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Delaware's Silent Sentinels
Fire control towers (FCT's) were constructed along the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey to serve as the "eyes" of Fort Miles. Each FCT was equipped with a Depression Range Finder and an Azimuth Scope to determine range and angle from a baseline (created by two towers). An additional scope in the tower would plot splashes from missed shots and give corrected azimuth and range information so adjustments could be made. A time interval bell would ring every 15 to 30 seconds (depending on the battery reload times) at which time a new reading would be taken by the FCT crews. This would allow the plotting rooms to track and extrapolate a target's course and to better direct fire.
http://www.fortmiles.org/firepower/towers/
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The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.