Misplaced Pages

#689310

39-468: These commands originated as Artillery Districts, to control groups of forts constructed under the Endicott Program beginning in 1895. A 1909 reference shows that districts could include (depending on size) a Battle Command (later Fort Command), Fire Command, Mine Command, and Battery Commands. Mine planter vessels were also attached to these commands to plant and maintain controlled minefields. In 1913

78-473: A 360 degree field of fire providing great versatility. In 1907, the Coast Artillery Corps was created from the heavy artillery units which previously manned the forts. This vastly increased garrisons and catalyzed the installation of electrical plants at various forts. Other technological improvements at all forts included meteorological stations and telephone communications. All of this served as

117-700: A few years, and they and the Coast Artillery Corps were disestablished in 1950. The major Harbor Defense Commands in the Continental United States ( CONUS ) were: The major Harbor Defense Commands in US territories were: The Harbor Defense Commands established as a result of the 1940 Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United Kingdom were: Board of Fortifications Several boards have been appointed by US presidents or Congress to evaluate

156-770: A major refit in 1910, her torpedo tubes were removed. Pelayo spent her early years in Spanish waters, showing the flag in various naval reviews and exhibitions, notably in Greece in 1891, at Genoa , Italy, in 1892, and Kiel , Germany, in 1895. She began a reconstruction at La Seyne in 1897, and was there when the Spanish–American War broke out in April 1898. She was rushed back into service with her old 16-and-12-centimetre (6.3 and 4.7 in) guns removed but her new 14-centimetre (5.5 in) guns not yet mounted, and entered service with

195-543: A much steeper arch than other artillery shells, which rained ½ ton mortar shells down onto the often poorly armored decks of enemy ships, which served to incite panic as well as material destruction. Of the Endicott Era Defenses armaments, the mortars exceeded all but the 12" M1888 (disappearing carriage) guns in range and, although pursuant to the Abbot-Quad design they were not intended to operate as such, they did have

234-512: A need for improved coastal defense systems. The Endicott Era Defenses were constructed, in large part, during the years of 1890–1910 and some remained in use until 1945. Endicott Era Forts ushered the transition from mortar to concrete as a building material in response to the massive technological discoveries in arms and ordnance brought on by the American Civil War. Masonry walls shrouding hordes of smooth-bore cannon could no longer serve as

273-410: A primary coastal defense mechanism, thus the Endicott Era Defenses were born. Endicott Era Forts were constructed with concrete walls that concealed large, breech-loading rifled cannons mounted on " disappearing carriages ". These disappearing carriages allowed the new, rifled cannons to be raised above the walls, aimed, and fired, and then quickly moved back underneath the walls, becoming invisible from

312-426: A type of "mothballing." In the late 1930s and early 1940s, a new program of construction added huge 16-inch gun batteries, as well as rapid-firing 6-inch and 90 mm guns (for use against motor torpedo boats ) to many harbors' defenses, and large fields of submarine mines were still being deployed as well. As the new weapons were deployed, almost all of the older weapons were scrapped. As it became clearer that

351-496: A variety of other ordnance best explained by describing the armament of Fort Hancock , one of the main forts of the Harbor Defenses of Southern New York , part of which was the prototype by which all other Endicott Era forts were constructed. Fort Hancock's Endicott Era Defenses: Dynamite Gun Battery: (3) 15" dynamite guns and (1) 8" dynamite gun Battery Potter: (2) 12" disappearing guns . (This unique gun lift battery and

390-571: The 14-inch gun M1907 and similar models were developed and deployed in the Philippines , Panama , Hawaii , and Los Angeles . By the time of the First World War , many of the Endicott and Taft era forts had become obsolete due to the increased range and accuracy of naval weaponry and the advent of aircraft. In the 1920s and 1930s, most U.S. coast defense facilities were put on "maintenance" status,

