Naval Weapons Station Earle's history began in 1943, when a pressing need developed for an Ammunition Depot in the greater New York area to support the war effort. A board was established to locate a suitable site, and chose Earle's present location in New Jersey because it offered many advantages. The location provided ships with a safe and operationally advantageous port to take on ammunition, and it also had access to commercial rail facilities with lines coming from the west, where the majority of ammunition shipments originated. The rural location of the site also allowed for minimal dislocation of the local population.
On Aug. 2, 1943, construction began on what was to be Naval Ammunition Depot Earle, named after Rear Admiral Ralph Earle, the Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance during World War One. The depot was commissioned on Dec. 13, 1943. There was still a long way to go to complete N.A.D. Earle. That work included building the military road and railway connecting main-side complex, the waterfront complex and the pier.
The pier stretches 2.2 miles into the Sandy Hook bay and comprises 2.9 miles of pier/trestle surface area. Earle continued to develop after World War II, keeping pace with the changing needs of the Navy. In 1974, Earle's name was officially changed to Naval Weapons Station Earle. The Station is divided into two sections: Main-side, located in Colts Neck, and the Waterfront Area, on Sandy Hook Bay, located in the Leonardo section of Middletown. Both areas are connected by Normandy road, a 15-mile military road and rail line.
Main
phone numbers: Commercial (732)866-2000 or
DSN 449-2000
Population:
1,418 active duty; 860 family members; 459
reservists; 370 civilians
Housing: 37
officer family units; 462 enlisted family units; eith
mobile home spaces; 190 unaccompanied enlisted units
(732)855-2177
Temporary
lodging: Five temporary lodging trailers
(732)866-2167
Family
Support Center: (732)866-2115
Schools: Vocational
high school on base.
Child
Care: Center for 80; 12 approved homes
(732)866-2518
Health
care: Clinic. Appointments
(732)866-2300; Tricare (888)999-5195; also see Fort
Monmouth
Earle Naval
Weapons Station - Colts Neck, NJ
has a small exchange and one shoppette (732)866-2147. Recreation at Earle Naval Weapons Station - Colts Neck, NJ
includes library, auto hobby, recreation center, golf,
gym, tennis, swimming, outdoor activities, camping, and
fishing.
