The interpretive plan envisions four different visitor experiences:

• Battery 519 South Gun Block – 12" naval rifle with support areas recreated.
• Battery 519 North Gun Block – Underwater listening station with 15 work stations.
• Barracks Area – Recreated barracks for living history events, museum, and small guns exhibit.
• Defense in Depth – The artillery park.

Concept: Battery 519 Central Hall – World War II in the Atlantic

The early war years featured numerous U-boat attacks within sight of the Delaware coast. German Naval strategy at the time emphasized the use of battleships as commerce raiders in tandem with the submarine threat. Fort Miles combined heavy artillery and a sophisticated minefield to deter the surface and subsurface threats. The museum will employ news reels, posters, news reports, and interpretive media to give the visitor a sense of the urgency that resulted in the construction of Fort Miles. Special emphasis will be given to the Delaware home front. A professionally produced orientation film will prepare the visitor for the experience.

Concept: Battery 519 South Battery – 12" Gun Room, Coast Defense

The heavy 12" guns could hurl a projectile weighing 1200 pounds a distance of 15 miles with great accuracy. The scale of the gun and its supporting equipment is impressive. The gun weighs 91 tons and is over 50 feel long. When mounted on its carriage it stands over 13 feet high. The gun required 350 pounds of powder to deliver its rounds to the target. The display consists of the gun and carriage, and will include the loading equipment, simulated powder bags, a shot cart, and a number of 12-inch rounds cast from fiberglass. A shell room in the hall will include the standard load out of shells (250) and a powder room will be filled with the required number of powder bags to support the firing of 250 rounds. The gun barrel will be illuminated during hours of operation so that visitors may look through the breach down the rifled bore. A plug installed in the muzzle when the exhibit is closed will keep the tube clear of water and debris.

Concept: Battery 519 North Gun Room – Underwater Listening Station and Early Warning Systems

The use of underwater microphones is an effective defense against submarines. Hydrophones, placed at intervals along the ocean floor, allowed operators to track the path of U-boats approaching the coast. This information was then relayed to ships and aircraft tasked with destroying these vessels. The gunroom will be redesigned to house a circular room containing fifteen computer-assisted listening stations. Each station will be equipped with a set of audio filters. Comfortable seating and high quality headphones are to be provided for each listener. The computer workstations employ a database that will catalogue and identify sounds for the listener. Two distinct groups of sounds may be identified: man-made and biological. Biological sounds are those created by sea life. Ships of various sorts create man-made sounds. The database supplies a video information display concerning the creature or the vessel passing.

Concept: The Soldier Barracks – The War Years

The remaining soldiers’ barracks will be used in a variety of ways to enhance the visitors’ understanding of the period. Extant structures include four barracks buildings, a supply and administration building, and a recreation building. The cantonment buildings will provide space for museum exhibits, space for overnight accommodations of re-enactors or special camps, and interactive living history programs.

Concept: Defense in Depth – The Artillery Park

The Division of Parks and Recreation has assembled a representative model of most of the guns which constituted the armament of Fort Miles. The concept of defense in depth provided for specialized weapons located throughout the reservation. Each of these weapons was designed to answer a specific threat. These guns will be displayed in the cantonment area in sandbag revetments.

Concept: History Education: History and Mathematics

Fort Miles provides a unique opportunity to provide student programming that addresses multiple state educational standards. For example, students will use historic equipment to determine targeting solutions. Geometry, trigonometry, and algebra are required to complete the assignment. This is just one of many educational programs that are currently being developed.