Sullivan's Island in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Harbor Vigilance

1944 - 1945

Photographed by Craig Swain, May 3, 2010

1. Harbor Vigilance Marker

Inscription. From this camouflaged concrete observation post, Army and Navy personnel kept a round-the-clock vigil to protect Charleston Harbor. Built in 1944, this fortified underground installation housed the combined activities of the Navy's Harbor Entrance Control Post (HECP) and the Army's Harbor Defense Command Post (HDCP).

The Harbor Defense System included electronic surveillance and coastal lookouts, minefields, harbor gun batteries, minesweepers, patrol vessels, and aircraft. The system was controlled from here.

The observation platform and radio room, message center room, and operations room are equipped today as they were during World War II. If you walk downstairs you can visit some of these restored rooms, and step back into World War II.

Harbor Entrance Control Post / Harbor Defense Command Post
In the lower rooms, two officers and a crew of 36 staffed this "nerve center" day and night. From here they could coordinate air and sea forces and coastal artillery.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1944.

Location. 32° 45.562′ N, 79° 51.432′ W.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Marker is on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is at the intersection of Middle Street and Palmetto Street, on the right when traveling east on Middle Street. Located inside Fort Moultrie National Monument. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sullivans Island SC 29482, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Historic Charleston

and in the Lowcountry.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Harbor Defense 1898-1939 (a few steps from this marker); Cannon Row (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Defense of Sullivan's Island (within shouting distance of this marker);

Marker and Command Post image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, May 3, 2010

2. Marker and Command Post

H.L. Hunley Disappears (within shouting distance of this marker); Discovering the Hunley (within shouting distance of this marker); The Hunley Recovery Project (within shouting distance of this marker); From Military Base to National Park (within shouting distance of this marker); 13-Inch Seacoast Mortar (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sullivan's Island.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Civil War Armament (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. In the upper center is a cutaway diagram of the HECP/HDCP facility. Photos across the bottom show equipment in use during the war. From the upper decks Navy signalmen used lights and flags to challenge and clear ships entering Charleston Harbor. Another photo shows World War II radio room and personnel.

Also see . . . Fort Moultrie. National Park Service site. (Submitted on June 14, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Command Post image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, May 3, 2010

3. Command Post

The command post used portions of Fort Moultrie, completely replacing one of the redoubts.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 14, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 677 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 14, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.