Kingston Harbor in Plymouth is located at the northwest end of Cape Cod Bay, about 18 miles north of the Cape Cod Canal. The harbor was used extensively by the Plymouth Cordage Company for the transportation of hemp, sisal, burlap, cordage, and other fibers until 1965, when the company ceased operations. Today, Kingston Harbor is used primarily by recreational boaters.

In 1894, the Corps dredged a 4,000-foot-long channel, six feet deep and 100 feet wide, extending from deep water in Kingston Bay to the wharf of the former Plymouth Cordage Company. In 1908, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts deepened the channel to a depth of 18 feet, and maintains it periodically.