429-483: The Battle of Manila Bay . Cámara's squadron—consisting of Pelayo , armored cruiser Emperador Carlos V , auxiliary cruisers Patriota and Rapido , destroyers Audaz , Osado , and Prosepina , and transports Buenos Aires and Panay —sortied from Cadiz on 16 June 1898, passing Gibraltar on 17 June 1898. It arrived at Port Said , Egypt , on 26 June 1898, and requested permission to transship coal, which

SECTION 10

#1733093248690

468-503: The Board in its 1886 report illustrated a grim picture of neglect of America's coast defenses and recommended a massive $ 127 million construction program for a series of new forts with breech-loading cannons, mortars, floating batteries , and submarine mines for some 29 locations on the US coast. Coast Artillery fortifications built between 1885 and 1905 are often referred to as Endicott Period fortifications. The first board consisted of

507-417: The Coast Artillery Corps in 1907 (see below) they operated in the Abbot-Quad design, which very nicely complemented the capabilities of the larger, rifled guns. The Abbot-Quad design called for mortars to be fired in 4-16 gun salvos, in shotgun-like patterns designed to overcome the shortcomings of range-finding techniques of the time. This mode of fire resulted in clusters of mortar fire raining from above, with

546-451: The Egyptian government finally denied on 30 June 1898 out of concern for Egyptian neutrality. By the time Cámara's squadron arrived at Suez on 5 July 1898, the squadron of Vice Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete had been annihilated in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba , freeing up the U.S. Navy's heavy forces from the blockade of Santiago de Cuba . Fearful for the security of the Spanish coast,

585-464: The Endicott Era Defenses, especially with the necessary highlighting of the breech-loading rifled artillery mounted on disappearing carriages, are the mortars. At Fort Hancock, Battery Potter's (2) 12" guns mounted on disappearing carriages and the Mortar Battery , together formed the model for other Endicott Era Forts. The reason is because the mortars were: 1) voluminous 2) before the establishment of

624-467: The Endicott System, also had a hidden, unseen weapon that harnessed the newfound power of the age: an underwater controlled minefield system that utilized a mine casemate on Sandy Hook from where underwater mines could be detonated at will via electrical cables to destroy warships. This marked the first instance of concrete and electricity being used together in defenses. An easily overlooked aspect of

663-919: The Mortar Battery were the first prototype concrete gun batteries of the Endicott System) Battery Granger: (2) 10" counterweight disappearing guns Nine-Gun Battery Consisted of Batteries: Mortar Battery Consisted of Batteries: Fort Hancock was also equipped with several batteries of rapid fire guns, tasked with protecting the underwater minefields from smaller, swifter-moving vehicles. The rapid-fire gun batteries were: Battery Engle: (1) 5" gun on pedestal mounts Battery Morris: (4) 3" guns on pedestal mounts Battery Urmston: (4) 15-pounders and (2) 3" guns on pedestal mounts Battery Peck: (2) 6" guns on pedestal mounts Battery Gunnison: (2) 6" counterweight disappearing guns In addition to submarine nets and searchlights, Fort Hancock, and other Forts of

702-662: The Philippines), as well as Hawaii, and a few other sites. Defenses in Panama were authorized by the Spooner Act of 1902. The Taft program fortifications differed slightly in battery construction and had fewer guns at a given location than those of the Endicott program. Since Japan was known to be planning the Fusō-class battleships armed with 14-inch guns, during the Taft program's implementation

741-509: The Reserve Squadron on 14 May 1898. She remained in Spanish waters for a month to guard against United States Navy raids against the Spanish coast. She then was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral Manuel de Cámara , which was to steam to the Philippines and defeat the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Squadron, which had controlled Philippine waters since defeating the Spanish squadron of Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasaron in

