Remembrance–Camp Shanks, Piermont Pier, Reserve Fleet
Rich in history, the span of the Hudson River along Rockland County has seen contributions during the US war efforts starting with WW II right through the Vietnam War. Camp Shanks Army installation in Orangeburg, a military facility after training was completed, was where soldiers spent roughly two weeks before they were then transported by train from Camp Shanks to the pier located in Piermont. This is where soldier’s began their trans Atlantic voyage to the European Theater and was the embarkment point during WWII called the “Last Stop in the USA”.
Camp Shanks continues to be maintained as a museum preserving this historic time along the Henry Hudson River, and is located on RT 303 in Orangeburg NY. Further north along the Hudson River in the Tomkins Cove and Jones Point area, the US Defense Department stored excess Naval ships (approx. 180) starting from 1946 through the mid 1970’s. Some were used for the Korean War, some were used for the Vietnam War. It was known as “The Ghost Fleet” and the “Reserve Fleet.”
