40°38′36″N74°09′35″W / 40.64333°N 74.15972°W /40.64333; -74.15972
Shooters Island is a 43-acre (17 ha) uninhabited island at the southern end ofNewark Bay, off theNorth Shore ofStaten Island inNew York City.[1] The boundary between the modern states ofNew York andNew Jersey runs through the island, with a small portion on the north end of the island belonging to the nearby cities ofBayonne andElizabeth inNew Jersey and the rest since 1898, as a part of theborough ofStaten Island inNew York City ofNew York state.
During thecolonial era, Shooters Island was used as a hunting preserve for colonists of nearby provinces. During theAmerican Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Commanding GeneralGeorge Washington and hisContinental Army used the island as adrop-off point for messages, and the place became a haven for spies.[2]
The island's largeoyster beds were heavily harvested following the war; they were ultimately exhausted fromoverharvesting by the19th century.[2]
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The first shipyard on Shooters Island was established in 1860 by David Decker.[2] From 1898[3] until 1910, the island was home to a major shipyard, theTownsend-Downey Shipbuilding Company.Theodore E. Ferris, who later designed ships used by the American government in theFirst World War, was an employee of the firm.[4] By the late19th century the island was occupied by many industrial facilities, shops, docks, and offices.
The Townsend-Downey Company built a yacht,Meteor, forKaiser Wilhelm II of theGerman Empire (Germany). Its launch in February 1902 was attended by many hundreds of spectators, including PresidentTheodore Roosevelt, and his guestsPrince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929). The president's daughterAlice Roosevelt christened the boat.Thomas Edison sent a cameraman to make anewsreel recording of the event.[2][5] The next day a reception was held at theWhite House in Washington for Mr. Downey, the owner of the shipbuilding yard, and representatives of the German government.[2]
In 1904, theschoonerAtlantic was also built and launched at the yard. The following year, it raced across theAtlantic Ocean and won theKaiser's Cup and set a speed record for the crossing under sail which stood unbroken for almost 90 years. The brigantine yachtCarnegie was built for theCarnegie Institution of Washington, D.C. for use in magnetic surveys in thePacific Ocean. Constructed entirely of wood andnon-ferrous metals so as not to interfere with the taking of magnetic measurements, she was named after industrialist and philanthropistAndrew Carnegie, ofPittsburgh, Pennsylvania andNew York City, who also was a friend of Mr. Downey.[2]
In November 1903, the island came under control of theTidewater Oil Company.[6] In 1905, the eight buildings of the plant and the surrounding industrial complex were purchased by theColonial Trust Company for $516,000. At the time, the shipyard was valued at two million dollars.[7] The shipyard was later home to theStandard Shipbuilding Company, which bought the entire island in 1915.
The island continued to be used for industrial and shipbuilding operations through 1922. Abandoned, and broken vessels began to accumulate around the perimeter of the island inNewark Bay, nearStaten Island by 1930.[8]
Shooters Island began to support nestingwading birds,cormorants andgulls in the early 1970s. At its peak in 1995, the island supported 400 nesting pairs ofherons,egrets,ibis and 121 nesting pairs of double-crestedcormorants. The island is now owned by theCity of New York and is maintained byNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation as a bird sanctuary.[9]
The island and decayed remnants of old piers are visible to users of theBayonne Bridge between Staten Island andBayonne, New Jersey.
| Major islands |  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelham Islands | |||||
| New York Bay |
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| Jamaica Bay | |||||
| North River (Hudson River) | |||||
Former islands shown initalics | |||||
