WWII bunker, Cape May, NJ

This WWII bunker served as a gun emplacement and the round turrets on either side held 6-inch guns. The horseshoe-shaped structures, which can be seen out in front at low tide, are Panama mounts. They were built in 1941, prior to the construction of the more permanent bunker and held four 155 mm coast artillery guns. A sister bunker stands across the bay in Lewes, Delaware.

At the time of construction in 1942, this bunker was covered over with sod and stood on high ground 900 feet from the ocean. Built of reinforced concrete, the roof and walls are 6 feet thick. Erosion and storms have washed away the land in front of and under the bunker. How long can the pilings, meant only to stabilize, support the bunker weighing thousands of tons?