Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) is one of the largest military terminals in the world. It serves as a transfer point between rail, trucks, and ships for the import and export of weapons, ammunition, explosives and military equipment for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and is operated by the 596th Transportation Brigade.

Facility description

The terminal lies between the small town of Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina, and the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a blackwater river in east-central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River in the town of ...

a few miles upstream of

Fort Johnston (North Carolina) Fort Johnston was a British fort, later a United States Army post, in Brunswick County, North Carolina on Moore Street near Southport, North Carolina. It stands on the west bank of the Cape Fear River, four miles above its mouth. Colonial Be ...

and the small city of Southport, North Carolina. Built in 1951 and opened in 1955, the facility is situated on an Army-owned site on the banks of the Cape Fear River in Brunswick and New Hanover counties of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

approximately south of

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

. An additional was set aside on Pleasure Island (location of Carolina, Kure, and Fort Fisher beaches) as a buffer zone around the facility. The terminal is not an open post and access is restricted. The wharfs are also restricted and not accessible to the public (no landing or docking). The Cape Fear River directly in front of the wharfs is restricted and non-military traffic is restricted to transit only (no anchoring). The port can handle up to 6 ships simultaneously and features large cranes for loading and unloading vessels. A network of of railroad tracks move munitions and supplies around the facility.

History

The earliest known use of the area dates to 1725 when George Burrington operated a plantation following his first term as colonial governor of the then

Province of North Carolina The Province of North Carolina, originally known as the Albemarle Settlements, was a proprietary colony and later royal colony of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776.(p. 80) It was one of the five Southern col ...

. It later was known as Snows Point when owned by rice planter Robert Snow. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the area hosted an artillery battery protecting the

. Its isolation, few structures and access to deep water made it an ideal location as an ammunition transfer point. Sunny Point military logistics center was built in 1951 and opened in 1955.Bryan Mims
Secrets of Sunny Point.
Our State: Celebrating North Carolina. The port has transferred munitions to every major armed conflict since it was established. The facility was especially active during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

with up to six ships being simultaneously loaded. 466,000 tons of cargo was transferred through MOTSU during the

Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

References

External links

Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point Brunswick County, NC
{{NCMilitary, state=collapsed Buildings and structures in Brunswick County, North Carolina Cape Fear (region) Military installations in North Carolina Transportation in Brunswick County, North Carolina

Facility description

History

See also

References

External links