Fort Mott (New Jersey)
Fort Mott | |
---|---|
Part of Harbor Defenses of the Delaware | |
Pennsville Township, New Jersey | |
Type | Fortification |
Site information | |
Owner | Public - State of New Jersey |
Open to the public | Yes |
Area | 124 acres (0.50 km2) |
Operated by | New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry |
Website | Official website |
Fort Mott and Finns Point National Cemetery District | |
Coordinates | 39°36′11″N 75°33′9″W / 39.60306°N 75.55250°W |
Area | 64.4 acres (261,000 m2) |
NRHP reference No. | 78001793[1] |
NJRHP No. | 2442[2] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | August 31, 1978 |
Designated NJRHP | September 6, 1973 |
Site history | |
Built | 1896–1900 |
Built by | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
In use | 1899–1922, 1941–1943 |
Materials | Reinforced concrete, earth |
Fort Mott, located in Pennsville, Salem County, New Jersey, United States, was part of the Harbor Defenses of the Delaware, a three-fort defense system designed for the Delaware River during the Reconstruction era and Endicott program modernization periods following the American Civil War and in the 1890s. The other two forts in the system were Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island and Fort DuPont in Delaware City, Delaware. It was active for the Spanish American War and World War I. It was closed in 1944, and sold to the state of New Jersey to become Fort Mott State Park.
History
The original plans for Fort Mott (initially called the "Battery at Finn's Point") specified eleven gun emplacements for Rodman smoothbore guns and a mortar battery with six emplacements.[3] Construction was started in 1872; however, only two of the gun emplacements and two magazines in the mortar battery were completed by 1876 when all work stopped due to a general suspension of fort work. The Board of Fortifications, often called the Endicott Board, recommended a comprehensive program of new fortifications in 1885. A new Fort Mott was one of the results, and it was completed by 1902 as part of the Harbor Defenses of the Delaware.
Unusually for US coast defense forts built 1895-1935, Fort Mott was designed to resist a land attack. A parados (basically an artificial hill) and moat were placed behind the gun batteries to impede an assault from the landward side. Also, the fort's four 5-inch guns were in mounts permitting 360° of fire, and were sited to fire on attackers flanking the parados.
The fort had a typical armament for its day, with a few exceptions. The main armament was Battery Arnold (3
War Department General Order #72, issued on December 16, 1897, designated the new fort as Fort Mott, in honor of
Battery Arnold was named for Brigadier General
Fort Mott, along with Fort Delaware and Fort DuPont, became obsolete as the principal defensive installations on the Delaware River with the construction of Fort Saulsbury, near Slaughter Beach, Delaware, shortly after World War I. Fort Saulsbury had four 12-inch (305 mm) guns on long-range barbette carriages and was sited to engage the enemy much further down the estuary than the earlier forts. The Harbor Defenses of the Delaware was one of the most extreme examples of coast defense forts being built further seaward as gun ranges increased.[5] In 1910 the two five-inch guns of Battery Gregg were transferred to Fort Ruger, Hawaii,[6] and in 1918 the similar guns of Battery Krayenbuhl were removed for potential service as field guns on the Western Front. In 1920 the unique Battery Edwards was disarmed as part of a general removal from service of the 3-inch gun M1898.[3]
Troops were regularly stationed at Fort Mott from 1897 to 1922. The federal government kept a
The three 10-inch guns of Battery Harker were transferred to Canada in 1941 via
As of 2018, Fort Mott is connected with Fort Delaware and Delaware City by a seasonal passenger ferry operated by Fort Delaware State Park.[9]
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Salem County, New Jersey
- Seacoast defense in the United States
- United States Army Coast Artillery Corps
- Harbor Defense Command
- List of coastal fortifications of the United States
References
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#78001793)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Salem County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. April 5, 2013. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Fort Mott - FortWiki Historic U.S. and Canadian Forts". www.fortwiki.com.
- ^ Berhow, p. 198
- ^ Map of HD Delaware at FortWiki.com
- ^ Berhow, p. 220
- ^ Chidley, George A. (December 6, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fort Mott and Finns Point National Cemetery District". National Park Service. With accompanying 13 photos from 1978
- ^ Berhow, p. 230
- ^ "Fort Delaware State Park". Delaware State Parks.
- Berhow, Mark A., ed. (2004). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide (Second ed.). CDSG Press. ISBN 0-9748167-0-1.
- Lewis, Emanuel Raymond (1979). Seacoast Fortifications of the United States. Annapolis: Leeward Publications. ISBN 978-0-929521-11-4.
External links
- Map of HD Delaware at FortWiki.com
- American Forts Network, lists forts in the US, former US territories, Canada, and Central America
- List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
- FortWiki, lists most CONUS and Canadian forts
- Military History -- Fort Mott
- Coastal Heritage Trail -- Fort Mott
- Fort Mott State Park
- Gun types at FortWiki