Absecon Inlet is a narrow

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

on the southeastern

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, United States.''Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition'', pp. 3-4. Brigantine NJ from 47th floor of Revel Atlantic City

Geography

Absecon Inlet leads from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

through

barrier islands Barrier islands are a coastal landform, a type of dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few is ...

Atlantic County Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county,Absecon Island Absecon Island is a barrier island located on the South Jersey Shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. On the island from north to south are the resort communities of Atlantic City, Ventnor City, Margate City, ...

, on which lies

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

, New Jersey. Absecon Lighthouse is south of the inlet and overlooks it from the north end of Absecon Island. Brigantine Island is to the north and east. The Brigantine Bridge carries New Jersey Route 87 over the inlet. Absecon Inlet separates

Absecon Island Absecon Island is a barrier island located on the South Jersey Shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. On the island from north to south are the resort communities of Atlantic City, Ventnor City, Margate City, ...

from Brigantine Island, and including its continuation, Absecon Channel, connects Absecon Bay and Reeds Bay with the Atlantic Ocean. Absecon Inlet was described in 1878, ''viz''.,

Namesakes

Two

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

ships—the

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

USS ''Absecon'', in use briefly in 1918, and the

aircraft catapult An aircraft catapult is a device used to help fixed-wing aircraft gain enough airspeed and lift for takeoff from a limited distance, typically from the deck of a ship. They are usually used on aircraft carrier flight decks as a form of assist ...

training ship USS ''Absecon'', in commission from 1943 to 1947—and the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

cutter USCGC ''Absecon'', in commission from 1949 to 1972, were named for Absecon Inlet.

Notes

References

*''Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary'', Third Edition. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1997. . * (See ship namesake paragraph.) Inlets of New Jersey Straits of New Jersey Bodies of water of Atlantic County, New Jersey {{AtlanticCountyNJ-geo-stub