BA Today - Summer 2018

A TODA

Volume 11, Summer 2018

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Uncovering the Deadly Secrets of Horn Island

by Ben Lane '20, Editor Horn Island, a 13 mile long barrier island off the coast of Mississippi, is home to many species of wildlife and is frequently visited by Mississippi-coast locals.

In addition to its biodiversity, the island has a quite intriguing history.

During WWII, the island was utilized as a US Biological Weapons Testing Facility. A mere ten miles from Pascagoula, Mississippi, all business that went on at the facility was highly classified, and the public was temporarily banned from the island. As commercial and recreational water traffic increased in the area, the facility was deemed unsafe to the public and was closed after only three years of operation. However, a lot of research occurred before this shutdown.

The original intention of the facility was to experiment with the use of insects as a form of warfare. This is a process called Entomological Warfare, in which insects are infected with a disease and then spread across a certain area, infecting whoever they bite. However, the purpose of the Horn Island facility shifted once construction of the buildings was completed.

Because of Horn Island’s proximity to Pascagoula, not many chemicals were tested before the shutdown. Only two lethal agents, botulinum and ricin, were used in testings on the island according to official reports. There are no records of the ricin testing, although the botulinum testing had a sort of unorthodox report. Multiple four pound bombs were detonated over guinea pigs confined in a small area. This experiment made botulinum appear not so lethal after all; none of the guinea pigs died except for one unfortunate rodent who happened to lick some of the chemical off of its fur after detonation.

Although most of the facility’s structures have been

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Ruins of the testing site with a collapsed asbestos warning sign.

[Photo by Ben Lane]

removed or have deteriorated, there are still some visible

Ruins of the Chimney Site where animal carcasses were incinerated.

[Photo by Ben Lane]

ruins to this day. Foundations of multiple buildings can

conflicting sources, merging the “detonation on the island”

still be spotted in the sand. Old railroad tracks are some-

and the “burial at sea” theories.

times visible beneath the sand as it shifts over time. Not

I was able to contact the former Park Ranger, Mr. Ben

all of these areas are still deemed safe to visit. One bet-

Moore, who worked on Horn Island from 1992 to 2013. He

ter-known spot is the deteriorating “Chim-

had a broad range of knowledge about

ney Site” (pictured left), consisting of the

the testing facility and was more than

cracked foundation of the chimney and surrounded by signs warning of asbestos.

According to The Associated Press, mustard gas residue has been detected in the sand nearby. This is allegedly the result of a whopping 133 German mustard gas bombs being disposed of in the area. A Pentagon report in 1993 said that Horn Island was one of three Mississippi locations where

Horn Island was one of three Mississippi locations where mustard gas and other chemical weapons are likely buried.

mustard gas and other chemical weapons

happy to share. “The main part of the base was a little bit west of the Ranger Station on the island. At one point, the facility had somewhere between 600 and 800 personnel who were mostly building the railway on the island. They had lots of equipment out there, including jeeps for transportation. There is some kind of engine in the water still that boats have to watch out for when they are pulling up

are likely buried. None of these weapons have surfaced

to the island.” In regard to the testings that went on at the is-

yet, but the future could hold some interesting finds for

land, he said, “They had pens with all sorts of animals there;

the frequent visitors of the island.

they tested on goats, cows, and rabbits. I believe that chim-

Different sources conflict on the way the German mus-

ney site that you can still see today was used to incinerate

tard bombs were disposed. As previously mentioned, theo-

the carcasses for sanitation purposes. They also got rid of a

ries include the detonation of the bombs on the island, buri-

lot of German mustard bombs there. Various crews looked

al of the undetonated bombs, and disposal of the bombs

for them buried in the soil, but none were found.”

at sea. One source, from the Unexploded Ordinance Data-

Most tourists who visit Horn Island think the only

base, states that the bombs were detonated in a ditch on

dangers there are alligators and stingrays, but maybe

the island and the empty shells were then dumped at sea.

they ought to be more worried about the resurfacing of a

This source is a more believable combination of two other

German mustard bomb or asbestos ridden ruins.

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20 | BA Today

First graders perform the 20th annual production of The Life and Times of William Shakespeare in the PIlot Center on April 20, 2018.

Photos by Ashley Suchan