WWII Submarine Observation Tower, Ormond-By-The-Sea, FL

These are photos of a World War II era coastal watch tower that was used to spot German submarines.  This is one of many such towers that were built along the eastern coastline.  The tower was recognized as a historic site in the mid 1990s and refurbished in 2005.

More information: Ormond Beach Historical Society

Location: Google Maps (29.346930, -81.065100)

NY-56 Missile Launch Site, Sandy Hook, NJ

These are photos of a Nike missile launch site in Sandy Hook, NJ.  It was part of New York’s last line of defense against potential Soviet nuclear attack.  I also have photos of the missile control/radar site, which can be found here.

Here is some site information, quoted from the source below: “The original Fort Hancock was improved upon during the Civil War, and in the 1890s vast concrete gun batteries and mortar pits were built to protect Manhattan. At one point over 7,000 soldiers lived here in an army town that included rows of grand yellow brick homes, officer’s quarters, a theatre and ball fields. The full-scale camp was largely vacated after World War II and given over to a Nike launch site given the code name NY-56.”

“Named for the Greek winged goddess of victory, and developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories, the Nike missile was a surface-to-air missile, guided by radar and a tracking computer. The program started in 1945, spurred by two cataclysmic events: the first successful atomic bomb test by the Soviet Union and their development of a long range bomber capable of 10,000-mile distances. The threat of Soviet aircraft carrying atomic weapons suddenly became very real. The Nike missiles were a solution to prevent another Pearl Harbor from happening.”

More information: http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-rusted-rotting-remains-of-a-new-jersey-missile-base

Location: Google Maps (40.433846, -73.986059)

NY-56 Missile Control/Radar Site, Sandy Hook, NJ

These are photos of the Integrated Fire Control site in Sandy Hook, NJ, where the launch of Nike missiles was coordinated.  It was part of New York’s last line of defense against potential Soviet nuclear attack.

I also have photos of the missile launch site, which can be found here.

More information: http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-rusted-rotting-remains-of-a-new-jersey-missile-base

Location: Google Maps (40.448398, -73.993611)

Sagamore Hill Military Reservation, Sandwich, MA

According to the Wikipedia article, “Sagamore Hill Military Reservation was a coastal defense site located in Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts. Today, the site is the location of Scusset Beach State Reservation. Sagamore Hill Military Reservation was built on state land. Its mission was to protect the Cape Cod Canal from possible air and naval attack. It never did have to fire its guns in defense but did play an important part in the defense of the canal. The Panama mounts (1942) and battery commander’s station of a two-gun 155mm battery still remain here, as well as several magazine igloos.”

Location: Google Maps (41.780782,-70.516720)