May 8th, 2015

Delaware’s Ghost Towers, Standing Tall, WWII Towers, Delaware Beaches, Southern Delaware, Sussex County

The WWII Towers continue to stand tall.  They are the subject of my post when we celebrate today the end of WWII.  These towers are silent sentinels of WWII.  There are 11 towers in Delaware.  Up and down the coastline you see them, but  do you really stop to look at them?  Having been writing this blog since 2009 has made me more sensitive and interested on what’s around me.

You might be sitting on the beach in Dewey….notice what’s looking over you.

It was believed that after Pearl Harbor, the Delaware Beaches were in danger.  During 1940-1942 there were huge fortifications erected at the mouth of the Delaware Bay to protect Philadelphia.

These ghosts from years past were used as artillery spotting locations.  Our military was posted in each of the towers to coordinate artillery fire on enemy ships off our coast.

From the upper level the spotters could scan the Atlantic for enemy vessels, therefore, they could direct the fire of the guns mounted along the coast.

The tallest WWII tower is 73 feet tall and the shortest is 37 feet tall.  Some have only 2 viewing slits, while others have 3 or 4.  A spotter could see 14 1/2 miles into the Atlantic.

Summer 2015 is almost here….Memorial Week-End officially opens the season.  As you come to visit us at the beach, take a good look around you….these WWII Towers might be standing as ghosts, but they are fascinating and have seen it all.

During Sandy the following photo was taken….the north end of the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk looking north.  Always standing…