Lewes, DE
These towers were used for observation not armaments. Several towers would triangulate on say a German submarine and send instructions to fire upon to Fort Miles.
The Fort Miles Historical Association, which is located at the State Henlopen State Park in Lewes is taking responsibility for their maintenance.
I have to give you some info. on these towers so that next time you are driving with family and friends you can explain to them their significance.
Eight of the 11 towers built along the Delaware and New Jersey coastlines during WWII are here in our beaches; 3 are in N.J. They 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. This fortification was from 1940 to 1942 during which these huge fortifications were erected at the mouth of the Delaware Bay to protect Philadelphia.
The towers have different heights and some of them have only two viewing slits, while others have four. Apparently, the military could see about 14 1/2 miles into the Atlantic.
From the upper level the spotters could scan the Atlantic for enemy vessels; could direct the fire of the guns mounted along the coast.
It was believed that after Pearl Harbor, the Delaware Beaches were in danger. In 1942 the German U-boats were skinking an average of a ship per week. The Jacob Jones was one of those ships torpedoed off the Delaware coast and over 100 of its crew perished.
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