed in May 1959 and is currently inactive. It is located in Choctawhatchee Bay and originally consisted of 25 arrays of 2,040 omnidirectional radar corner reflectors., each mounted on a creosote ?treated wood piling extending above water (Figure 1-2). Most of the reflectors are reported to be missing with wood pilings remaining onsite . (Eglin AFB, 1993).
______​

So there it is, May 1959 is the date.​

The ?figure 1-2? was not shown on the document received so we don?t have clear picture of how they looked from the air. Obviously it was used for other practice maneuvers, but it?s so sweet to get real verification on mystery sites about our county.​

 

[Geo]

Very nice. I remember this thread vividly and love that after all that time we have confirmation of what the pilings were there for. Thx!!!