Into the 21st Century
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The Amphibians Arrive

Into the 21st Century, also, The Amphibians Arrive. Welcome to Fort Story. , Into the 21st Century , The entrance to the Chesapeake Bay at Cape Henry provides realistic and challenging training conditions across a broad spectrum of vital joint conventional and unconventional war-fighting skills. As the Army's primary Joint Logistics-Over-The-Shore (JLOTS) training site, Cape Henry offers variable tides and currents in both the bay and the ocean. it also offers broad beaches, dunes and coastal inland areas for training all of the military services., The quality of life for Fort Story families continues to be upgraded. Through renovation and construction, the residential communities initiative has resulted in a total of 250 homes for officer and enlisted military personnel. The Cape Henry Inn and Beach Club is an Armed Forces Recreation Center facility providing year-round accommodations for military personnel., In 2007, both Fort Story and the adjacent First Landing State Park hosted a number of successful events in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of the landing of the English colonists at Cape Henry., The main Army unit on post is the 11th Transportation Battalion assigned to the 7th Sustainment Brigade at Fort Eustis. The battalion conducts cargo transfer operations to include air, sea, rail and highway terminal. It can also conduct multi-modal transportation operations to include JLOTS operations. The battalion and assigned companies have recently supported Operation Iraqi Freedom. Both Army and Navy reserve units also train at Fort Story., After 30 years at Cape Henry, the U.S. Marine Corps relocated its basic reconnaissance course and replaced it with the USMC Training and Advisory Group to provide support for the Global War on Terrorism., The U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Training and Evaluation Unit 2 conducts training and evaluation for the Navy EOD forces. SEALs from Naval Special Warfare Group 2 use the beaches and waters off Cape Henry for training. The close quarter combat training range on post also supports SEAL training., In the future, Fort Story will continue to protect the environment and provide training areas for both conventional and special operation forces., [Captions:] , HHD, 11th Transportation Battalion Soldiers of Task Force 11 perform pre-combat checks in preparation for convoy operations in Camp Adder near Talil, Iraq., 11th Transportation Battalion distinctive unit insignia., U.S. Army Humvee on patrol in Iraq in 2007., A Navy diver makes a splash as he enters the water to oversee MK-16 MOD I dive training being held at Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training and Evaluation Unit (EODTEU) 2 at Fort Story. Ongoing training such as this is essential to the U.S. Navy., Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Units 2, 4, 6, and 8, as well as Naval Coastal Warfare's Maritime Interdiction Teams, take part in a helicopter rope suspension training/cast master certification course. Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) fast-rope exercises are a part of EODTEU 2 training curriculum., The Amphibians Arrive , In July 1946, the 425th Amphibious Truck Company was activated at Fort Story. The U.S. Army realigned the mission at Cape Henry from coastal artillery to the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. The DUKW amphibious vehicle, which had served well in World War II, was assigned to the company. Commonly called the "Duck," the vehicle was built on a two-and-a-half ton truck chassis and moved on land and water with no special preparations. The amphibious force quickly grew to battalion and command strength and assumed the main mission on the post. During the Ash Wednesday Storm in 1962, the DUKW vehicles were called upon to assist in the evacuation of residents in nearby Virginia Beach., The family of amphibious vehicles changed over time, with the workhorse DUKW being phased out in favor of the more modern second generation LARC (Lighter, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo) vehicles. The LARC V, LARC XV, and LARC LX were used to transfer cargo from vessels offshore to shore unloading points. The Army used the beaches and inland training areas at Fort Story in a series of Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore (JLOTS) exercises. The last LARC LX served until 2001 when it was phased out of the inventory., The Lighter, Amphibian, Air Cushion Vehicle (LACV-30) was the third generation of amphibious vehicles to replace the LARC family. It was designed to ride on a four foot cushion of air over the water and over land. A completely new modern facility, including a flyway into the water, was built on the western portion of the post to accommodate these vehicles. The LACV was a noisy and maintenance-intensive vehicle and the Army determined to retire the hovercraft from the inventory. The era of amphibious vehicles which had started at Cape Henry in 1946 had come to an end., [Captions:] , This is an aerial view of an off-load exercise during JLOTS II in September and October 1984. At that time, it was the largest joint exercise ever held on these beaches. More than 3,000 military personnel from the Navy, active Army and Army Reserve components participated., The workhouse DUKW amphibious vehicle was assigned to Fort Story from 1946 until the early 1960s., The second generation family of amphibious vehicles that replaced the aging DUKW. From left to right are the LARC LX, the LARC XV and the LARC V. Despite the new vehicles and new nomenclature, the local civilian community continued to all all amphibious vehicles "Ducks.", The Lighter, Amphibian, Air Cushion Vehicle (LACV 30) was the third generation of amphibious vehicles. It was designed to ride on a four foot cushion of air over the water and over land. The use of the air cushion vehicle came to an end in 1994. After 48 years the amphibians departed Cape Henry and the mission of Fort Story changed., [Sidebar on each side of the marker:] , Welcome to Fort Story, home to a variety of U.S. Army and Navy units. The installation's 1,451 acres are presently used for training by the Army's 7th Sustainment Brigade, Naval Amphibious forces and Special Operations forces. The post also serves as home for Army and Navy Reserve units in addition to other military activities., We hope you find your visit to Cape Henry both educational and inspirational.