World War II Bombing Ranges

Lake Murray islands, most notably Lunch Island (since 1945 also called Bomb Island or Doolittle Island), Shull Island, and Dreher Island, were used as bombing ranges during World War II. B-25 crews from the Columbia Army Air Base (now Columbiana Metropolitan Airport) flew thousands of training missions here 1942-1945. These islands were used for many types of practice runs, in which crews dropped flare, incendiary, and demolition bombs. Five B-25s ditched or crashed into Lake Murray while training here. Four were salvaged during the war, and the last aircraft, a rare B-25C, was salvaged from the lake in 2005.