The former Conway Bombing and Gunnery Range (BGR) is located approximately nine miles southeast of Conway and seven miles north of Myrtle Beach in Horry County, South Carolina. Between November 2, 1941, and July 17, 1944, the United States acquired 19,246 acres in fee and 36,608 acres by lease for a total of 55,854 acres to establish the Conway BGR.
Between 1942 and 1947, several Army Airfields (AAFs) and Army Air Bases (AAB) used the Conway BGR for aerial live fire training and practice bombing. During World War II, Myrtle Beach AAF conducted flight, air-to-ground gunnery, and bombing training for Army Air Corps and Army Air Force pilots. According to historical records, there were four bombing ranges, four air-to-ground gunnery ranges, and a small arms range.
Myrtle Beach Army Airfield closed in November 1947 and on February 4, 1948, the Conway BGR was declared surplus to government needs. On June 22, 1948, 19,246 acres of land owned by the Government in fee was transferred to the War Assets Administration and eventually sold. By October 1948, leases on 34,685 acres were terminated and the land was returned to International Paper Company.
Today, the land that once comprised the former Conway BGR is privately and publicly owned and used for a variety of purposes, such as residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational. Undeveloped portions are used for hunting and timber harvesting. Extensive development of the area has occurred and is anticipated in the coming years.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Investigations
Under the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) investigated the Conway BGR FUDS property. USACE performed two Remedial Investigations (RI) within the Conway BGR FUDS property between 2010 and 2018. The RIs characterized the nature and extent of munitions of explosive concern (MEC) and munitions constituents (MC) and also included an ecological and human health risk assessment. RI fieldwork activities varied and included geophysical mapping surveys, intrusive investigation, removal of MEC and the collection of discrete and incremental soil samples for MC analysis. Based on the investigations, USACE identified the following ten projects at the Conway BGR FUDS property.
- Project 01 – Range III - Phase: RI/FS
- Project 02 – Conway B&G Range- PRP
- Project 03 – Range IV - Phase: RA-C
- Project 04 – Range VII - Phase: LTM
- Project 05 – Range II - Phase: RA-C
- Project 06 – Range XX, Strafing and Turret Ranges - Phase: NDAI
- Project 07 – MG/Rifle Range - Phase: RC/SC
- Project 08 – Settlement Lands - Phase: SC
- Project 09 – Privately Cleared Lands - Phase: NDAI
- Project 10 – Range III Other Areas - Phase: RI/FS
In 2023, USACE completed a Feasibility Study (FS) to develop and evaluate remedial alternatives for projects where unacceptable risks were identified. From the FS, Proposed Plans were developed to summarize the findings in the RI/FS and identify the preferred alternative for each project. Subsequent Record of Decisions were also developed that further identify the selected remedy for each project with unacceptable risks. Documents pertaining to the above projects can be viewed under the Documents column.
3Rs (Recognize, Retreat, Report) Explosives Safety Education Program
If you encounter an object that is unfamiliar to you, protect yourself and your family by learning the simple “3Rs” of explosives safety:
- Recognize - when you may have encountered a munition and that munitions are dangerous
- Retreat - do not approach, touch, move or disturb it, but carefully leave the area
- Report - call 911 and advise the police of what you saw and where you saw it
Further information regarding munitions safety can be found under “Useful Links.”