Amphibious Training Base, Castroville also known as Radio Direction Finder Station, Castroville; Naval Radio Station, Castroville; Watsonville Bombing Target Number 8, was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

military facility located in

Castroville, California Castroville is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 7,515, up from 6,481 in 2010. Castroville is known for its artichoke crop ...

.Amphibious Training Base, Castroville
/ref> From 1942 to 1945 the site was a

US Amphibious Training Base Amphibious Training Base (ATB)(USNATB) Advance Amphibious Training Base are United States Armed Forces bases used for the training of amphibious warfare. Starting with World War II, United States Navy began large-scale amphibious assaults of ...

History

US Army Corps of Engineers History opened the base on September 15, 1942. The base provided fleet communication and radio direction finding for the ships off the California Coast during World War 2. On 29 April 1944 a bombing target range was opened northwest of the base. This was used by Naval Air Auxiliary Station Watsonville. After the war on 1 July 1945 the base was transferred to the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

. On 14 May 1958 the site was transferred the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

to test amphibious logistical vehicles. On 27 June 1973 some of the land became the

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately 11 miles north of Monterey, California, and 3 miles south of Castroville, California, at the point where the Salinas River empties into Monterey Bay. The refuge encompasses severa ...

References

Closed installations of the United States Navy Buildings and structures in Monterey County, California Military in California {{US-mil-stub