Blount Island, River island in Jacksonville, Florida.
Blount Island is a river island in Jacksonville, Florida, situated along the St. Johns River and home to a major cargo port and a military installation. The island has several deep-water berths where container ships, vehicles, and heavy machinery are loaded and unloaded on a regular basis.
The island was once known as Goat Island and had residents living there before it was turned into an industrial site. Large-scale dredging and construction during the 20th century reshaped it into the port and military facility it is today.
Blount Island Command is a US Marine Corps facility on the island where combat equipment is stored and maintained for rapid deployment. The operation runs alongside a busy commercial port, making this one of the few places where military logistics and civilian cargo handling share the same waterfront.
The island is not open to the public as it is an active port and military installation with restricted access throughout. Large cranes and cargo ships can be spotted from the Jacksonville waterfront on the opposite bank of the St. Johns River.
Blount Island is one of the few places in the US where an active military base and a commercial cargo port operate side by side on the same piece of land. The Marine Corps facility on the island is designed to ship equipment anywhere in the world on short notice.
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