780-580: The Spanish Ministry of Marine recalled Cámara's squadron on 7 July 1898, and Pelayo returned to Spain, where Cámara's 2nd Squadron was dissolved on 25 July 1898. Pelayo spent the last month of the war in Spanish waters, and thus missed combat. After the war, she resumed her duty of showing the flag, attending naval reviews in Toulon , France, in 1901 and in Lisbon , Portugal , and Vigo Bay , Spain, in 1904. But

819-609: The Spanish Navy found it difficult to find a role for Pelayo , which had no similar ships with which to operate. There was thought of having her operate with Spain's new dreadnoughts España-class battleship when they began to commission during the World War I era, but by then she was too old and slow to be compatible with them. She thus earned the nickname Solitario , meaning "The Lonely One." Pelayo fired her guns in anger only once, when she bombarded Moroccan insurgents in 1909 during

SECTION 20

#1733093248690

858-569: The U.S. was unlikely to face seaborne attack, these defenses were largely discontinued by 1945, and were decommissioned altogether after 1946. The only Endicott era fort to come under direct enemy fire was Fort Stevens at the mouth of Columbia River in Oregon. On the night of June 20, 1942, the Japanese submarine I-25 surfaced off the coast and proceeded to shell Fort Stevens in the vicinity of Battery Russell. There were no U.S. casualties and damage to

897-478: The US defensive fortifications, primarily coastal defenses near strategically important harbors on the US shores, its territories, and its protectorates. In 1885, US President Grover Cleveland appointed a joint Army, Navy and civilian board, headed by Secretary of War William Crowninshield Endicott , known as the Board of Fortifications (now usually referred to simply as the Endicott Board). The findings of

936-863: The capstone of the Endicott Era defenses, soon to be further advanced in the Taft Era. In 1905, after the experiences of the Spanish–American War , President Theodore Roosevelt appointed a new board, under Secretary of War William Howard Taft . They updated some standards and reviewed the progress on the Endicott Board's program. Most of the changes recommended by the Taft Board were technical, such as adding more searchlights , electrification (lighting, communications, and projectile handling), and more sophisticated optical aiming techniques. The Board also recommended fortifications in territories acquired from Spain (Cuba and

975-551: The disarmed commands were rearmed in World War II with " Panama mounts ", circular concrete platforms for towed 155 mm guns . Some of these rearmed commands and other hastily-armed areas were designated as "Temporary Harbor Defenses". In 1925 the Coast Defense Commands were redesignated as Harbor Defense Commands, called "Harbor Defenses of..." the area protected. After World War II all of these commands were disarmed within

1014-406: The districts were redesignated as Coast Defense Commands , called "Coast Defenses of..." the area protected. At this time Coast Artillery Districts became regional commands, each controlling several Coast Defense Commands. Several of these commands were disarmed and disestablished between World War I and World War II, although minefield defenses may have been retained (references are unclear). Some of

1053-595: The following officers and civilians: Prior efforts at harbor defense construction had ceased in the 1870s. Since that time the design and construction of heavy ordnance had advanced rapidly, including the development of superior breech-loading and longer-range cannon, making U.S. harbor defenses obsolete. In 1883, the Navy had begun a new construction program with an emphasis on offensive rather than defensive warships, and many foreign powers were building more heavily armored warships with larger guns. These factors combined to create

1092-536: The fort was negligible. The battery commander made the decision not to return fire. Several Taft era fortifications in the Philippines were attacked and captured by Imperial Japanese forces within a few months of the U.S. entry into World War II . Fort Mills , Fort Hughes , Fort Drum (El Fraile Island) , and Fort Frank guarding the entrance to Manila Bay were subjected to a three-month siege that ended when U.S. forces surrendered on May 6, 1942. All four forts were recaptured by U.S. forces in early 1945. At no point

1131-465: The heavy self-contained turrets more common to the period, in favor of which the progress of the design of modern battleships would soon abandon the barbette design. Her main guns could be loaded in any position, and consisted of two Gonzalez Hontoria -built 32-centimetre (12.6 in) Canet guns mounted fore and aft on the centerline and two Gonzalez Hontoria 28-centimetre (11.0 in) guns, also in barbettes, with one mounted on either beam Pelayo

