The Cape May Bunker: The Fortress the Beach Reclaimed
On the beach at Cape May Point, New Jersey, a concrete bunker sits in the surf where waves crash against walls that were built on dry land. Battery 223, a World War II gun emplacement, was constructed 900 feet from the waterline in 1942 to protect the Delaware Bay from German submarines. Eight decades later, the Atlantic has come to claim it. Beach erosion has moved the shoreline 900 feet inland; the bunker now stands in the intertidal zone, half-buried in sand, waves washing through its gun ports. It's a monument to impermanence - a fortress built to last that couldn't outlast the forces it was designed to ignore. The bunker can't be moved; it's too heavy, too embedded, too doomed. It will sink into the sea like everything built too close to water eventually does.
The Threat
German U-boats prowled the American coast during World War II, sinking ships within sight of shore. The 'Second Happy Time' of 1942 saw German submarines destroy hundreds of vessels along the eastern seaboard - tankers, freighters, ships carrying supplies to Britain. The government responded with coastal defenses: gun emplacements, observation towers, and radar stations built at strategic points. Cape May, at the mouth of Delaware Bay, controlled access to Philadelphia's port. Battery 223 was one of several gun positions established here, armed with guns that could reach submarines on the surface, staffed by soldiers watching for periscopes that rarely appeared.
The Construction
Battery 223 was built in 1942 as a concrete casement housing two 6-inch guns. The structure was massive - thick walls designed to withstand naval bombardment, observation posts for spotting targets, magazines for ammunition storage. It was constructed 900 feet from the high-tide line, a safe distance from the ocean in 1942. Similar structures were built along the Atlantic coast; most were demolished after the war. Cape May's bunker survived because no one bothered to remove it - and by the time anyone considered it, the bunker had become too interesting to destroy.
The Erosion
The Jersey Shore has been eroding for centuries; human construction only accelerated the process. Jetties, sea walls, and development altered sand transport patterns; storms carried away beaches faster than they could rebuild. At Cape May Point, the erosion rate has averaged 10-15 feet per year. The bunker that sat 900 feet from the water in 1942 was 500 feet away by 1960, 200 feet by 1990, and sitting in the surf by 2010. The bunker didn't move; the coastline did. What was land became beach became intertidal zone. The bunker is now a subject for marine photographers, who capture it at sunset with waves breaking through its windows.
The Future
Battery 223 will eventually disappear. Continued erosion will undermine its foundation; storms will break apart its concrete; sand will bury what remains. Some locals advocate for preservation - turning the bunker into a protected landmark, stabilizing the beach around it. Others accept the inevitable: the bunker was built in the wrong place, and nature is correcting the error. For now, it sits in the surf, a destination for visitors who photograph it at every tide, wondering what it must have been like to stand inside watching for submarines, never imagining the ocean would come through the door.
Visiting Cape May Point
The Cape May Point bunker is located on the beach at Cape May Point State Park, at the southern tip of New Jersey. The park is free; parking has seasonal fees. The bunker is visible from the beach, most dramatically at low tide when more of the structure is exposed. The beach itself is excellent for birding and sunset photography. Cape May Lighthouse is adjacent; climbing is available for a fee. Cape May, the Victorian resort town, is a few miles north with extensive lodging and dining. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry connects to Delaware. Philadelphia is 90 miles north. Visit at low tide for the best bunker photography; visit at high tide to watch waves crash through the gun ports.
From the Air
Located at 38.93°N, 74.96°W at Cape May Point, the southern tip of New Jersey. From altitude, Cape May Point appears as a sandy spit extending into Delaware Bay, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the bay to the west. The bunker is visible on the beach as a dark rectangular shape in or near the surf zone - its position relative to the water varies with tide and season. Cape May Lighthouse is visible nearby. The town of Cape May spreads north. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal is visible at the point. The terrain shows the vulnerability of barrier beaches: narrow strips of sand between ocean and bay, constantly shifting, constantly being rebuilt by humans who refuse to accept that they're temporary.