National Park Week kicks off on Saturday
Gulf Coast (WXXV)- The National Park Service is celebrating National Park Week starting Saturday. The fun is kicking off at the Davis Bayou Visitor Center and Ship Island. Starting out is…
Ship Island
Fort Massachusetts hosting candlelight tour
Fort Massachusetts is hosting a candlelight program on October 25th. Witness the breathtaking natural darkness of Mississippi’s most visited barrier island while encountering scenes from the fort’s storied, and often dark past. Rangers will detail the struggle, perseverance, triumph, and…
Exploring the history and amenities of Ship Island
Ship Island, one of the barrier islands along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, has become a popular tourist attraction over the years. The island is accessible through Ship Island Ferry's daily one hour excursions.…
Ship Island to Resume Ferry Service on Saturday
Sun, sand, and Ship Island, what more could you ask for? That's what the folks at Ship Island Excursions are saying ahead of the continuation of their popular ferry service to the barrier…
Ship Island Excursions returns this weekend
A new season for Ship Island Excursions starts this weekend! Employees have been preparing all week, restocking the snack bar on the ferry, and setting up chairs along the island.…
Institute for Marine Mammal Studies documents Kemp’s Ridley nest on Ship Island
The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies has documented an occurrence that has never been documented before within its studies. IMMS received a report from…
Waterspout spotted near Ship Island
Check out this video sent in by John Bolton from Ocean Springs. Bolton says he was at the Beau Rivage around 6:30 when he spotted a waterspout near Ship Island. The…
Ship Island Excursions are back
It’s been a long time, but Ship Island Excursions are back. Boats finally departed for the island. Ship Island Excursions halted its ferry service back in 2020 during COVID. In late…
Ship Island to reopen soon
As the winter weather clears a couple of months from now, Ship Island Excursions will make a comeback. Ship Island Excursions stopped its ferry service all the way back in 2020…
Ship Island still under repairs; Dolphin and cocktail cruises available
As we are getting ready to enter this year’s hurricane season, some are still recovering from last year’s storms. Ship Island is still under repairs and excursions to the island are on hold, but you can still…
Ship Island reopens following Hurricane Zeta cleanup
Gulf Islands National Seashore has completed storm damage assessments and all facilities (dock, pier, boardwalk, restrooms, pavilions, snack bar, and Fort Massachusetts) on Ship Island remain closed due to extensive damage. The island reopened at 8 a.m. Monday, March 1,…
Storms impact Ship Island Excursions
After many challenges this year, Ship Island Excursions is dealing with another one in the wake of Hurricane Sally. 2020 has once again provided a big hurdle for Ship Island Excursions. Captain Louis Skrmetta said, "I've been doing this for…
Ship Island opens after repairs to pier
Gulf Islands National Seashore announced today that Ship Island is officially reopened after being closed since June 5th due to Tropical Storm Cristobal. During the storm, the island’s ferry pier was damaged, causing all ferry service to Ship Island to…
Gulf Islands National Seashore will reopen Ship Island immediately, National Park Service says
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WXXV) — Gulf Islands National Seashore will reopen Ship Island immediately following temporary repairs to the pier. The island will resume regular operations, but Fort Massachusetts will remain closed. The National Park Service has awarded a contract…
Ship Island Excursions opens Saturday
It might not be summer yet, but you can pretend this weekend while setting sail to Ship Island! Ship Island Excursions is back for the season. Starting Saturday, you will be able to cruise over to Ship Island and spend…
Daily passenger service to Ship Island, Fort Massachusetts begins Saturday, March 14 from Gulfport
GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV) — Ship Island Excursions will resume daily passenger service to Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts on Saturday, March 14th. The ferry boat company is owned by the Skrmetta family of Biloxi, now in its 94th year of…
Funds Squared Away for Restoration on Ship Island
Federal funds have been landed to continue restoration work on Ship Island. US senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has just announced that more than $56 million dollars has been allocated to carry out phases three and four of the Barrier Island restoration…
Hattiesburg teenager drowns near Ship Island
A tragic day on the water this weekend after a seventeen-year-old Hattiesburg boy drowned in the Mississippi Sound. It happened early Saturday afternoon after the teenager, Carson Hall, jumped off the boat he was on, landing stomach first in the…
Ship Island unaffected by algae bloom
With the number of beach closures now up to 12 due to the algae bloom, many residents and visitors are looking for something safe to do. While some beaches are affected by the blue-green harmful algal bloom, some Coast attractions…
Celebration of Ship Island Restoration to be Held Wednesday
Wednesday here in South Mississippi, officials are set to gather to celebrate the long awaited restoration of Ship Island. The National Park Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will come together today alongside representatives from the Department of…
Ship Island Excursions returns to Biloxi
Ship Island Excursions is finally back where everything began: in Biloxi. The Ship Island boat will officially begin services tomorrow. It was the sound of history returning to Biloxi as Ship Island Excursions left from the Mississippi Sound from the…
Body of Missing Boater Found
The search has ended for missing boater, Kevin Anderson. His body was located this morning by DMR officials. He was last seen Monday afternoon before he launched at Ken Combs Pier and headed out into the water. His boat washed…
Ship Island Service to Return to Biloxi
A Ship Island ferry service is on its way to Biloxi. All it needs is a signature to start construction. A new Ship Island pier will be built in East Biloxi. The first step for it to become a reality…
Ship Island Excursions Returns
Ship Island Excursions opens for the season this weekend, celebrating 90 years of ferry service. The Pan-American clipper was one of the ferry service’s first boats, built in 1937 by Captain Louis Skrmetta’s grandfather. After 90 years of transferring tourists…