Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2019

55 www.ReadMPM.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com uncovered. Never a dull moment in Charleston history!” Russel Wallace said, “Super cool.” And Edie Newman exclaimed simply, “OMG!” Indeed. The Panama mount, a circa-World War II coastal defense battery, was designed to be outfitted with 155- mm artillery guns to protect Charleston Harbor and the coastline in general from attack by sea. The structure was already partially visible, but the recent hurricane ripped away much of the sand that was covering the mini- fortification. The mounts were installed in what was called a sub-post of Fort Moultrie on the Marshall Reservation during World War II but were dismantled a few years later as coastal defense priorities changed. Sullivan’s Island was a hotbed of wartime activity going all the way back to the American Revolution, when local militia beat back an invasion attempt in an area near the modern-day “breech” that separates Sullivan’s from Isle of Palms. During the Civil War, several battles took place near Charleston, and the world wars saw Fort Moultrie a part in the nation’s sea defense against German U-boats. It was reported that at least one U-boat was stalking shipping off Charleston during World War II, but, unlike the action on the mid-Atlantic coast, few ships were attacked along the Carolina shore. Gary Alexander, a national park ranger at Fort Moultrie, said it is not surprising that buried military fortifications such as the Panama mount are being uncovered on Sullivan’s Island. “The Army had a slew of these batteries all over the island, and we don’t even know where all of them were. There is even some talk that another Panama mount is actually under the porch of someone’s home near the beach,” he said. And what lies off the Charleston-area beaches? A number of ships heading in and out of Charleston and plying the waters off Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms, James Island and Johns island, never made it home because of enemy action or storms. Virginia Ellison of the South Carolina Historical Society said it is natural for the area offshore of Charleston Harbor to contain shipwrecks from various eras. “The Charleston Harbor has been a bustling port since the founding of Charles Towne, with it being a major port of entry for newcomers – immigrants and enslaved – as well as exports and imports,” she pointed out. She said the Historical Society collection contains accounts of a number of shipwrecks off the coast of Charleston. For instance, the Benjamin Maillefert business feature Book Your COMPLIMENTARY session today! Text: BODY20MPM To: 555888 BODY20 MOUNT PLEASANT 843.936.6555 mountpleasant@bodytwenty.com 712 S. Shelmore Blvd., Unit 101 Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 www.bodytwenty.com