Liberty Island states. The oyster beds would remain a major source of food for nearly three centuries. Landfilling, started by the 1870s, particularly by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey, eventually obliterated the beds, engulfed one island and brought the shoreline much closer to the others. After the surrender of Fort Amsterdam by the Dutch to the British in 1664, the English governor Richard Nicolls granted the island to Captain Robert Needham. It was sold to Isaac Bedloe on December 23, 1667. The island was retained by his estate until 1732 when it was sold for five shillings
USS Marcus Island USS Marcus Island USS "Marcus Island" (CVE-77) was an "Casablanca" class escort carrier of the United States Navy. She was laid down as Kanalku Bay under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Washington on 15 September 1943; renamed Marcus Island on 6 November 1943; launched on 16 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. S. L. La Hache; acquired by the Navy on 26 January 1944; and commissioned at Astoria, Oregon on 26 January 1944, Captain Charles F. Greber in command. After shakedown and training along the West Coast, "Marcus Island" made a round trip aircraft ferry run to U.S.