Texas really thought they were going to get attacked? (Galveston: transporting, home)

[Glucorious]

Someone told me that they actually had a defense system in Galveston, I think bunkers with guns on top, to fight off a possible German invasion? lol. Why attack Texas when there's a huge East coast much closer to them. Somebody must have felt a little too important. And those bunkers must have been there until well into the 60's, but without the guns. I looked it up and it really does seem like Fort Crockett was armed because they thought the U-boats were coming. Anyone old enough to remember? I thought it was funny - just typical Texan.

[Willsson]

Texas really thought they were going to get attacked?

Yes

Fort Crockett

In 1942 when the menace of German submarines entering the Gulf of Mexico became apparent, it was realized the open guns of Battery Hoskins were very vulnerable to both air and sea bombardment. It was decided that a concrete casemate (often referred to as a "bunker") be built over the gun emplacements to increase their protection and the Army Corps of Engineers began by casemating Battery Hoskins to withstand an attack of 5,000-pound naval shells.

Photos at the link. Or, google galveston bunkers

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by GummyBearGang

Someone told me that they actually had a defense system in Galveston, I think bunkers with guns on top, to fight off a possible German invasion? lol. Why attack Texas when there's a huge East coast much closer to them. Somebody must have felt a little too important. And those bunkers must have been there until well into the 60's, but without the guns. I looked it up and it really does seem like Fort Crockett was armed because they thought the U-boats were coming. Anyone old enough to remember? I thought it was funny - just typical Texan.

Two words, Zimmermann Telegram.
Zimmermann Telegram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How about German U-Boats in the Gulf of Mexico during WWII

U-boats in the Gulf of Mexico

Now with that said, I bet you can tell me the who won the last American Idol contest uh? No wonder our country is ran by idiots!

[Glucorious]

Originally Posted by tofurkey

Texas really thought they were going to get attacked?

Yes

Fort Crockett
Photos at the link. Or, google galveston bunkers

Thanks, didn't know there were still some preserved remains left. I will visit it the next time I go.

Originally Posted by SVTRay

Two words, Zimmermann Telegram.
Zimmermann Telegram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How about German U-Boats in the Gulf of Mexico during WWII

U-boats in the Gulf of Mexico

Now with that said, I bet you can tell me the who won the last American Idol contest uh? No wonder our country is ran by idiots!

Nope, I can't. I don't watch it. You don't know everything either. And this is nothing major.
Besides, those bunkers aren't exactly the best method to fight off U-boats, and the coast was way too far away from Europe to even consider an invasion.
Zimmermann was in 1917. And putting up some bunkers there had nothing to do with this.
I don't think our country is run by idiots.

Anyway, they only had those in Galveston? One Fort?

[Poltracker]

Originally Posted by GummyBearGang

Anyway, they only had those in Galveston? One Fort?

Strategically placed to protect the entrance to Galveston Bay. Jacintoport and Greens Bayou were home to a large portion of the US production of bombs, ammo, and other armement during the war (many of the old earth-covered ammo bunkers are still in use as storage). Also the home of the oil refineries that produced fuel for all those ships. A Uboat could not make it through that area without surfacing, so the fort would have been effective if it had been needed. The original fort dates back to the 1800's.

The tourist part on Bolivar (Fort Travis portion) just very recently reopened after restoration for damage from Hurricane Ike.

[Trainwreck20]

Strategically, there were other areas that were 'hardened', such as the magnesium cells at Dow Chemical, which were vital to U.S. aircraft production. The plant still resembles a bunker.

[elan]

From Wiki:

Gulf of Mexico - Once convoys and air cover were introduced in the Atlantic, sinking numbers were reduced and the U-boats shifted to attack shipping in the Gulf of Mexico. During 1942 and 1943, more than 20 U-boats operated in the Gulf of Mexico. They attacked tankers transporting oil from ports in Texas and Louisiana, successfully sinking 56 vessels. By the end of 1943, the U-boat attacks diminished as the merchant ships began to travel in armed convoys.

In one instance, the tanker Virginia was torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by the German U-Boat U-507 on May 12, 1942, killing 26 crewmen. There were 14 survivors. Again, when defensive measures were introduced, ship sinkings decreased and U-boat sinkings increased.

U-166 was the only U-boat sunk in the Gulf of Mexico during the war. Once thought to have been sunk by a torpedo dropped from a U.S. Coast Guard Utility Amphibian J4F aircraft on August 1, 1942, U-166 is now believed to have been sunk two days earlier by depth charges from the Robert E. Lee’s naval escort, the U.S. Navy sub-chaser, PC-566. It is thought that the J4F aircraft may have spotted and attacked another German submarine, U-171, which was operating in the area at the same time. U-166 lies in 5,000 feet of water within a mile of her last victim, the passenger ship SS Robert E. Lee.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by GummyBearGang

Someone told me that they actually had a defense system in Galveston, I think bunkers with guns on top, to fight off a possible German invasion? lol. Why attack Texas when there's a huge East coast much closer to them. Somebody must have felt a little too important. And those bunkers must have been there until well into the 60's, but without the guns. I looked it up and it really does seem like Fort Crockett was armed because they thought the U-boats were coming. Anyone old enough to remember? I thought it was funny - just typical Texan.

Originally Posted by GummyBearGang

Thanks, didn't know there were still some preserved remains left. I will visit it the next time I go.




Nope, I can't. I don't watch it. You don't know everything either. And this is nothing major.
Besides, those bunkers aren't exactly the best method to fight off U-boats, and the coast was way too far away from Europe to even consider an invasion.
Zimmermann was in 1917. And putting up some bunkers there had nothing to do with this.
I don't think our country is run by idiots.

Anyway, they only had those in Galveston? One Fort?

So, this started out as a pretty transparent attempt to score points on Texas, and then when it became obvious that Texas wasn't the one with the problem and that the original poster did minimal, if any, research, to determine if there was an actual reason to protect the Texas coast from German attack (which there very clearly was), the OP turns to critiquing military strategy.

[MobileDave]

Originally Posted by GummyBearGang

Someone told me that they actually had a defense system in Galveston, I think bunkers with guns on top, to fight off a possible German invasion? lol. Why attack Texas when there's a huge East coast much closer to them. Somebody must have felt a little too important. And those bunkers must have been there until well into the 60's, but without the guns. I looked it up and it really does seem like Fort Crockett was armed because they thought the U-boats were coming. Anyone old enough to remember? I thought it was funny - just typical Texan.

Maybe because the largest naval base in the United States is located in Norfolk, Virginia?

If you were German is that where YOU would plan your attack smart guy?

I think I would rather enter somewhere that had weaker defenses... just sayin'