The Coburg Creek Submarine Net

To protect Charleston from German U-Boats during World War II, submarine nets were placed across the Jetties, Elliott Cut, Wappoo Creek, The Ben Sawyer Bridge and behind the Isle of Palms. The Wappoo Creek (known as Coburg Creek by the locals) submarine net still exists, but is deteriorating. One of the 12 remaining pilings collapsed during the summer of 2016, and the other pilings are not far behind. This video is created to preserve imagery of this artifact and encourage boaters to treat it with respect when navigating past.

During World War II, Coburg Creek was much larger than it is today. Before the creation of Elliott Cut, Coburg Creek was the inshore route from the Stono River to Charleston Harbor. The submarine net was a necessary barrier to prevent small boats, or U-boats from sneaking into Charleston Harbor and towards the Navy base.

Former Charleston Mayor Palmer Gaillard wrote in the News & Courier that he helped build the nets in the rigging yard at the Naval Base in North Charleston. Per his account, at the end of the war they simply cut the nets down and left the pilings in the creek.

There are incredible stories of German U-Boats off the coast of the Carolinas during World War II. One legend claims theater ticket stubs and a loaf of bread from a local Charleston bakery were found on a captured German submarine. Unarchived war logs tell of U-boats off Charleston harbor, and the North Carolina Outer Banks became known as “Torpedo Junction” because of all the U-Boat activity.

Our World War II history in the Charleston area is rapidly disappearing, but the Coburg Creek Submarine Net pilings remain to be appreciated, at least for the time being.