From the Jan. 15, 2009 Delaware OnLine by Molly Murray.
Volunteers were cleaning sand and vegetation from Gun Mount #4 at Fort Miles on Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
Harold Knowles, 87, served here in the 251st Coast Artillery during World War II.
At that time, there were four guns installed which could fire a 6-inch diameter, 100-pond shell 13 miles. In addition, the battery also had an 8-inch gun mounted on a rail car.
Their purpose was to defend the coast against an attack by the German Navy. Knowles said the view today was much the same as during the 1940s except obstructed by sand dunes.
The gun mounts of reinforced concrete are called Panama because the technology for them was developed there.
The Delaware River and Bay were a prime target during the war with its shipyards at Wilmington, Philadelphia and Trenton.
There were four gin installations at Cape Henlopen and four at Capr May. Their guns were fired regularly in practice, but never in battle.
Coast Defense in the War. --GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
No comments:
Post a Comment