Duxbury Bay (Massachusetts) facts for kids
Duxbury Bay is a beautiful bay located on the coast of Massachusetts in the United States. It's a special place where the land meets the sea. The town of Duxbury is on the west side of the bay. A long sandbar called The Gurnet helps form the bay, stretching into Cape Cod Bay. This area is also known for its wetlands, which are important natural habitats. The bay opens up towards Plymouth, Massachusetts, between Captains Hill and Saquish Head.
Discover Duxbury Bay
Duxbury Bay is about three miles long from north to south. It is also about two miles wide on average. Most of the bay has shallow sandy and muddy areas. These areas are often exposed when the tide is low. There are also a few winding channels where boats can travel.
One helpful landmark for boats is the Myles Standish Monument. It is 291 feet (89 meters) tall. You can see it from many parts of the southern bay.
How Boats Use the Bay
Some of the channels in the bay come together near Clarks Island. They form a spot called the Cowyard. This area is about 200 yards (183 meters) wide. It is a good place for small boats to anchor because it is deeper, about 20 to 35 feet (6 to 11 meters) deep.
To reach the northern part of the bay, boats can go under the Powder Point Bridge. There is about 5 feet (1.5 meters) of space under the bridge's fixed span.
In 1908, the United States Army Corps of Engineers helped make the bay easier to use. They dug a channel 6 feet (1.8 meters) deep to the Duxbury wharves. Later, in 1960, a larger area for boats to anchor was dug. This area was 21 acres (8.5 hectares) big and 8 feet (2.4 meters) deep. Today, the main channel is still kept at this depth and is 100 feet (30 meters) wide. It is about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) long.
What's in a Name?
A ship in the United States Navy was named after Duxbury Bay. This ship was called the USS Duxbury Bay. It was a special kind of ship called a seaplane tender. This means it helped support seaplanes, which are airplanes that can land on water. The USS Duxbury Bay was in service from 1944 to 1966.
