Fort Moultrie Torpedo Storehouse

Fort Moultrie Torpedo Storehouse. . , During the 1880s, with its defenses crumbling and obsolete, the United States needed a new system to defend its shores. A Board of Fortifications convened in 1885 and recommended the construction of massive gun batteries, like Battery Jasper, as well as minefields in 29 American harbors. The minefields in Charleston Harbor were supplied from the Fort Moultrie Military Reservation., To support a minefield, several structures and facilities were built including a mining casemate, torpedo storehouse, magazine, cable tank storehouse, a mine wharf, and a tramway connecting all the structures. Most of them have been removed with the exception of the Fort Moultrie torpedo storehouse. Built in 1902, it was used to store equipment and empty mines. This small brick structure in front of you is a silent reminder of Charleston Harbor's minefield., In 1917, The Army Mine Planter Service was added to the Coastal Artillery Corps. Originally, minefields were maintained by civilians working under Army officers. Once the mines were placed, soldiers in mining casemates could electronically detonate them if enemy vessels attacked. In Charleston, mining casemates were located at Forts Moultrie and Sumter.