Its distinguishing feature is a 2.1-mile (3.4 km) pier in Sandy Hook Bay where ammunition can be loaded and unloaded from warships at a safe distance from heavily populated areas.

The station is divided into two sections: Mainside, located in parts of Colts Neck, Howell, Wall Township, and Tinton Falls at 40°15′00″N 74°09′00″W / 40.25000°N 74.15000°W / 40.25000; -74.15000; and the Waterfront Area (which includes the pier complex), on Sandy Hook Bay, located in the Leonardo section of Middletown, at 40°24′30″N 74°04′30″W / 40.40833°N 74.07500°W / 40.40833; -74.07500.

[2] World War II operations demanded an ammunition depot near the greater New York metropolitan area but away from high-population sectors.

Planning was hastened in early 1943 after the ammunition ship SS El Estero caught fire while moored in Bayonne, New Jersey.

A board was established to locate a suitable site, and chose Sandy Hook Bay, which featured a safe, sheltered, and nearby port where ships could take on ammunition.