Camp Hero, New York — History & Visitor Guide

Camp Hero (Montauk, New York)

Montauk · New York · World War II / Cold War

Quick BriefCommissioned by the U.S. Army in 1942, Camp Hero was a coastal defense station disguised as a fishing village, strategically positioned to prevent a potential invasion of New York from the sea. After World War II, the Air Force took over the site, placing radar at the location in 1948, activating the Aircraft Control and Warning squadron in 1950, and renaming it Montauk Air Force Station in December 1953, though the Army closed the Camp Hero portion in November 1957. The base was permanently decommissioned in 1981. Camp Hero State Park opened on September 18, 2002.

Coastal defenseOpen to visitors

History & Significance

Camp Hero was named after Major General Andrew Hero, Jr., the Army's commander of coastal artillery, who died in 1942. The facility served as a coastal defense station disguised as a fishing village, with its layout intentionally deceptive: concrete bunkers were painted to look like houses and fake church steeples rose from ammunition magazines.

At one point the facility was staffed by 600 enlisted men and 37 officers. Three gun batteries were built at Camp Hero, with two batteries of two 16-inch guns each (Batteries 112 and 113, officially named Battery Dunn).

None of those guns ever fired in hostility. After the war, Camp Hero was closed down in 1947 but reopened and expanded by the Air Force for radar defense during the Cold War, when its signature radar tower – one of the largest in the world at the time – was installed.

The SAGE radar tower, erected in 1958, was 126 feet tall and the largest of its kind in the country, with antennae that emitted signals at up to 425 MHz. Following decommissioning efforts in 1984, the facility was donated to the National Park Service, which turned it over to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Camp Hero State Park opened to the public on September 18, 2002, with plans to create a museum and interpretive center focusing on World War II and Cold War history inside the radar tower.

Key Facts

StateNew York

LocationMontauk

Established1942

Decommissioned1981

War / eraWorld War II / Cold War

Current statusState or National Park

Coordinates41.0706, -71.871

Map

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🧳 Visiting

What you’ll see when you visit:

Concrete gun bunkers and artillery emplacements from WWII coastal defense
16-inch and 6-inch artillery pieces in historic positions
Hiking trails across Montauk Point headland
Beach access along the Atlantic coast
Interpretive exhibits on coastal defense history

Best time to visitSpring (April-May) and fall (September-October) offer mild weather and lower humidity; summers can be warm and crowded, winters cold and windy.

Getting thereFly into Westerly State Airport (WST), approximately 31 km away, then drive to Montauk at the tip of eastern Long Island, New York.

From the nearest major airportRhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD)🚗 276 mi by road⏱️ ≈ 6 hr 24 min drive

Camp Hero (Montauk, New York)

History & Significance

Key Facts

Map

🧳 Visiting

Sources

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