92 replies to this topic

[agate hunter]

i hope this meets forum standards , because it does not focus on "militaria" but close enough , and a very interesting topic in my opinion. i always love exploring us military bunkers, especially here on the west coast and love the history surrounding them, like ft. stevens.

so if anyone has pictures or stories of bunkers here in the US, feel free to post them! here are some of my pics-

this is on tillamook head in northern oregon coast. its a radar/observation post.

this is the top of the bunker

[agate hunter]

this is the entrance, blocked off from vandalism.

[agate hunter]

this is my hand sticking through the gate trying to get a good inside picture. i just wonder what is in there and what could of gone on. really interesting.


this is the remains of the radar tower

[shrapneldude]

I don't have any photos but that is really cool!

There were some old gun emplacements along the New Jersey coastline when I was there as a kid but never got to explore them. They may have washed into the ocean by now. This is very neat though.
Certainly hoping some more photos turn up. :thumbsup:

[dag]

Here's a few old WWII bunkers/gun emplacements that were along the North Carolina coast, these pics are from the mid-1980's, these too are long gone in the ocean...

[dag]

And another I've seen in the US (barely), these are on Shemya Island (was Shemya Air Force Base when I was there in 1984). These are a few of the old gun emplacements/bunkers from WWII. Shemya was one of the smaller islands within sight of Attu, at the end of the Aleution Islands.

[36-tex]

A picture of one of the several military watch-towers found along the Atlantic Coast in DE. These were built during WWII to protect the East Coast from possible German invasion.

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[skir]

Here is some shots of the old UDT 22 Bunkers our Det. called home for about 3 months in the early 80s at NAB Little Creek. Great art work in those bunkers that unfortunately were torn down just after we left.

Edited by skir, 06 August 2010 - 05:20 PM.

[willysmb44]

Great shots, had no idea that was down there.

I remember vainly looking for an abandoned MG bunker near the Olympia airport that’s still on the military grid maps of Ft Lewis. It’s not there anymore, trust me on that! I too live in your area, would love to know the other bunkers around these parts you’ve found. I’ve spent time around the forts around the mouth of the Columbia and the north Puget Sound area, but those aren’t exactly “abandoned” as they’re in state parks now.
I now regret not taking good shots of the artillery bunker overlooking the impact zone at Ft Lewis. It’s still used from time to time (I used it myself when working with a FA unit on active duty years ago) but I’d love to know when it was built as it sure looks like a WW2-era emplacement to me.

[agate hunter]

Great shots, had no idea that was down there.

I remember vainly looking for an abandoned MG bunker near the Olympia airport that’s still on the military grid maps of Ft Lewis. It’s not there anymore, trust me on that! I too live in your area, would love to know the other bunkers around these parts you’ve found. I’ve spent time around the forts around the mouth of the Columbia and the north Puget Sound area, but those aren’t exactly “abandoned” as they’re in state parks now.
I now regret not taking good shots of the artillery bunker overlooking the impact zone at Ft Lewis. It’s still used from time to time (I used it myself when working with a FA unit on active duty years ago) but I’d love to know when it was built as it sure looks like a WW2-era emplacement to me.

If you're wondering where it is and how to get there, you have to drive down the oregon coast a little past seaside. go to indian head beach in ecola state park. when at the parking lot for indian head, grab a brochure about ecola or one of the brochures there and there should be a map of the area. it is labeled on the map. there's two trails, an actual trail (which i believe is part of the oregon coast trail) and an old maitenance road, which i took. go uphill for about 30 min. (there's plenty of markers on the trail, so you won't get lost) and you'll come to the hikers camp, with several little adrionick style shelters and what not, and this is the end of the road. then there is a trail that goes to the look out point for tillamook rock lighthouse. once there, you can clearly find the bunker. i went on a really sunny day, and it was still a bit muddy up there though, so if you happen to go on a rainy day, expect mud, but not much, if you live in the NW then you'll be used to it. also take time to admire the lighthouse, for this is the closest observation point for it, and in stormy weather the waves fly all over the lighthouse. really cool place. i can just imagine being in the radar post up there looking and waiting for japanese ships to come. really cool place.

[Misanthropic_Gods]

I am currently writing a book about the former Nike Missile Sites of the Chicago Defensive Ring, part of my quest is to visit and document through photos all 22 of the Nike launch sites and their IFC's (even if they are now demolished) as well as using current satellite data and period USGS Aerial Survey photos to map out and show the changes that have gone on in the past 50 years.

Here is 1 of the sites I visited, It was site C-98 which was in what was Fort Sheridan, what little remains of the Launch site is still US Military property as it is on the US Army Reserve Center, so I went in and knocked on the door, talked to the SGT on duty and he directed me up to the SNCO of the 16th Psychological Operations Battalion upstairs, so I went in and they grilled me for a few minutes and eventually granted me permission as long as I did not take pictures of their buildings. Thanks guys!

