History of Naval Amphibious Training Base  Courtesy Saint Lucie County Regional History Center

     The history of the US Naval Base Amphibious Base, Fort Pierce, Florida began on January 26, 1943 with the arrival of the Commanding Officer Captain Clarence Gulbranson in Fort Pierce, Florida.

     On January 14, 1943  a hand picked group of 6 officers and 75 enlisted men were ordered to the Fort Pierce area.  They arrived on January 17th. They were housed at the new Fort Pierce Hotel.  They spent the next 6 days clearing the land and erecting 90 tents south of the Fort Pierce Inlet on South Hutchinson Island.  From these humble origins, the Amphibious Base began.  It was 19,280 acres and extended 25 miles from near Vero Beach to Jensen Beach including North Hutchinson Island and South Hutchinson Island. Over the next 3 years, 140,000 army, navy, army airforce, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Troops would participate in amphibious training for landings at multiple land sea sites, the largest of which would be Normandy, France.

History of Naval Amphibious Training Base Fort Pierce courtesy Saint Lucie County Regional History Center

Air view of a portion of the base

Entrance Gate to Base