U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Datums Page Page 1 of 4
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/15/1989
Station ID: 8658654 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: SOUTH WHARF, MILITARY OCEAN TERMINAL, SUNNY POINT,
NORTH CAROLINA
NOAA Chart: 11537 Latitude: 33° 59.4' N
USGS Quad: KURE BEACH Longitude: 77° 57.4' W
To reach the tidal bench marks from the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 and
State Highway 133 on the west side of Cape Fear River at Wilmington, proceed
south on State Highway 133 for about 10 miles (16 km) to a Y in the road, bear
left and continue SE for about 5 miles (8 km) to the Military Ocean Terminal,
Sunny Point. The bench marks are on and nearby Wharf #1. The tide gage and
staff were on the SE portion of the wharf.
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
PRIMARY BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 1 1976
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3607
AGENCY: PID#: DD0999
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Wharf Floor
The bench mark is set flush in the concrete floor in the SE sector of the wharf,
140 feet (43 m) east of the railroad tracks on the wharf, 60 feet (18 m) south
of a bollard at an angle point, 1.5 feet (0.5 m) north of the central cleat on
the wharfs east face, and 1 foot (0.3 m) north of a wooden fixed fender on the
wharfs east face.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 2 1976
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3608
AGENCY: PID#: DD0998
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Wharf Floor
The bench mark is set flush in the concrete floor on the west side of the SE
sector of the wharf, 80 feet (24 m) south of a light pole on the west side of
the wharf, 18 feet (5 m) NW of the west railroad track, and 3 feet (1 m) NE of
the NE corner of Fire Station #211.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 2 of 4
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/15/1989
Station ID: 8658654 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: SOUTH WHARF, MILITARY OCEAN TERMINAL, SUNNY POINT,
NORTH CAROLINA
NOAA Chart: 11537 Latitude: 33° 59.4' N
USGS Quad: KURE BEACH Longitude: 77° 57.4' W
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 3 1976
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3609
AGENCY: PID#: DD0997
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Wharf Floor
The bench mark is set flush in the concrete floor at the south edge of the
wharf, 35 feet (11 m) south of the second light pole on the north side of the
wharf, 2.5 feet (0.8 m) south of the south railroad track, and 0.5 foot (0.2 m)
north of a concrete curb rail.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 4 1976
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3610
AGENCY: PID#: DD0996
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Wharf Floor
The bench mark is set flush in the concrete floor of the approach ramp to the
wharf, 40 feet (12 m) east of guardshack #S-207, 16 feet (5 m) north of the
railroad tracks, and 3 feet (1 m) south of the most northwesterly vertical guard
rail stauchion.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 5 1976
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3611
AGENCY: PID#: DD1000
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Pavement
The bench mark is set flush in the concrete floor of a work area in the parking
zone on the west side of the wharf, 20 feet (6 m) SW of the enclosed buildings
SW corner, 10 feet (3 m) west of a telephone pole supporting fire phone #20, 8
feet (2 m) north of the south edge of the work area concrete floor, and 2 feet
(1 m) east of the SW vertical steel roof support.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 3 of 4
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/15/1989
Station ID: 8658654 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: SOUTH WHARF, MILITARY OCEAN TERMINAL, SUNNY POINT,
NORTH CAROLINA
NOAA Chart: 11537 Latitude: 33° 59.4' N
USGS Quad: KURE BEACH Longitude: 77° 57.4' W
T I D A L D A T U M S
Tidal datums at SOUTH WHARF, MILITARY OCEAN TERMINAL, SUNNY POINT, based on:
LENGTH OF SERIES: 2 MONTHS
TIME PERIOD: APRIL - MAY 1976
TIDAL EPOCH: 1960-1978
CONTROL TIDE STATION: 8658120 WILMINGTON
Elevations of tidal datums referred to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), in FEET:
HIGHEST OBSERVED WATER LEVEL (06/11/1976) = 5.45
MEAN HIGHER HIGH WATER MHHW = 4.35
MEAN HIGH WATER MHW = 4.05
MEAN TIDE LEVEL MTL = 2.10
MEAN LOW WATER MLW = 0.15
MEAN LOWER LOW WATER MLLW = 0.00
LOWEST OBSERVED WATER LEVEL (03/17/1976) = -1.35
North American Vertical Datum (NAVD88)
Bench Mark Elevation Information In FEET above:
Stamping or Designation MLLW MHW
NO 1 1976 11.65 7.60
NO 2 1976 12.61 8.56
NO 3 1976 11.94 7.89
NO 4 1976 13.70 9.65
NO 5 1976 20.30 16.25
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 4 of 4
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/15/1989
Station ID: 8658654 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: SOUTH WHARF, MILITARY OCEAN TERMINAL, SUNNY POINT,
NORTH CAROLINA
NOAA Chart: 11537 Latitude: 33° 59.4' N
USGS Quad: KURE BEACH Longitude: 77° 57.4' W
D E F I N I T I O N S
Mean Sea Level (MSL) is a tidal datum determined over a 19-year National Tidal
Datum Epoch. It pertains to local mean sea level and should not be confused
with the fixed datums of North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88).
NAVD88 is a fixed datum derived from a simultaneous, least squares, minimum
constraint adjustment of Canadian/Mexican/United States leveling observations.
Local mean sea level observed at Father Point/Rimouski, Canada was held fixed as
the single initial constraint. NAVD88 replaces NGVD29 as the national
standard geodetic reference for heights. Bench mark elevations relative to
NAVD88 are available from NGS through the World Wide Web at
National Geodetic Survey.
NGVD29 is a fixed datum adopted as a national standard geodetic reference for
heights but is now considered superseded. NGVD29 is sometimes referred to as
Sea Level Datum of 1929 or as Mean Sea Level on some early issues of Geological
Survey Topographic Quads. NGVD29 was originally derived from a general
adjustment of the first-order leveling networks of the U.S. and Canada after
holding mean sea level observed at 26 long term tide stations as fixed.
Numerous local and wide-spread adjustments have been made since establishment in
1929. Bench mark elevations relative to NGVD29 are available from the National
Geodetic Survey (NGS) data base via the World Wide Web at
National Geodetic Survey.
NAVD88 and NGVD29 are fixed geodetic datums whose elevation relationships to
local MSL and other tidal datums may not be consistent from one location to
another.
The Vertical Mark Number (VM#) and PID# shown on the bench mark sheet are unique
identifiers for bench marks in the tidal and geodetic databases, respectively.
Each bench mark in either database has a single, unique VM# and/or PID# assigned.
Where both VM# and PID# are indicated, both tidal and geodetic elevations are
available for the bench mark listed.
The NAVD88 elevation is shown on the Elevations of Tidal Datums Table Referred
to MLLW only when two or more of the bench marks listed have NAVD88 elevations.
The NAVD88 elevation relationship shown in the table is derived from an average
of several bench mark elevations relative to tide station datum. As a result of
this averaging, NAVD88 bench mark elevations computed indirectly from the tidal
datums elevation table may differ slightly from NAVD88 elevations listed for
each bench mark in the NGS database.