Rotating Exhibits Gallery

War in Florida Waters 1942 - 1943: Eyes of the Home Skies

Temporary Exhibit Celebrating the Civil Air Patrol on Display through September 30, 2010 at the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum

The exhibit honors the World War II service of Coastal Patrol Base 3, Civil Air Patrol, and their mission to protect Florida's shores from German U-Boats attacking allied ships along the east coast.

During the opening months of World War II, a little known story of the war took place at Lantana Airport in Palm Beach County. For seventeen months, a group of volunteers serving in the Civil Air Patrol helped fight one of the biggest threats to America's safety: German submarines called U-Boats. U-Boats hunted their prey along the East Coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico. Men and women of the Civil Air Patrol volunteered their time and resources to help protect our shores from the U-Boat menace.

Europe was already at war and the German U-Boats were destroying allied shipping in the Atlantic. By 1940, the four thousand strong Florida National Guard had been called into service, creating a void with no one to respond to state emergencies. The Florida Legislature and Governor Spessard Holland established the Florida Defense Force in April 1941. One month later, the First Air Squadron, an aviation division of the Florida Defense Force, was established at Morrison Field in West Palm Beach. On December 1, 1941, just six days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Civil Air Patrol was established and the First Air Squadron was assimilated into the Civil Air Patrol. With the establishment of the CAP, civilian pilots and aviation enthusiasts were able to put their skills and private, light planes to use for civil defense efforts.

The temporary exhibition, which commemorates the history of Civil Air Patrol’s Coastal Patrol 3, is a fascinating story is one whose impact is still felt and remembered in this community. The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) worked to fill the wartime void by providing small civilian airplanes for anti-submarine patrols along the coast until the military could take over the mission. Exhibit highlights include cartoons and an authentic CAP uniform from Zack Mosley, nationally known comic strip artist; World War II CAP insignia and hats, replica of a lifesaving device known as a barracuda bucket; and other artifacts.

The Civil Air Patrol exhibit is sponsored by the Marshall E. Rinker, Sr. Foundation, Inc. and Florida Airmotive.

The Historical Society of Palm Beach County will also host Gallery Talks with Richard A. Marconi, Society Curator of Education. Talks will be held at 4pm on May 20, June 17, July 15, August 19 and September 16 on the 2nd floor of the historic 1916 Palm Beach County Courthouse, 300 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. Please call 561-832-4164 ext 306 for reservations.