| Fort Ward State Park is a 137-acre marine park with 4,300 feet of saltwater shoreline on Rich Passage. Many of the structures in the park reflect the historic military significance of the area, but the park is well developed for day use. There is an underwater park for scuba divers, a two-lane boat ramp and a long, beautiful beach along Rich Passage. After World War II, the U.S. Navy used a radio tower (once located adjacent to the park and east of the upper picnic area) to send messages to Navy Command in Seattle at Pier 91. In 1903, Fort Ward was offically commissioned as a seacoast fort with the primary objective of protecting the Bremerton Naval Shipyard. Two gun batteries are located in the park. During World War II, the navy used the fort as a radio station and training school for communication personnel and installed a submarine net across Rich Passage. In 1958, the navy decommissioned the fort, and State Parks purchased Fort Ward in 1960. |
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