Operation Bumblebee

Operation Bumblebee

Topsail (pronounced "TOP-suhl") was the first barrier island south of Bogue Inlet subject to commercial development. But before there was commerce -- and definitely before there were tourists -- there was a secret.

The island, 26-mi long and only about 1/2-mi wide, is still home to eight evenly spaced, reinforced-concrete towers. These lookouts are all that's left of Operation Bumblebee, a U.S. Navy rocket program that was the precursor to NASA. In the 1940s, Topsail, an isolated place that had experienced some military buildup during World War II, was selected as the top-secret site for the development and testing of defense missiles -- the granddaddies of supersonic missiles.

These first rockets were put together in the large Assembly Building; they were then transferred via underground tunnels to a seaside launching pad that currently serves as a patio at the Jolly Roger Motel. Observers stationed in either the concrete watchtowers or safer underground bunkers would track the flight of the guided missiles and measure their speed. Between 1947 and 1948, some 200 two-stage rockets blasted out over the ocean. The experiments made Topsail as significant to jet flight as Kitty Hawk was to propeller flight.

Ultimately, salt air, humidity, and increased traffic within the 20-mi firing range did the project in. Many of the buildings and much of the equipment associated with the operation were donated or sold, and two years after the military moved out, Topsail Island had its first incorporated town, Surf City. You can find out more about Operation Bumblebee at the Missiles & More Museum. 720 Channel Blvd., off Rte. 50, Topsail Beach. 910/328-8663. www.topsailmissilesmuseum.org. Free. Apr.-mid-Oct., Mon., Tues., and Thurs.-Sat. 2-4 or by appointment; mid-Oct-Mar. by appointment only.