Ship Island

Ship Island lies about nineteen kilometres off Gulfport and is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. Hurricane Camille cut it in half in 1969, creating Camille Cut between what became East and West Ship Island; the Army Corps closed the gap with dredged sand in 2019, making it a single island again, though barrier islands are mobile by nature and the work is a holding action. Fort Massachusetts on the western end is a masonry coastal fort begun in 1859 and never finished to plan, garrisoned during the Civil War partly by Black Union regiments. The Gulf water here is noticeably clearer than at the mainland beaches because the island sits beyond the sound and the river plume.

What you'll find

• An island split and rejoined - cut in 1969, closed with sand in 2019.
• Fort Massachusetts - begun 1859, garrisoned partly by Black regiments.
• Clearer Gulf water - beyond the sound and the river plume.
• Undeveloped beach - with only seasonal facilities.

When to go

April to October, when the ferry runs. A full day.

Good to know

The ferry runs seasonally and cancels in weather; there is no other access. There is no shade beyond a small shelter. Time ashore is fixed by the return sailing. Hurricanes reshape the island regularly.

Nearby

Gulfport is the ferry port; Horn Island is further east in the seashore.

Key facts