Pier
Complex
The Station's Pier complex is one of the longest "finger piers"
in the world. It is presently comprised of a two-mile long trestle
which connects to three finger piers - which are Piers 2, 3, and
4. One
mile from the shore the trestle branches off to Pier 1. At the junction
of Piers 2, 3 and 4, a concrete platform exits which supports a
forklift/battery recharging shop and the port operations building.
This area is known as the "wye".
The
original piers and trestle were constructed in early 1940s. The
"wye" was constructed in 1981 and Pier 4 was completed in 1990,
and a new main approach was constructed in 1993. The original piers
and trestle were constructed of reinforced concerete slabs approximately
24 inches thick, and overlaid with an asphalt wearing surface. The
docks are supported by more than 41,000 timber piles. Elevated loading
platforms line both side of each pier. Pier 4 and the new Trestle
are constructed of pre-stressed concrete box girders topped by a
cast-in-place reinforced concrete deck, supported on precast concrete
pile caps and steel pipe piles.
Since
WWII the pier complex has provided ammunition services to almost
every class of vessel operated by the Navy and Coast Guard as
well as commercially owned vessels from a multitude of nations.
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