The SAMS Lyceum of Martial and Societal Antediluvian Chronicles An addendum to The SAMS Sporran – January 26, 2019 American History The Ghost Towers of the Delaware Beaches In the Mid-Atlantic region goin'downeyocean is a way of life, whether it is in the spring and summer or the dead of winter; a trip to the beach is always a welcome experience. Sooner or later the beach goers will drive along Coastal Highway. Annually, thousands upon thousands of cars, vans and suvs drive blissfully past several imposing monuments without blinking an eyelash. Okay, the cars wouldn't blink, but the folks inside would. So what exactly, would they miss? The Ghost Towers Of The Delaware Beaches In Delaware alone there are thirteen reinforced, concrete, cylindrical sentinels seventy-five feet tall looking for all the world like something left over from a set from filming of Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings. They are Beach Watchtowers, leftover from a war but it wasn't fantasy it was real. It was World War Two. These watchtowers are actually called Fire Control Towers. Nine are located along the Atlantic Coast in Delaware from Fenwick Island to Cape Henlopen. Three are located on the Delaware side of the Delaware Bay with two more located on the Cape May, New Jersey side of the Bay. (there were originally four but two were dismantled.) During World War Two the towers monitored the busy shipping lanes by the Delaware Bay on the alert for enemy vessels, especially submarines. Working in pairs the Towers would triangulate the position of an enemy vessel and transmit the exact location to the shore batteries that would destroy the enemy vessel with artillery fire. During the Cold War they were used for classified missions. While these towers might appear to be abandoned and forgotten that wouldn't be quite true. One Tower 7, at Fort Miles has been renovated and is open to the public. Fort Miles, the grounds of which are now Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE, was home of the "Big Guns". Artillery designed to protect the entrance of Delaware Bay from enemy ships during the height of World War II. It was the largest and most heavily armed coastal defense fortification ever built in the United States. At its peak, Fort Miles was home to over 2,200 soldiers, men and women, including the 261st Coast Artillery Battalion, the 21st Coast Artillery Regiment, part of the 52nd Coast Artillery (Railway), and a detachment of the 113th Infantry Regiment. The Big Guns of Fort Miles consisted of Battery 519 which originally contained two 12" Big Guns. It was supplemented by three batteries at the Cape May Military Reservation in New Jersey. The first was Battery 25 with four 155 mm (6.1 in) guns. Battery 223, a 6-inch (152 mm) battery similar to Batteries 221 and 222 at Fort Miles. Additionally, a large mine field was laid in the waters off Lewes, Delaware. After World War II, the Navy established an underwater listening station, named NavFac, Lewes, tracked submarines in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Navy's Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS). Since the SOSUS program was not officially declassified until 1991, the actual operations of NAVFAC Lewes remained classified for the duration of the facility's existence While Fort Miles never saw any major action during World War II, it routinely fired its guns in practice and achieved high marksmanship ratings. But they never used those guns to engage an enemy. However, it's moment of glory came when it received the surrender of U-858, a German U-boat that was part of Wolfpack Seewolf at the time of the German surrender to Allied forces in Europe. In addition to the shipping lanes there was much in and around the Delaware Bay that was essential to protect. Among them being chemical plants, oil refineries and the Naval Shipyard, not to mention the major cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington. As for the remaining Fire Control Towers; Tower 9 was completely renovated in 1986 and serves the Delaware Pilots Association. It is also known as the Pilot Radio Tower . It controls radar and communications for all incoming and outgoing commercial shipping in the Delaware Bay Estuary. There is a civilian restoration campaign under the auspices of The Delaware Seashore Preservation Foundation and the Fort Miles Historical Association to restore all of the Fire Control Towers to their original condition. Fire Control Tower #3,in Dewey Beach, has been partially restored and each evening it thrills passers-by as it is bathed in dynamic blue light. Tower #7 in Cape Henlopen State Park stands 75 feet tall and if you climb all the way to the top you can see 14.5 miles