Searchlights #1 and #2
Fort McGilvray, HD Seward
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Searchlights #1 and #2 are located on Rocky Point, about one mile south of South Beach. Facilities for searchlight #1 included three small reinforced concrete structures: a shelter, a power plant and a Distant Electric Controller, or DEC, station. All three are perched on the face of a cliff more than 100 feet above the sea. Access to the DEC (and presumably the searchlight shelter) was by wooden walkways and small foot trails cut into the hillside.

By contrast, searchlight #2 was provided with a combined shelter and power house of wood frame construction and a temporary DEC station. Information in the 1942 Local Board Report suggests that the #2 shelter and DEC may have been constructed prior to the main Harbor Defense Project, possibly explaining the use of nonstandard materials.

Due to the precipitous terrain, the #1 shelter and #2 DEC were not visited.



Searchlight #1


Remains of wooden stairs leading to the DEC.
July 2005
The front of the DEC station.
July 2005
Looking into the DEC.
July 2005
Looking southwest in the entry corridor of the DEC.
July 2005
Looking east in the DEC.
July 2005
Looking south in the DEC.
July 2005
The north corner of the DEC.
July 2005
The front of the power plant.
July 2005
The rear of the power plant.
July 2005
Looking west inside the power plant.
July 2005
Looking northeast in the power plant.
July 2005



Searchlight #2


Looking west along the runway.
July 2005
Looking east at the operating position.
July 2005
Detail of the edge of the runway.
July 2005
Detail of concrete footings for the shelter and power plant building.
July 2005
Looking north at the shelter and power plant site.
July 2005





Documents
Form 4, searchlight #1 
Form 4, searchlight #2 
Plot PlanAugust 12, 1944
Searchlight illumination planAugust 20, 1944



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