SPECIAL DEFENCES
THE THAMES ESTUARY LONDON, October k Secrets of the strongest fortresses of the war—grotesque concrete and steel towers raised on stilts 80ft abova sea level at key points guarding the Thames Estuary—have been revealed by a Press visit. Visitors to nearby resorts were -nuzzled for two years to know the real purpose of the towers, which are seen from miles away. The fortresses were built to keep the Port of London open for shipping. The primary task was to shoot down and beat off enemy planes j laying mines in the narrow, navigable I Thames waters. It was essential that the channels should foe kept clear, as blockages by wrecks could have sealed the port and paralysed a great part of the .war effort of the nation. The fortresses were designed by a civil engineer. London was never once closed as a port, and the Germans did not even attempt any serious mining of the vital channels. The engineer designed a huge flat-bottomed concrete boat in which were built two hollowconcrete towers. The whole structure was towed out to the site, where a plug was knocked out of the bottom of each boat, which sank solidly on the sandy bed. Large steel platforms were built on the towers, on which "were i mounted hea-^/ and light anti-aircraft [guns and other armament ■
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19441003.2.51
Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 81, 3 October 1944, Page 5
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223SPECIAL DEFENCES Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 81, 3 October 1944, Page 5
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