http://greencovesprings.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_LOC&SEC={6FD72B38-0242-420F-A5BE-045A4C3ECEFD}
Arrived this evening at Reynolds Park Yacht Center, Green Cove Springs, FL, about 40 miles south of Jacksonville. The yacht center occupies one of twelve huge 1500 ft. long piers, the others are leased by various maritime concerns for docking freighters, barges, tugs, some in obviously poor condition. I have been told that after WWII the government bought 1500 acres of land here, and water rights extending out a third of a mile, for the famous navy "mothball fleet". The docks were built plus infrastructure like big ship hauling facilities, and quarters for a large corp of seamen. A naval air station lay adjacent. Here is a picture of the facility taken in 1947.
http://www.desausa.org/images5/ships_mouthballed_green_cove_springs_fl_2.htm
Then, when LBJ got in office, I am told he decided his home state could use the revenues generated by such a sizeable installation, got the pentagon to close the facility and moved much portion of the fleet to Texas. The closed facility was deeded over to the town. An heir to the Reynolds Aluminum fortune subsequently bought the facility from the city for $900,000 and a daughter of his now owns the place (plus lots of other FL real estate. She has big plans for this place including expanding the marina to adjacent docks as folks are hard-pressed to find boat slips because the condo craze is gobbling up marinas rapidly. There are about twenty yachts tied up along this particular dock.
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