Metompkin Island (sometimes pluralized, Metompkin Islands) is a

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of Dune, dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything fro ...

off the east coast of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is located in Accomack County. Metompkin Island is highly-migratory, meaning that it is moving overtime due to

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

and deposition effects. Because of this movement, the island has at times been one landmass and at others two larger islands with numerous small islets surrounding them. A proposed

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

, USS ''Metomkin'' (AVP-47), was to have been named for Metomkin Island, but the ship was cancelled in 1943 before construction could begin. However, a U.S. Navy cargo ship, USS ''Metomkin'' (AG-136), in commission from 1947 to 1951, did carry the island's name.

References

* (See ship namesake paragraph.) Islands of Accomack County, Virginia Barrier islands of Virginia {{AccomackCountyVA-geo-stub