Top of The Edge - Charleston Coast Guard Station

Commander Chilton greeted his guests at the entrance of the Coast Guard Headquarters Building and welcomed them inside. He was young for an officer of his rank and genuinely excited to meet the three of them and give them all a tour at the conclusion of the meeting.

The meeting was informal, and for the most part mobile. He had several maps mounted on the walls behind glass all over the place. As he was explaining things, he would draw lines and arrows on the glass with a type of black wax or crayon pencil. Then to get a different perspective, he would lead everyone over to a different map and draw on that glass as well. He explained things in such a way that made it easy to understand and definitely not boring.

Toward the end of the meeting and before the grand tour, Commander Chilton had one of his lieutenants bring out two leather cases. One of them was about the size of a lady's purse. The other was cylindrical, about 24 inches in length and about 3 and a half inches in diameter. The lieutenant set the cases down on a table near the center of the room and adjacent to where the Commander was now standing. Commander Chilton opened the two cases and displayed their contents. The first was a pair of binoculars. He held them up and addressed the two ladies, "I believe you know what these are. You'll be using them frequently as they are essential and critical to your success on this mission." He set the binoculars down. Then he opened the cylindrical case and set the contents on the table and began to explain, "There are three primary parts to this mechanism", and he held up each as he identified it, "the barrel, the firing pin, and the projectile. Ladies, this projectile is your signal flare. Load the firing pin into the barrel first and then the projectile. Then using both hands grasp the barrel and strike the bottom of it against something solid. I wouldn't advise attempting to strike it on the soft sand of the dunes. It may not ignite. Find an object like a rock or a piece of driftwood and keep it at the ready. Send this flare up only once you are certain that an enemy vessel is approaching the shore. Be certain your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. One of the reasons we have two of you out there is so you can confirm with each other exactly what you are seeing. As soon as your signal flare is spotted, Charleston Navy Base, Fort Moultrie, the Charleston Coast Guard (CG) station, and Hilton Head CG station as well as City and County law enforcement will go on full alert. We, here at the Charleston Coast Guard station will coordinate with Forth Moultrie and a PT boat will be deployed to your location promptly. If you see something or someone actually come ashore send up a second flare and do not engage. Any questions or comments?" No one answered and after a few seconds, the commander said, "Well then, that concludes this portion of your training and preparation. Now, if you’re still up for it, I’ll show you around our base here."

Commander C Chilton was somewhat of a history and architectural enthusiast. To the girls' surprise, his tour of the installation was not at all boring. To the contrary, it was quite fascinating. The Coast Guard was first commissioned in Charleston in 1914. The approximate 8.2-acre base consisted of a few buildings built by the Coast Guard, a few ships and Cutters, and the main administration building which was also referred to as the Rice Mill building. Built in 1859, the approximately 30,000 square foot three-story building was constructed of heavy timber with exterior brick walls and was believed to have been the storehouse building which was attached to the original Rice Mill. By far it was the most impressive building on the base. It's also where Commander Chilton both started and ended the tour.

At the conclusion and back where they started, Commander Chilton pointed at the table where earlier he had displayed the binoculars and flare. There were two backpacks there now. "I asked Petty Officer Wilson to pack those for you while I was showing you around. Each pack has a set of binoculars and 5 flares. Take good care of them and they won't let you down when you need to use them." Robyn and Cherry helped each other adjust the straps as they donned their backups. Once everyone was back on board the boat, Lieutenant Commander Thomas Scott fired up the engine and they were off to their next destination – The Coast Guard equestrian training station at Hilton Head Island.

Morris Island Lighthouse

As the PT boat entered the Atlantic Ocean from the mouth of the Charleston harbor it headed southward around Morris Island and within 3 to 4 hundred meters of the Morris Island Lighthouse which since 1938 had been partially surrounded by water. Pointing at the lighthouse and referring to its condition Cherry asked, "Why was this lighthouse built completely off the edge of the island and nearly surrounded by water?" Being a history buff with a vast knowledge of the SC coastline, Lieutenant Commander Scott seized the opportunity to give a brief history lesson. "Believe it or not this lighthouse was actually built about a quarter mile inland from the shore. The reason it's now partially off the shoreline and in the water is because of the jetties. They were constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers back in 1889 in an effort to constrict the harbor's outflow and scour out a channel with greater depth. You see, before the construction of the jetties, the Charleston harbor had a depth of only 12 feet. With the moving of the naval shipyard at Port Royal Sound to Charleston, a deepening of the Charleston harbor was paramount. Also, the deepening of the Charleston harbor provided a means for Charleston to become a major port city. Their efforts paid off, and a shipping channel was created that could support both the Naval shipyard and the ports. The downside however was the erosion of the barrier islands to the immediate north and south of the harbor. For Sullivan's Island and Morris Island the erosion was immense. To counter the problem, plans were made to construct spurs extending out from both the northern and southern jetties. The northern spurs were constructed and the erosion of Sullivan's Island was halted. However, for whatever reason - probably funding - the southern spurs were never constructed and erosion of not only Morris Island continues to this day, but now it appears that Folly Beach Island is steadily eroding away as well.

"Wow, what a shame, but this lighthouse is still in use... right? I've seen the light shining out from it even recently."

"That is correct Miss Welling. The Morris Island Lighthouse is still active and plays a vital role in helping seafaring vessels navigate in and around the Charleston Harbor."

"Where does the lighthouse keeper stay? Most other lighthouses I’ve seen have a house close by. All I see around this lighthouse is sand and water. So does that mean someone has to travel by boat to and from here every day?"

The Commander let out a slight chuckle before answering, "Technological advances – As of June 1938, The Morris Island lighthouse has been automated. Consequently, it's several months between times when someone actually needs to go up inside of it to do any maintenance." That was true for the most part. What the commander wasn’t saying however, was that the Coast Guard did have someone up in the Morris Island lighthouse both day and night as a part of the Coastal Watch Initiative. That was knowledge that was given out on a need-to-know basis only.

Robyn, now joining the conversation commented, "Wouldn't it be great to go up to the top? I'll bet the view from up there is nothing short of spectacular."

"It would indeed", Cherry responded smiling and nodding.

"That can be arranged", said a young Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) and member of the PT boat's crew. LTJG Mark Wycliffe was especially interested in Robyn and took full advantage of this opportunity to now inject himself into their conversation. "As of two years ago, all U.S. lighthouses fall under the management of the U.S. Coast Guard. I'm on the team that periodically inspects the Morris Island lighthouse. Tentatively, our next inspection is around the middle of December." Overhearing the conversation, LT Commander Scott sounded off with a loud "harrumph" like he was trying to clear his throat as he gave Wycliffe a sidelong look of disapproval. LTJG Wycliffe however, either did not hear or see the commander’s gesture, or simply decided to ignore it as he continued on. "I'll see if I can get approval to have the two of you tag along." Robyn responded with a smile, "Thank you...?"