1170-538: The modern armored cruiser Carlos V , participated directly in the conflict the course of the war would have been altered dramatically and possibly lead to a Spanish victory, thus retaining Spain's status as a colonial power . Ordered in November 1884, Pelayo was built by Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée at La Seyne in France. Her keel was laid in April 1885, and she was launched on 5 February 1887 and completed in

1209-519: The only member of her class. The design of Pelayo was based on that of the French battleship Marceau , modified to give her a draft that was 3 feet (0.91 m) shallower so that she could transit the Suez Canal at full load displacement. Originally equipped with sails, she had them deleted soon after completion. She had two funnels. Her 16-centimetre (6.30 in) gun was a bow chaser. Her armor belt

Harbor Defense Command - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-704: The public. Fort Winfield Scott at the Presidio in San Francisco contains several Endicott-Taft era emplacements in various states of preservation. Fort Winfield Scott is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area . Only a few examples of Endicott-Taft era weaponry survive to this day in the United States. The following table of Endicott Era carriages is summarized from American Seacoast Defenses , edited by Mark Berhow, with pages referenced from

1287-459: The rows. The units column reflects the lower of the original emplacements or the carriages built, since some emplacements were not armed and some carriages not used. Carriage models after 1905 are not included in the Endicott Era table. Misplaced Pages links to articles on the associated guns have been added. "Balanced pillar" and "masking parapet" carriages are functionally equivalent to disappearing carriages. Spanish battleship Pelayo Pelayo

1326-520: The sea. The fact that these cannons were "breech loading" is also not to be overlooked as a significant technological advancement, as it allowed for a much more rapid, accurate, and safe manipulation of artillery by its crew. This became even more important as warships of the era (such as the Spanish battleship Pelayo ) were armored with steel plates, increasing the necessity of accurate, sustained fire in anti-ship warfare. These larger guns were complemented by

1365-594: The summer of 1888. She was originally intended to be the first of a new class of battleships, but a crisis with the German Empire in the Caroline Islands in 1890 led to the cancellation of these plans and the diversion of funds to the construction of the Infanta Maria Teresa -class armored cruisers . Pelayo was viewed as too slow and having too little coal endurance for colonial service, and ended up being

1404-416: Was 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) wide amidships and extended 2 feet (0.61 m) above and almost 5 feet (1.5 m) below the waterline. Internally, she had French-style cellular construction with 13 watertight bulkheads and a double bottom. She was a barbette ship, an ancestor of the modern battleship with the main battery mounted in open barbettes on armored rotating platforms, in contrast to

1443-542: Was a battleship of the Spanish Navy which served in the Spanish fleet from 1888 to 1925. She was the first battleship and the most powerful unit of the Spanish Navy at the time. Despite its modern design for the time, Pelayo and the rest of the Spanish Asia-Pacific Rescue Squadron never engaged in combat during the Spanish–American War . Some historians have argued that had the battleship, along with

1482-668: Was any of the Taft-era weaponry used against the targets for which they were designed, namely armored ships. Several Endicott-Taft era forts have been preserved in the United States, though most of the period weaponry was dismantled and scrapped in the 1940s and 1950s. Fort Casey , Fort Flagler , and Fort Worden on the Puget Sound in Washington State are now state parks, their extensive concrete gun emplacements, as well as many supporting structures, have been preserved and are now open to

1521-416: Was reconstructed at La Seyne in 1897–1898, receiving armor for her midships battery and having her 16-and-12-centimetre (6.30 and 4.72 in) guns replaced by 14-centimetre (5.51 in) pieces, one mounted as a bow chaser and the rest on the broadside. However, the installation of these new guns was disrupted and delayed when she was rushed back into service after the Spanish–American War began. During

#689310