This is all that is left of the GATR Radio Transmitter
building location.
The GATR Radio Receiver site was across the road from the Dinning Hall.
During Katrina Hurricane, the GATR TX building was
wiped out and you will find that part
of the island has also eroded away to quite a major distance as shown in the maps below.
You can see where the jetties were the shore line in
1965. Today they are located
well off shore. I was told that there are plans in the works to back
fill sand on the beach
and relocate the jetties parallel to the coast line to try to
stabilize the current shore line. We shall see what comes of this but they have to do
something otherwise the island is going to slowly be eaten away by the gulf surf.
Today
Close-up of the GATR Site
Walking down to the old GATR Site from the Camp
Ground.
The housing area is blocked off as there is now a Loran Transmitter there.
3 Building still stand in this area. The entire area is now under Coast
Guard Control.
My kids lead the way!
Kids sniffing everything since it is all new to them!
We are now next to what appears to be the old road. A board walk
starts here.
Several nest are in this area now and are protected.
This shelter is near to the old GATR building location which is now
underwater.
Looking over the dune towards the beach and very shallow water.
We are now on the beach which is quite a ways in from where it used to
be.
This is one of the transmitter stations run by the Coast Guard
is now located in the old housing area.
The following is all that remains of the GATR
Transmitter Building.
There were 16 antenna poles circled the building and about 2/3 of the poles
would now be out in the ocean. Parts of the walls of the building and some of the slab
floor washed ashore and are still embedded in the sand just above the water line.
The original building was located just off the shore line to the left.
This is part of the building that have washed up on shore.
The foundation and slab floor are now broken up and scattered all over
the place.
Chunks of the wall are found everywhere. Simply left where they
end up.
Some of the slab floor that extends down into the sand. More of the slab
floor is under water.
Another chunk of the slab flooring.
More chunks of the slab floor and some of the walls.
As you can see. The hurricane took out the building and nothing
was done to
remove the large chunks from the tidewater area. I was told that this will
be
natures job to do and that the gulf will do a good job over time. Most of the
building
is still out underwater and also under the sand. Sea Life has move into
the
many nooks and cranny's of the old building. The best way to get here is
to
park up where the ferry used to dock and walk down the beach. If you
choose
to use the camp ground then there is a back entrance that I used with the kids.
These photos were taken end of Feb 2015 while at the reunion.