The hidden, haunted history of Cape May Point’s Battery 223

By Sarah Fertsch
Staff Writer

Less than a mile from the historic Cape May Lighthouse is another legendary structure with a different feel.

Battery 223 has been part of the coastal landscape in Cape May Point since it was completed in 1943. The bunker/gun emplacement boasts 20 rooms, six-foot-thick reinforced concrete walls, and a blast-proof roof strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a battleship artillery shell or an attack by a dive-bombing airplane.

When Battery 223 was erected at the height of World War II, it was 900 feet from the ocean. Today, because of beach erosion, it’s on the beach in Cape May Point State Park. It would be completely surrounded by ocean were it not for a 2004-2005 beach replenishment project.

Battery 223 housed two 6-inch, rapid-fire guns with a maximum range of 15 miles. It was the only New Jersey long-range battery of the Cape Henlopen, Del.-based Fort Miles, a Netwerk of eight artillery batteries and 15 observation towers placed at various positions within range of the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Coast.

It was created to protect shipping carrying vital war supplies from Philadelphia and Wilmington through the Delaware River and Bay from marauding German ships and submarines. Fort Miles, with its strategically placed 16-inch, 12-inch, 8-inch, and 6-inch guns, covered a range from the entrance to the bay, to the southern coast of New Jersey and the northern coast of Maryland.

In addition to gun batteries and fire control towers, it also included mine fields, searchlights, radar, anti-aircraft/gun boat guns, support buildings, and more than 2,000 soldiers to man them.

Given its place in history, Battery 223 is on the state and national registers of historic places. Today it’s boarded up and abandoned. Unfortunately videos posted on YouTube show that it has been vandalized inside.

Built to be heated and air-conditioned, its 20 rooms included six shell rooms, four powder rooms, a plotting room, and a switchboard room, and a latrine according to the National Register of Historic Places. It had a generator and two backups to keep everything running, and an airlock to assure a safe atmosphere inside in the event of a chemical attack.

The battery was part of what was known as the Cape May Reservation, which had anti-aircraft guns, search lights, and lighter armaments to defend against fast-moving vessels.

In addition, there were barracks, officers’ residences, a medical center, a dining area, a cinema and repair shops, among other structures. Some of the buildings are still in use as part of the Cape May Point State Park Visitors Center.

While the World War II soldiers are long gone, there are some who believe they are still here in spirit.

Cape May is considered to be one of the most haunted towns in the United States, and Battery 223 is rumored to be riddled with ghosts.

Robert Heinly, museum education director for the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities (MAC) in Cape May, and a retired professor of history from the University of Pennsylvania, said he spotted a ghost by the bunker one night during a jog through the nearby park.

“Just like the lighthouse has ghost stories, I’m sure that Battery 223 does, too,” said Heinly. “I used to run when there’s a full moon, and I saw a figure smoking a cigarette by the bunker.”

Battery 223 has been added to the itinerary of town ghost tours, and paranormal investigators have tried to make contact with ghosts of World War II soldiers. Various origin stories and claims of mysterious encounters abound online.

Whether or not Battery 223 is haunted, one thing is certain: it was a crucial part of our defense efforts in the early 1940s, despite never seeing action beyond live fire exercises and practice drills.

Supporting the gun batteries on both sides of the bay was a network of 15 fire control towers including four in Cape May County.

Towers built in Wildwood and Wildwood Crest have been demolished. A tower erected in Cape May became part of the structure of the Grand Hotel. But a fourth one, Tower 23, located just up the road from Battery 223, is open to the public.

On Sunset Boulevard, 1.2 miles away in Lower Township, the 100-foot-tall Tower No. 23 allowed observers to scan the horizon for enemy ships and relay targeting coordinates to the battery.

It was renovated by MAC for $1.3 million thanks to grants from the New Jersey Historic Trust, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. It was opened to visitors in 2009.

For $8 (free for active-duty, military and veterans) you can climb to the top and look through the telescope for spectacular views of Sunset Beach and the concrete ship Atlantus about a mile away. There’s also an exhibit honoring Cape May area residents who served in World War II. See capemaymac.org to learn more.

Tower 23 is on the state and national registers of historic places.

As the tide of the war turned in favor of the Allies and warfare technology and tactics no longer favored fixed coastal defenses, Battery 223 was decommissioned in 1944.

After World War II ended, the U.S. Navy and the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) took over the Army’s Battery 223 and eventually turned it into a communication hub and war strategy control room for the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS), a Cold War era system developed to listen for Russian submarines. It was moved to Lewes, Del. after it was wiped out by the March 1962 nor’easter.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, politicians and military specialists considered restoring Battery 223 for modern-day service. After a careful audit, it was concluded that it would take millions of dollars to bring Battery 223 into the 21st century, so the plan was discarded.

Today the guns are long gone. Instead you’ll find plenty of birds’ and nests on the gun emplacement. The piping plovers, black skimmers, and least terns (all endangered birds) have made the bunker their home, thanks to protection from DEP.

From a symbol of war to being a place where families can enjoy nature, Battery 223 has played a powerful role in the community and country. The installation, which once struck fear in the hearts of locals, now brings a smile and sense of peace.

Sarah Fertsch was born and raised in Egg Harbor Township, and holds a dual degree in public relations and political science. Prior to joining Shore Local full-time, she worked at a CSPAN affiliate, writing about Pennsylvania legislation. When she isn’t writing, Sarah enjoys painting, horseback riding, and Crossfit.