World War II Altered Fort Fisher

Today marks the sesquicentennial of the fall of Fort Fisher, North Carolina.  Its capture resulted in the closing of the Confederacy's last remaining port and the new country was no more less than 90 days later.

After the war, the huge fortification was abandoned until World War II, when the Army used it for training anti-aircraft gunners at the site.  A large landing strip was built and many of the fort's remaining traverses on the land face were destroyed to make it.  The strip was used by planes towing anti-aircraft targets.

It is too bad they didn't make the landing strip further north or south of Fort Fisher.

Today, the visitor center and parking lot are built on the landing strip.

There had been no need for any fortification there during World War I because New Inlet, which the fort had guarded during the Civil War was no longer there.

--GreGen