Cape May Canal
38°57′53″N 74°55′50″W / 38.9646°N 74.9305°W
| Cape May Canal | |
|---|---|
Railroad swing bridge, one of three bridges across the canal | |
The path of the canal | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 3.3 miles (5.3 km) |
| History | |
| Original owner | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Date of first use | 1942 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Cape May Harbor |
| End point | Delaware Bay |
| Beginning coordinates | 38°57′10″N 74°54′12″W / 38.9527°N 74.9034°W |
| Ending coordinates | 38°58′00″N 74°57′53″W / 38.9667°N 74.9648°W |
The Cape May Canal is a 2.9-nautical-mile (3.3 mi; 5.4 km) waterway connecting Cape May Harbor to the Delaware Bay, at the southern tip of Cape May County, New Jersey. There is a long history of unfulfilled plans for a canal across Cape May. The canal was finally constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers during World War II to provide a protected route to avoid German U-boats operating off Cape May Point and to become part of the Intracoastal Waterway. The canal was dredged as a wartime emergency measure in 1942 and was the final link in a protected waterway intended to allow coastal shipping to travel along the coast with a greatly reduced risk of attack from German submarines. The Cape May terminus of the Cape May–Lewes Ferry is located near the west end of the canal.