Life and Island Times May 4 2016

Late Monday, He called Marlow to inform him that Wilma was ready for pick up.

Marlow beamed and told W to get ready to take him out to desolate East Rockland Key. On the way, he told her the story of this Key’s US Navy submarine pens.

The U.S. Navy’s presence in Key West dates back to 1822 when Commodore David Porter established a
Naval Base to base ships, sailors and Marines to stop piracy in the Caribbean and Indian attacks in southern Florida.

The lower Keys were home to shipping lanes through which transited precious cargo from the New to Old Worlds. This drew the interest of notorious pirates such as Blackbeard and Captain William Kidd, who used the Florida Keys as a base from which to prey on shipping lanes.

For almost 100 years all US Navy operations were based out of Key West’s beautiful Naval Station. During World War I, the station’s footprint was expanded in 1917, when a U.S. naval submarine base was established on what is now Naval Air Station Boca Chica property. Its mission during World War I was to supply oil to the U.S. fleet and to block German ships from reaching Mexican oil supplies.

After World War I, the base was decommissioned and its personnel were transferred or released. Most of the buildings were destroyed or dismantled and moved to other locations.

30 plus years later, the nuclear genie had escaped its bottle. So things changed once again

Prior to October 1962, the US Navy had “plans” to build dependent housing north of the Naval Air Station on Boca Chica Key on the site of the former submarine base. The Cuban Missile Crisis ostensibly killed the housing project.

Three years ago, this overgrown 122 acre tract, was put up on sale at a price of $26 million. According to real estate company website, these pens were built after WW I.

Marlow knew better and more. These original WW I submarine pens were dredged and expanded long after WW II. The current large basin and canals were dredged out with the dredge used to build a large breakwater on the West side of the basin. All of this dredged material was spread out between the Southernmost canal and the Boca Chica viaduct connecting the Naval Air Station to Stock Island.

Stories about them as failed Cold War government housing projects were simple cover. Key hiding-in-plain-sight details to understand that these housing on canal tales were legends is these pens’ length, depth and precision – 90 feet wide and over 25 feet deep – and the connecting channels that were dredged post WW II between the original Naval Station in Key West and the pens. The Navy dug these channels and expanded these pens to allow ships and subs to scoot, later sortie forth and shoot. These pens were ship and submarine relocation areas for nuclear blast avoidance! They were used as such during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

As he finished his story, the workshop at the end of a dusty coral rock road hove into view. Marlow exited the white SUV to see what He had done with Wilma.

Wow was all he could say. Underneath a thick coral dust coating was a bike he hardly recognized. Most of the rust and road grime of the past 10 years was gone. He said to take her. He would send Marlow a bill.

Full wide open throttle operations commenced when Wilma hit the newly laid pavement on US 1. She cranked to 100 MPH with ease.

After a brief spin, Marlow parked her at home. Idly looking at his laptop he found this emailed paean penned by a fellow rider who knew Wilma well.

Wilma is a friend of mine.
I’ve ridden with o’er her many years,
From desert floor to mountain pass.
‘Cross fertile fields of golden grain,
To oceans on both East and West.
Through our neighbors to the North
And all the lower forty eight.
I miss her shiny silver mane
As we glided on the sunset trails,
And look for days to come again
To hit the road through paths unknown.
So greetings and best wishes from my Valkyrie,
To Wilma, friend and kindred spirit.
‘Tis the heart of this, my short refrain,
‘Till the day once more we ride again.
Keep the shiny side up.

Copyright © 2016 From My Isle Seat