WWII Barrage Balloon Mastho...

This concrete block isn't just a random slab. It's the base of a former "masthouse" and protective blimp-shaped balloon. During WWII, this spot was part of a Marine Officer's Training Academy. Recruits learned to load and unload cargo here. Ships at the time were highly vulnerable to air attacks, so large barrage balloons, like the blimp pictured here, were used as a defense. These balloons, deployed during cargo transfer, could snag low-flying aircraft or force them higher into anti-aircraft gun range. Look for the cleats, where the balloons would have been tied down.

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