Standing Guard

Standing Guard (HMQGY)

Location: Lewes, DE 19958 Sussex County
Buy Delaware State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 46.583', W 75° 5.571'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 532 views
Inscription
Built from 1939 to 1942, the 11 concrete observation towers along Delaware's coast were built to protect the shores during World War II - and to last about 20 years. They are still standing after 60 years. The towers were the eyes for the guns of Fort Miles, located in what is now Cape Henlopen State Park. Abandoned since the early 1960s, these sentinels once stood guard against German ships.About the Towers - As war was raging in Europe, the United States saw the need to protect the coast from Nazi naval threats. Delaware Bay was of prime concern. The army quickly built Fort Miles in two years at Cape Henlopen to protect the industrialized and shipbuilding cities of Wilmington and Philadelphia. Fort DuPont and Fort Delaware near Delaware City, and Fort Mott in New Jersey were thought to be too far up the river to be a viable defense. The observation towers along Delaware's coast were part of the overall defense of the coast. They were the spotters for two 16-in guns, two 12-inch guns and four 6-inch guns at Fort Miles. An underwater minefield was also set up from Cape Henlopen to Cape May. Each mine could be turned off electronically to allow friendly ships to pass.
Details
HM NumberHMQGY
Tags
Placed ByDelaware State Parks
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, October 7th, 2014 at 1:39pm 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 491934 N 4291966
Decimal Degrees38.77638333, -75.09285000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 46.583', W 75° 5.571'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 46' 34.98" N, 75° 5' 34.26" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)302
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 3353-3355 Dune Rd, Lewes DE 19958, 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.

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. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?