The ubiquitous "US Property NO trespassing" sign
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/Misanthropic_gods/P6100240.jpg

One of the doors to the underground missile magazine that the missile would raise out of.
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/Misanthropic_gods/P6100241.jpg

The pad
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/Misanthropic_gods/P6100238.jpg

an escape hatch and air vent
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/Misanthropic_gods/P6100246.jpg


The escape hatch again
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z152/Misanthropic_gods/P6100243.jpg


I love old abandoned military installations

Edited by Misanthropic_Gods, 06 August 2010 - 10:51 PM.

[Salvage Sailor]

Makapu'u Point - East end of Oahu

Pillboxes, gun emplacements, command bunker, observation posts

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[Salvage Sailor]

Makapu'u Point

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[Salvage Sailor]

Makapu'u Point

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[Salvage Sailor]

Makapu'u Point

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[Salvage Sailor]

Makapu'u Point

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[Salvage Sailor]

Makapu'u Point

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[Salvage Sailor]

Makapu'u Point

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[Misanthropic_Gods]

OUTSTANDING....really digging this thread as I am an active Urb Ex'er!

[willysmb44]

I need to dig up the Grand Canyon trip photos we took, I got some photos of what is obviously a MG (or antitank) bunker on the Arizona side of Hoover Dam, at the very top of the heights overlooking it. Beats me if it's abandoned or still being used... :think:

[Kaneoheboy]

And another I've seen in the US (barely), these are on Shemya Island (was Shemya Air Force Base when I was there in 1984). These are a few of the old gun emplacements/bunkers from WWII. Shemya was one of the smaller islands within sight of Attu, at the end of the Aleution Islands.



[/quote]

The center photo is a "steel turreted pillbox" found at aerodrome sites and others for base defense. The top turret or cupola was able to traverse by means of a hand crank. The pillbox's main chamber was buried in the ground, entry was by a crawl-thru round corrugated pipe that was attached to the rear.

Several examples are found on Oahu, and one on Midway Atoll. They were manufactured by the "Blaw-Knox" o. of PA during WWII.


Outside perimeter fence of Lualualei Naval Magazine, Oahu


Interior of pillbox foound at Dillingam Airfield showing hand crank.

-John

[Kaneoheboy]

Makapu'u Point

Salvage Sailor: This one was a Coast Artillery fire control or base end station built in 1943. It was equipped with two cast-metal pedestals that mounted depression position finder (DPF) optical instruments that were able to mechanically determine the range and deflection of a target at sea. The station was one of three observation base end stations atop Makapuu Ridge known as Station "H." This particular observation station was loosely known as New Station "H."



It was assigned to provide range (elevation) and deflection (azimuth) to Battery Wilridge at Wiliwilinui Ridge and Batery Construction No. 405 at Puu Papaa; it was also assigned to the uncompleted Battery Pennsylvania at Mokapu Point.


Cast metal mounting pedestal for DPF at New Station "H."


DPF Instrument

Source: John D. Bennett, "Makapuu Point Military Reservation 1922-61," Coast Defense Journal, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Aug. 2008), pp. 4-25.

-John

Edited by Kaneoheboy, 11 August 2010 - 04:50 PM.

[Kaneoheboy]

These were taken of Battery Construction No. 405, renamed to Battery Roert E. DeMerritt in 1946, located on the lower slopes of Puu Papaa situated at the terminus of the Oneawa Hills of Kaneohe, Oahu. The battery was armed with two 8-inch Mk. VI Mod. 3A2 ex-naval rifles mounted on Army barbette carriages, M-1. The battery was part of the harbor defenses of Kaneohe Bay which protected Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay in WW2.


Portal of S. tunnel, one of two, which connected to two transverse tunnels.


Interior of south tunnel looking east towards entrance.


Pojectile storage magazine, which ran off south tunnel, similar one located off the north tunnel.


Concrete apron of the No. 2 gun emplacement looking towards MCAS Kaneohe Bay.


Vintage photo of 8-inch gun (No. 1) Mk. VI Mod. 3A2 at Battery DeMerritt, courtesy of US Army Museum of HI

-John

[Dave]

My father in law commanded Naval Magazine Lualualei in the early 80s and she has all kinds of stories of running around old bunkers and buildings still with equipment in them, but were torn down even while she was there.

Unufortunately, since this is a US-only forum, I can't post pics, but Naval Station Yokosuka is completely riddled with Japanese bunkers (they're everywhere!) and I've had a chance to see some super ones while in Malta and so on...some pretty cool stuff if you look for it!

Dave

[ww2_1943]

I don't have any photos but that is really cool!

There were some old gun emplacements along the New Jersey coastline when I was there as a kid but never got to explore them. They may have washed into the ocean by now. This is very neat though.
Certainly hoping some more photos turn up. :thumbsup:

The bunkers at Cape May NJ were almost lost to the sea, but a beach replenishment project now have the bunkers well inland.

There are also several bunkers and fortifications at Sandy Hook NJ. I think that was called Fort Mott if I remember correctly.