Fort Miles WWII Radar Site (1)

 (1943-1946) - A World War II U.S. Army Radar Site established in 1943. Used to provide target information to large caliber (6" and above) coastal gun batteries in the Harbor Defense of the Delaware against enemy warships. Located on Fort Miles near Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware. Closed in 1946.

History
Constructed and transferred for use on 3 Nov 1943 as Fort Miles WWII Radar Site (1). Construction costs to date of transfer were $ 10,800. The physical plant consisted of an SCR-582 radar set, mounted atop Fire Control Tower No. 12, a powerhouse with two generators and a 1000 gallon fuel tank. Commercial power was furnished by the City of Lewes with backup power supplied by a nearby powerhouse. The powerhouse was placed on a concrete pad and footings were installed by the Corps of Engineers who erected the structure.

The radar set modulator room was mounted on top of Fire Control Tower No. 12 and on top of that room was built an additional open-frame tower. The radar antenna was mounted at the top of that tower at a combined height of 160 feet, high enough to clear local obstructions.

The radar equipment was installed by the Signal Corps. It required 3.7kW of 120/240 AC, 1 phase, 60 cycle power furnished by commercial power backed up by the two on-site generators. The two 5 kW generators were furnished and installed by the Signal Corps.

Site Operation
In operation, the SCR-582 search radar provided an overview of all potential targets within its range. Once enemy targets were identified and plotted at the Harbor Defense Command Post (HDCP), target assignments were passed by telephone to the appropriate SCR-296-A tracking radar site. Each gun battery 6" or larger had an associated SCR-296-A radar site to track specific targets. The SCR-296-A radar operators would then find the assigned target and pass the precise range and azimuth to the plotting room at the gun battery by phone. The radar operators would continue to track the target and update the plotting room as the range and azimuth changed.

Closure
Closed circa 1946.

Current Status
No visible remains. Fire Control Tower 12 is still standing but public access is not allowed and there are no visible remains of the radar installation on top of the tower.

See Also:
 * Fort Miles
 * US Radar Sets
 * SCR-582 Radar Set
 * Northeastern WWII Radar Sites

Sources:

Links:
 * RCW-Corrected to 1 Aug 1944, CDSG.