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
USNS Observation Island (T-AGM-23) USNS Observation Island (T-AGM-23) USNS "Observation Island" (T-AGM-23) was built as the Mariner-class merchant ship "Empire State Mariner" for the United States Maritime Commission, launched 15 August 1953, and operated by United States Lines upon delivery on 24 February 1954, making voyages for the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) until going into reserve at Mobile, Alabama on 9 November 1954. Title was transferred to the United States Navy on 10 September 1956 and, after conversion, the ship was renamed "Observation Island". On commissioning the ship was classified as the "experimental miscellaneous auxiliary" (EAG), USS "Observation Island" (EAG-154) supporting fleet ballistic