CASE HISTORIES OF CORPS BREAKWATER AND JETTY STRUCTURES 
SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION 
PART I: INTRODUCTION 
Background 
1. The US Army Corps of Engineers Corps is responsible for a wide 
variety of coastal structures located on the Atlantic, Pacific, and gulf 
coasts, the Great Lakes, the Hawaiian Islands, other islands, and inland 
waterways. Coastal improvements such as breakwaters or jetties are neces- 
sary to provide harbor protection and safe passage of vessels. These struc- 
tures are subjected continuously to wave and current forces and usually are 
constructed on top of movable-bed materials. Under these conditions struc- 
tural deterioration can occur and, at some point, maintenance, repair, or 
rehabilitation is required if the structure deteriorates and/or fails to serve 
the existing needs of the project. Some of these projects have been main- 
tained for 150 years or more. Methods of construction and repair have varied 
significantly during this time, due principally to a better understanding of 
coastal processes, availability of construction materials, existing wave 
climates, regional construction practices, and economic considerations. 
Purpose 
2. The purposes of this report are to provide insight into the scope, 
magnitude, and history of coastal breakwaters and jetties under Corps juris- 
diction; to determine their maintenance and repair history; to determine 
their methods of construction; and to make this information available to 
Corps personnel. To accomplish these objectives, case histories of Corps 
breakwater and jetty structures have been developed to quantify past and 
present problem areas (if any), take steps to rectify these problems, and 
to subsequently evaluate the remedial measures. General design guidance 
ean be obtained from the solutions that have been most successful. Infor- 
mation in this report should be of particular value to Corps personnel in the 
US Army Engineer Division, Southwestern (SWD), and its coastal districts and 
possibly to non-Corps personnel. Further research is being conducted to 
