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Thursday, July 12, 2012
World War 2 Lookout Tower on Cape Henlopen
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"For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy" (Psalm 61:3). "The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).
On Tuesday we visited Cape Henlopen in southern Delaware. During World War 2 lookout towers such as the one seen in our main photo were used to keep an eye on the mouth of Delaware Bay for any sign of approaching enemies or enemy activity.
These towers didn't actually have gun emplacements - they were used in conjunction with other nearby towers to observe & triangulate the positions of enemy vessels. The towers ranged from 39 to 75 feet high and consisted of concrete walls 1 foot thick. Construction of these towers took place from 1939 to 1942, with the intention of the buildings having a 20-year lifespan. But quite a few remain over 70 years later!
In order to determine the location of a 'hostile' vessel, the coordinates of the lines of sight between 2 different towers were noted & given to the battery commander. The angles were then plotted in relation to the known distance between the two towers to form a triangle (triangulation) to determine the angle & direction of artillery fire. This is actually the same principle used in GPS.
Interestingly, the guns at Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen were never called upon to fire at an enemy vessel.
The writer of Proverbs uses a strong tower to demonstrate the security we have in the Name of the Lord. In the Old Testament period towers were used for fortresses.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible states, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower - The name of the Lord may be taken for the Lord himself; He is a strong tower, a refuge, and place of complete safety, to all that trust in Him. What the strong fortress is to the besieged, God is to His persecuted, tempted, and afflicted followers."
Likewise we who run to Christ find a place of refuge and safety. The writer of Hebrews cheers the persecuted believer with these words, "We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged" (Hebrews 6:18).
Life is fragile and unpredictable. Now is the day of salvation. Place your hope in Christ, both in this life and the life yet to come.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, You want us to be on the look out for our enemy's activity and
beware of his approach through the daily temptations that come our way.
The narrative might have changed a great deal had the disciples been on
their guard in the Garden of Gethsemane after Jesus warned them to pray
rather than sleep through the night. We find ourselves much
like them because we often ignore the warnings or we are wearied by
them thinking we've heard them all our lives. Yet Your warnings and
promises in Scripture are like a watch tower for the soul. You are our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Your words are
truth and all Your promises will be fulfilled in time. Your name is a
strong tower and we who are righteous run to it and find safety through
Christ Jesus our Lord in whose name we pray. Amen.
One of these days we'll write a message about this heavy super sized chain!
In Lewes Harbor we were entertained by these dogs who fought over the floating toy. It makes us wonder if Mollie would also like to fetch a frisbee in the water. She has now become so adept in frisbee catch that no matter how far or how fast I throw it she manages to catch it.
We rented a bicycle built for two Tuesday afternoon
and drove through Cape Henlopen State Park.
I'm sure we gave the bike quite a workout! I know we got quite a workout. (Notice the missing socks and suspenders due to my unexpected swim in the ocean.)
Ester was initially quite reluctant to get in with the waves. She had only waded in the ocean up to this point. Only recently has she learned to swim and go underwater (in great part due to her health issues related to her heart and lack of muscle tone).
But I managed to get her to trust me and even laughing as the big waves charged at us (many over her head). She's now 23 but she was like my little girl again as she clung tight to my shoulders. Ester's longtime friend Jenny was also with us.
An interesting feature is that a long portion of the beach was reserved for vehicles that drove out on the beach and backed right up to the ocean. If you look in the far distance you can barely see Rehoboth Beach.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource
<Previous Message Next Message>
Thursday, July 12, 2012
World War 2 Lookout Tower on Cape Henlopen
Listen to this message on your
audio player."A Strong Tower"
"For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy" (Psalm 61:3). "The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).
On Tuesday we visited Cape Henlopen in southern Delaware. During World War 2 lookout towers such as the one seen in our main photo were used to keep an eye on the mouth of Delaware Bay for any sign of approaching enemies or enemy activity.
These towers didn't actually have gun emplacements - they were used in conjunction with other nearby towers to observe & triangulate the positions of enemy vessels. The towers ranged from 39 to 75 feet high and consisted of concrete walls 1 foot thick. Construction of these towers took place from 1939 to 1942, with the intention of the buildings having a 20-year lifespan. But quite a few remain over 70 years later!
In order to determine the location of a 'hostile' vessel, the coordinates of the lines of sight between 2 different towers were noted & given to the battery commander. The angles were then plotted in relation to the known distance between the two towers to form a triangle (triangulation) to determine the angle & direction of artillery fire. This is actually the same principle used in GPS.
Interestingly, the guns at Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen were never called upon to fire at an enemy vessel.
The writer of Proverbs uses a strong tower to demonstrate the security we have in the Name of the Lord. In the Old Testament period towers were used for fortresses.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible states, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower - The name of the Lord may be taken for the Lord himself; He is a strong tower, a refuge, and place of complete safety, to all that trust in Him. What the strong fortress is to the besieged, God is to His persecuted, tempted, and afflicted followers."
Likewise we who run to Christ find a place of refuge and safety. The writer of Hebrews cheers the persecuted believer with these words, "We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged" (Hebrews 6:18).
Life is fragile and unpredictable. Now is the day of salvation. Place your hope in Christ, both in this life and the life yet to come.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, You want us to be on the look out for our enemy's activity and
beware of his approach through the daily temptations that come our way.
The narrative might have changed a great deal had the disciples been on
their guard in the Garden of Gethsemane after Jesus warned them to pray
rather than sleep through the night. We find ourselves much
like them because we often ignore the warnings or we are wearied by
them thinking we've heard them all our lives. Yet Your warnings and
promises in Scripture are like a watch tower for the soul. You are our
refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Your words are
truth and all Your promises will be fulfilled in time. Your name is a
strong tower and we who are righteous run to it and find safety through
Christ Jesus our Lord in whose name we pray. Amen.One of these days we'll write a message about this heavy super sized chain!
In Lewes Harbor we were entertained by these dogs who fought over the floating toy. It makes us wonder if Mollie would also like to fetch a frisbee in the water. She has now become so adept in frisbee catch that no matter how far or how fast I throw it she manages to catch it.
We rented a bicycle built for two Tuesday afternoon
and drove through Cape Henlopen State Park.
I'm sure we gave the bike quite a workout! I know we got quite a workout. (Notice the missing socks and suspenders due to my unexpected swim in the ocean.)
Ester was initially quite reluctant to get in with the waves. She had only waded in the ocean up to this point. Only recently has she learned to swim and go underwater (in great part due to her health issues related to her heart and lack of muscle tone).
But I managed to get her to trust me and even laughing as the big waves charged at us (many over her head). She's now 23 but she was like my little girl again as she clung tight to my shoulders. Ester's longtime friend Jenny was also with us.
An interesting feature is that a long portion of the beach was reserved for vehicles that drove out on the beach and backed right up to the ocean. If you look in the far distance you can barely see Rehoboth Beach.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
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