Operations Inland Sea

On Wednesday, July 22, 1959, Erie was the center of a mock invasion with 1,200 Marines hitting the peninsula. The Marines participated in a mock invasion staged as a salute to the newly opened St. Lawrence Seaway. In the wake of the military exercise, code named Operations Inland Seas, a flotilla of seven ships transported the Second Battalion of the Sixth Marines to Presque Isle State Park at Lake Erie. Included in the demonstration were Marine Corps helicopters, frogmen, Marine A4D Skyhawk jet planes, and an Honest John rocket and launcher mounted with an atomic warhead.

A hypothetical situation was set up for the invasion. Erie was the capital of a small independent country, which asked for U.S. aid in crushing a revolution. A crowd unofficially estimated at more than 50,000 watched the demonstration begin with a simulated beach bombardment by the USS Kleinsmith, a destroyer that fired blank charges, while charges, planted on the peninsula before the exercise, were exploded on land. Next, four frogmen were brought in close to shore to plant explosives on beach obstacles. After the charges were detonated, a Skyhawk jet staged a simulated atomic bomb drop. The bomb was released as the plane was going almost straight up from the ground. A charge exploded on the beach produced the mushroom effect of an atomic bomb. Continuing the attack, six Skyhawks flying at 500 feet dropped simulated charges on the beach. Helicopters and amphibious tractors brought the first waves of Marines to the beach. Five other waves hit at five- minute intervals. Finally, the Honest John rocket was moved in. It was not fired.

The complete invasion lasted one and 1/2 hours. There was only one casualty during the attack. An unidentified Marine sergeant sprained an ankle.