Trip Report: Beach Bums
First published in 2015. Reformatted 2025. This was a vacation, with visits to family and friends. Along the way we made time to visit a couple of former military sites. Just a reminder PIN means Permanent Installation Number and ILC means Installation Location Code; I include these for Air Force properties when I know them.Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Myrtle Beach AFB SC, PIN 4369, ILC RDRD, 33-40-45, 78-56-00. Named Myrtle Beach Municipal Airport in June 1940 while under construction. It was not acquired by the War Department until 21 November 1941, though it had been built with Air Corps use in mind under the CAA's Development of Landing Areas for National Defense (DLAND) program. During the war it was referred to as Myrtle Beach AAFld, Myrtle Beach Bombing Range, or Myrtle Beach Bombing & Gunnery Range. It was inactivated on 1 November 1947 and returned to the city. Even while the city had control, it was redesignated Myrtle Beach Air Force Base on 13 January 1948--but this was rescinded on 24 June 1948. It lists as being transferred from the Army to the Air Force on 1 July 1948. On 1 June 1954 the Air Force assumed jurisdiction, and on 1 April 1956 the airfield was activated and once again redesignated as Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. It served for almost four decades, until it was inactivated and declared excess on 31 March 1993. I've used original facility names from definitive drawings when known, otherwise I've used facility numbers and names from early 1990s BRAC documents. Unidentified buildings are numbered in brackets to set them apart for your convenience.Facility 112 - Chapel with educational wing
Facility 112 - Chapel with educational wing
Facility 112 - Chapel with educational wing
Facility 112 - Chapel with educational wing
Facility 112 - Chapel with educational wing
Facility 112 - Chapel with educational wing
Facility 112 - Chapel with educational wing
Facility 116 - Theater
Facility 116 - Theater
Facility 116 - Theater
Facility 116 - Theater
Facility 116 - Theater
Facility 116 - Theater detail
Facility 117 - Recreation center/library
Facility 117 - Recreation center/library
Facility 117 - Recreation center/library
Facility 117 - Recreation center/library
Building, possible bowling center
Building, possible bowling center
Building, possible bowling center
Building, possible bowling center
Building, possible bowling center
Facility 500 - Administration
Facility 500 - Administration
Facility 502 - Audio-visual center
Facility 334 - Dental clinic
Deluge (fire suppression) water storage tank
Deluge water storage tank
Facility 357 - Deluge pump station
Facility 357 - Deluge pump station
Facility 357 - Deluge pump station
Facility 357 - Deluge pump station detail
Facility 357 - Deluge pump station and deluge water storage tank
Facility 357 - Deluge pump station and deluge water storage tank
Facility 357 - Deluge pump station and deluge water storage tank
Facility 352 - Aircraft maintenance hangar No. 1
Facility 358 - Aircraft maintenance hangar No. 2
Facility 359 - Aircraft maintenance hangar No. 3
Fuel system maintenance hangar
Facility 312 and 313
Facility 214 - Supply warehouse
Facility 320 - Aerospace ground equipment maintenance shop
Facility 324 - Jet engine maintenance shop
Facility 324 - Jet engine maintenance shop
Facility 325 - Avionics maintenance shop
Facility 325 - Avionics maintenance shop
Facility 326 - Parachute and dinghy shop
Facility 326 - Parachute and dinghy shop
Facility 326 - Parachute and dinghy shop
Facility 326 - Parachute and dinghy shop
Building [1]
Building [1]
Building [2]
Building [3]
Building [4]
Building [5]
Building [6]
Building [6]
Fuel system maintenance hangars (L) and buildings [7] (R)
General view of flightline
Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Fort Moultrie SC, 32-45-34, 79-51-28. A fort was first established on this location in 1776. In 1805 acquisition of the land began, and in 1903 it was designated in honor of Maj Gen William Moultrie, Regular Army. Prior to that naming it was referred to by its location, Sullivan's Island. It was declared to be a national monument on 17 July 1915, and was closed 15 August 1947. In addition to gun batteries, the masonry fort also contained a combined Harbor Entrance Control Post (HECP) and Harbor Defense Command Post (HDCP). The fort is now administered by the National Park Service as part of Fort Sumter National Monument. This monument includes the batteries below except Logan, which is off the National Park Service property.General view
General view
General view
Sally port
Service magazine
Principal magazine
HECP/HDCP
HECP/HDCP
HECP/HDCP
HECP/HDCP
HECP/HDCP
HECP/HDCP
HECP/HDCP
HECP/HDCP
HECP/HDCP
HECP/HDCP interior
HECP/HDCP interior
HECP/HDCP interior
HECP/HDCP interior
HECP/HDCP interior Battery McCorkle SC, 32-45-32, 79-51-28. Constructed in 1901, with three 3-inch gun positions. Named 15 May 1903 in honor of 1st Lt Henry L. McCorkle, 25th U.S. Infantry. Deactivated in 1920.
General view
General view
General view
General view Battery Bingham SC, 32-45-33, 79-51-26. Constructed in 1899 with two 4.72-inch gun positions. Named on 15 May 1903 in honor of 2d Lt Horatio S. Bingham, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Deactivated in 1919.
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view Battery Jasper SC, 32-45-31, 79-51-18. Constructed in 1898, with four 10-inch gun positions. Named Battery Sergeant Jasper on 12 March 1898 in honor of Sgt William Jasper, Continental Army. On 18 April 1898 the name was amended to Battery Jasper. It was deactivated in 1942, though from 1943 to 1946 it was reused as Battery 2-A, with two fixed and two mobile 90mm guns as an Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat battery.
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
Gun emplacement
Gun emplacement
Interior
Interior
Power house
Power house
Power house Interior Battery 230 SC, 32-45-28, 79-51-13. Construction was completed on 15 February 1944. This battery was intended for two 6-inch guns, but it was never armed. Deactivated in 1947. The Navy reused the battery starting in the late 1960s, constructing the building atop the battery structure and installing monopole high frequency radio antennas at the gun emplacements. The Navy used this as a Shipboard Electronic Systems Evaluation Facility (SESEF) from 1970 until approximately 1980.
Center entrance
Gun emplacement No. 1
Gun emplacement No. 1
Gun emplacement No. 2
Gun emplacement No. 2
SESEF building
SESEF building
Base of Navy HF antenna Battery Logan SC, 32-45-30, 79-51-09. Constructed in 1899, with two 6-inch gun positions. Named on 15 May 1903 in honor of Capt William Logan, 7th U.S. Infantry. Deactivated in 1944.
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view Updated May 10, 2025
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