Live Ammunition and other Sneads Ferry, NC Warning Or Danger Tips

Just north of Snead's Ferry the ICW crosses Camp Lejeune. When the marines are doing exercises, they sometimes use live ammunition in the vicinity of the ICW and at that time the ICW is closed - usually this just lasts a few hours.

There are warning signs at each end of the area(pictured), and you can tune to the 530 AM radio or call the Coast Guard to see if there is going to be an exercise going on. Not all exercises involve live ammunition, and not all the live ammunition exercises are in the vicinity of the ICW. The guard towers also fly big red flags if there is live ammunition.

This sign says "STOP DO NOT PROCEED WHEN FLASHING - Live Firing in Progress When Flashing - Tune to AM 530"

The website says: "Camp Lejeune occupies 170 square miles, (111,000 acres), including 14 miles of beach front along the Atlantic Ocean. With 54 live firing ranges, 15 major training/maneuvering areas subdivided into 56 individual training and maneuvering sections with 34 gun positions, 23 tactical landing zones, 26 administrative landing zones, 12 parachute drop zones and a "Military Operations in Urban Terrain" or MOUT training complex.

"Camp Lejeune has more than 400 miles of roadways, 50 miles of sidewalks, 50 miles of railroads and 6800 buildings, to support it's approximately 123,500 Marines and Sailors. It is Onslow County's largest employer with approximately 4,700 civilian employees."

There are six major Marine Corps commands and two Navy commands aboard Camp Lejeune. Camp Lejeune is truly the
"Home of Expeditionary Forces in Readiness"

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Phone: Base Tour 451-7426
Website: http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/mcb/images/factSheet.pdf
Other Contact: http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/mcb/

A major PITAs on the ICW is the Onslow Beach Swing Bridge run by the Marine Corps. In the fall of 2000, the spring of 2001 and the fall of 2002 there was no problem. After that, the bridge tenders have been surly, and argumentative and have not opened the bridge on time.

April 2002:Onslow Beach bridge tender said he would open at noon. We got there about 10 before noon, with about 2 knots current toward the bridge. Power boat (DRY MARTINI from NY) passed us and was ahead of us. Bridge did not open at noon. Finally DRY MARTINI called. Bridge tender said he would open at noon. It was 1202 by 3 GPSs, and my watch, and Bob's watch said 1201. Finally at 1203, the gates went down. By this time DRY MARTINI was being pushed quite close to the bridge and we were getting closer to him than we liked because he was having to back, and he can back better than we can.

At about 1205, the bridge started to swing, but it swung towards us, and DRY MARTINI had to back up to avoid being hit, so we also had to do some fancy footwork to keep him from hitting us or going out of the channel.

April 2003
The Onslow Beach bridge was a pain (again). We took a station pointing upstream (stern to the bridge so we could motor slowly into the current rather than backing into it) to wait after calling the bridge to tell him we were waiting for an opening. The bridge tender put the arms down on the road at 0900 and then it was two full minutes before the bell rang and another minute before the bridge started to swing. We had to circle again as we were being pushed towards shore by the wind or current. When the bridge opened, MONTRACT did not start to go through. He waited until we were too close to maneuver. I didn't thank the bridge tender (which I usually do)

April 2004
CHATEAU LA MER is there ahead of us standing well back from the bridge as if they know that it opens towards us (which it does). The bridge rings the bell for about 2 minutes before it opens, and then opens very very slowly.

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