Fort Ward was a United States Army coastal defense post built on Bainbridge Island to protect the Bremerton naval shipyard. It was a functioning installation until the 1920s, when it was officially closed in 1928 and turned into a summer camp for underprivileged boys and girls. The navy took over the facility as a recreational camp for sailors in 1938, and the following year it became a secret navy listening post (Station S) for intercepting Japan's military transmissions, as well as tracking enemy shipping in cooperation with other coast defense installations in the Evergreen State.
From 1940 through 1953, a Naval Reserve Radio School was also stationed there. The navy closed Fort Ward that same year, and the waterfront area becomes Fort Ward State Park in 1960. (now known as Fort Ward Park, which is part of the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District).
Why was Bremerton and its naval shipyard so vital?
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