A Nation's Defense

A Nation's Defense (HM1JX8)

Location: Corolla, NC 27927 Currituck County
Buy North Carolina State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 36° 22.432', W 75° 49.892'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 485 views
Inscription
Due to its remote location on the Currituck Outer Banks, the Whalehead Club has been used in various ways for national defense. Shortly after Ray T. Adams purchased this property, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) and the U.S. entered World War II. Ger submarines soon prowled the eastern seaboard looking for vulnerable ships. By April 1942, German "U Boats" sank half a million tons of shipping. During a one-month period, they destroyed a ship every day off the North Carolina coast. Thus, Adams leased the Whalehead Club to the Coast Guard for the duration of the war.
The Coast Guard's duties first included the rescue of merchantmen from sinking ships. Mounted beach patrols protected this remote this remote coastling from landing by enemy agents. Soon, the Whalehead Club became a receiving station for Coast Guardsmen waiting reassignment after basic training.
During the Cold War, when the "space race" between the U.S. and Soviet Union reached its peak, the Whalehead Club again contributed to national defense. The Atlantic Research Corporation, specialists in rocket fuel for military and space programs, found Corolla Island's remote location perfect for the largely classified work they carried out here (1962-1969), including development of a solid rocket fuel that gave the U.S. an advantage over the Soviet Union in the production of large booster rockets.

Picture captions are (top to bottom):
Smoke from a static-firing test. Photograph (provided for the marker) courtesy of Gene and Shirley Austin.
A test motor on a support stand. Photograph (provided for the marker) courtesy of Gene and Shirley Austin.
Fifth Naval District Barracks on Currituck Beach.
Details
HM NumberHM1JX8
Placed ByWhalehead Club Curritcuck Heritage Park, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, N.C. Wildlife Education Resources Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, April 6th, 2015 at 5:01pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 425410 N 4025738
Decimal Degrees36.37386667, -75.83153333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 22.432', W 75° 49.892'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 22' 25.92" N, 75° 49' 53.52" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)252
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Club Rd, Corolla NC 27927, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. This markers needs some tags to help categorize the marker
  3. What historical period does the marker represent?
  4. What historical place does the marker represent?
  5. What type of marker is it?
  6. What class is the marker?
  7. What style is the marker?
  8. Does the marker have a number?
  9. What year was the marker erected?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?