in any direction. Fundraising for Tower #1 in Fenwick and Tower #2 in North Bethany is currently underway. It is hoped that some restoration work can be started soon. Fire control towers were erected along the Atlantic coast from New England to Virginia with several at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at Hampton Roads Virginia. However, these have been decommissioned and disassembled. Scottish History Life on The Borders, Clans Armstrong and Elliot Although not the tourist draw a Glasgow or Edinburgh might be there are still places in Scotland full of history and a delight to the eye. With that idea the Borders spring immediately to mind. They are a 96 mile stretch of land that nominally separates Scotland and England. It has a unique history, and in a way reflects the history of Scotland itself. It is the ancestral home of famous clans like the Armstrongs and the Elliots. The Border clans who abide there linked are in spirit and blood. Intermarriage between clans on both sides of the border was common. The area was largely peaceful until the reign of Edward I. His ambition to unite all of Great Britain created havoc in both countries and a wee residual bitterness remains today. In the 13th century “Longshanks” rolled through the area with his armies breaking a long standing peace, establishing a boundary line and created mayhem between the clans that lasted four hundred years. A 20 mile stretch smack in the middle of the Borders, near the Kielder Forest is Liddlesdale. At one end of Liddlesdale was the home of the largest of the clans, the Armstrongs. The middle area was the stronghold of the Elliots and at the other were the associated clans the Croziers and the Nixons. Between them were 154 fortified peel towers (Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the Scottish Marches and North of England, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by the garrison to warn of approaching danger.) a sure sign that a strong defence was a necessity. They occupied what was essentially a “no man's land” with armies of both sides routinely marching through ravishing the country side. For twelve generations the folks living on either side of the boundary lived under the shadow of conflict that devolved into a virtually lawless way of life. They were known as The Reivers. They pursued a life founded in violence, cunning, ruthlessness, cruelty and treachery. They were essentially light cavalry, armed with lances and protected by steel bonnets. There was never a straight forward division between Scotland and England, since both sides married across the border. Choosing their spouses from other riding clans they met at markets or on truce days (Mutually agreed upon days when fighting or military action was forbidden. ie Sundays, Religious or national holidays). The Reivers first loyalty was to those with whom they rode. Then it was to the clan, followed by loyalty to the Borders area and finally to Scotland. They survived mostly by reiving (stealing) cattle and selling them. Riding time was late autumn to early winter. During that time they would range across all of northern England and Southern Scotland. Reiving was not a cause for a feud, however, killing was.(Think of the Hatfields and MaCoys) The Armstrong's had feuds with the Johnstones, Bells, Robersons, Ridleys, Turnbulls and Taylors. For their part the Elliots had hostile relations with the Dodds, Pringles, Fenwicks, Robersons, Ogles and most bitterly with the Scotts. Since most of the names are found on both sides of the Borders, in times of strife between the countries it was frowned upon to fight too vigorously against one's fellow Borderers. It was not uncommon for a clan to switch sides when the outcome appeared more propitious for their opponents. A perfect example of this sense of duty to the clan occurred when Kinmont Willie Armstrong was arrested on a Truce Day by Lord Scope, the English Warden of the Western March. This so annoyed Walter Scott of Buccleuch that after his complaint was rebuffed by the authorities that he organsied a breakout. He negotiated a free passage through the reiving clans of Northern England and with 30 clansmen broke into Carlisle Castle and spirited Kinmont Willie home leaving the authorities helpless to retaliate. Such was life on the Scottish Borders. From the Mess Deck Growing up I was told that oysters are good in months that contain an 'r'. So I thought it appropriate to include a few recipes for oysters in this month's newsletter. Escalloped Oysters Ingredients: 1 pt. Oysters 2 c. crushed saltines 1/4 lb. Butter 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp. sat and pepper to taste 3/4 c. cream Method: Drain and reserve 1/4 c.