European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 10, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tourists flock to London s the thames Barrier designed to prevent future flooding of London is popular with tourists. Of the Thanes stripes photos by Gus Schuettler by. King Cruger . Bureau the thames Barrier one of the costliest largest most difficult and most successful civil engineering feats in British history has unexpectedly turned into a prime London tourist attraction. Last year More than 1 million sightseers journeyed about 8 Miles Down the thames River from the heart of London to see the Barrier or to tour its visitors Center. The Barrier the world s largest movable flood Barrier took 4,000 men and women eight years to build at a Cost of nearly 500 million pounds roughly $750 million. It was declared operational in the fall of 1982. From that time on for the first time in history the Nightmare of a surge wave rolling up the thames and drowning the British capital had ended. These surges have struck irregularly throughout English history. The Anglo Saxon chronicle reported one in 1099, Stow s history of England another in 1236 and in the great Palace of Westminster men did Row with cherries in the midst of the Hall and diarist Samuel Pepys recorded yet another in 1663 there was last night the greatest tide that Ever was remembered in the River All Whitehall having been  the most serious floods in recent times were in 1928 and 1953 during that horrific flooding of England s East coast 300 people perished 100 of them in the lower reaches of the thames. In 1978 the tide lapped the very top of the flood Walls in Central London. The Barrier in its Normal open position features 10 piers with swinging Gates. The effect of another flood in London would be catastrophic. It has been estimated that 45 Square Miles of the capital would be inundated overwhelming 1.25 million people. The tube London s subway transport system would be out of action for nine months communications would break Down business and government would come to a standstill and $6 billion Worth of assets would be sunk. The capital Long ago realized that it was Only a matter of time before disaster struck since the oceans Are rising As the Polar ice melts the Southeast of England is dipping 1 foot every Century and London itself is sinking into its Clay bed. The need became even More pressing As new sea defences built along the East Anglian coast after the 1953 floods had the effect of funnelling yet More water into the thames Estuary. The cause of surge Waves is a Long Odds combination of natural events. They usually happen when the River is already swollen by melting Snow or heavy rainfall but the main cause is the co incidence of particularly High tides with a deep atmospheric depression in the North sea. This depression causes a Rush of water that travels Down the East coasts of Scotland and England and mounts rapidly where the coastline of the Netherlands and East Anglia converge. The thames provides an escape for the water which an hour after it passes the Estuary City of Southend strikes London. Visitors to the thames Barrier visitors Center opened in 1984 and located on the River s South Bank 300 Yards downstream from the Barrier itself 6 stripes Magazine april 10,1986