Delaware Trip

[Aragorn243]

Our trip to Delaware was pretty productive in terms of learning about military history. We first went to FT Miles which was a WWII shore battery installation. We had been there before, many years ago and I remember it as being the place we could sit on the guns and rotate and elevate them with the hand controls. Sadly, sometime between then and now, they all got chained up. They did add some things I don't remember. They have a 16inch barrel from the Missouri that was present at the Japanese surrender. They have a piece of the USS Arizona as well so parts of the Battleships that started and ended WWII. Another sad part is the one 12" battery that remains can now only be seen by taking one of their special tours. You used to be able to walk a path outside to at least see it but they even took that away making the dunes off limits. I was persistent and my daughter and I still walked along the beach so we could see the emplacement at least from long distance.

After that we climbed up one of the submarine watch towers that dot the coast in Delaware. I did get a couple good books, Coastal defenses of the Delaware Bay and the Chesapeake Bay and one on the towers.

Next stop was Lewes Delaware where we were going to a civilian maritime museum, we were told was closed but was actually open. I learned this small town was bombarded by the British in 1813 during the war of 1812. Over 800 rounds were fired.