World War II Gun Mount Uncovered By Hurricane Matthew-- Part 1

From the March 7, 2017, Moultrie (South Carolina) News "World War II gun mount uncovered by Hurricane Matthew-- Relic tells the story of a country at war" by Jack Matthew.

At the western end of Sullivan's Island (Charleston, S.C.) much of the beach was washed away by Hurricane Matthew and this revealed one of the four Panama mounts installed in 1942 in a sub-post of Fort Moultrie known as the Marshall Reservation.

The concrete mounts were fitted for 155-mm field artillery cannons nearly 20-feet long which could fire a shell up to ten miles..  This was added for Charleston's defense which was considered a target because of the shipyard which built destroyer escorts.

Two of the guns were later moved to Folly Beach and the last two were removed later when threat of an attack diminished.  The mounts remained, but were buried.

--GreGen

The USS North Carolina Pulled Through Hurricane Matthew

From the October 24, 2016, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "Cape Fear historical landmarks weathered the storm" by Hanna Dela Court.

The battleship, anchored opposite Wilmington had delayed opening October 12-14 because of flooding and high tide.  Much of the park, especially the parking lot, is still under water as of the date of the article.  However, the big ship is floating as a result of the rainfall from Matthew, the higher than normal tides this time of the year and the super moon on October 16.

This is the second time in two years that the North Carolina has floated.  The first time was during heavy rains and flooding in October 2015 when it floated for the first time in five years.

The only damaged sustained by the ship was from downed trees limbs and trees floating ashore.  One museum piece, a bomb, fell off the seaplane, bounced on the deck and was washed overboard, but it was located on the shore by the ship.

--GreGen