Florida Roadside Attractions: World War II Watch Tower In Ormond-By-The-Sea

For the adventurer, Florida is full of lesser known beaches, parks, and roadside attractions. Only a few minutes off of I-95, a lonely tower sits on the beach in a residential part of Ormond-By-The-Sea as a lingering artifact of the Second World War. The Watch Tower, as it is called, is the last of its kind in Florida, and one of the few left from the over 15,200 similar structures on American coastlines.

Stationed roughly six miles apart, collectively, the towers were used as a “picket line” used to alert officials of any danger of an imminent attack from enemy aircraft or submarines. At this particular spot, using only a telephone and binoculars, watchers would monitor for any German activity and also for airplanes flying in and out of nearby Jacksonville. There, the flight was cross-checked against known flight plans and a decision could be made whether or not to mount a defense or allow the flight through unharmed.

The threat was real: German submarines sank American cargo ships regularly near the East Coast of the US, and across the country. In the early days of the war, two Japanese submarines fired artillery shells against targets on the California and Oregon coastlines. On June 17, 1942, a group of Germans landed at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, south of Jacksonville.  Another four Germans landed on a beach near Amagansett, Long Island, New York, about on June 13, 1942 as well. While those men were hardly a powerful invasion force on American shores, fears were high of spies landing or the Germans starting a small guerilla campaign against American assets in the Sunshine State and elsewhere.

Florida, a key economic and strategic area for the US, was vital to the war effort, so to give military authorities as much warning as possible, the watch towers were constructed and manned by volunteers.

In 1944, once the threat of the German navy had eased, the watch tower in Ormond Beach was shuttered but never dismantled. Since then, it has stood as a monument to the vigilance of the local citizens in protecting their part of the state and the country itself.

In 2018, the watch tower’s deed was transferred to ICI Homes for its Verona development, which stands across the street from the facility. Residents use the base as a pass-through to the beach, while the watch room is inaccessible with no ladders or stairs leading up to it.

Partial Listing of German U-Boat Activities Near Florida

• April 10, 1942
  U-123 torpedoed the tanker Gulfamerica off Jacksonville Beach, killing 19 crew members. The explosion was visible from the shore, and the submarine surfaced to fire its deck gun at the ship.
  
• February 23, 1942
  U-504 fired two torpedoes at the oil tanker ‘W.D. Anderson‘ off Jupiter, Florida. The ship was carrying crude oil to Philadelphia refineries to support the war effort.
  
• May 4, 1442
  U-564 attacks 9,767-ton British tanker ‘Eclipse‘ off of Palm Beach County, Florida coastline. She does not sink
  
• May 8, 1942
  U-564 sinks the 6,078-ton American steamer Ohioan on off Boynton Beach, Florida.
  
• May 9, 1942
  U-564 sinks the 7,138-ton Panamanian tanker ‘Lubrafol off Delray Beach, Florida.

Visiting The Watch Tower

Located not far from Daytona Beach, Ormond-By-The-Sea, this historical roadside attraction is about 12 miles off of I-95, and is an easy drive for travelers who want to stop by to take a look.

Google Map Link: WWII Submarine Watch Tower

Visiting the Watch Tower is free, but the boardwalk beneath it is marked as reserved for Verona residents only. Parking may necessitate a short hike on the beach to approach the tower.