Fort Standish (Boston, Massachusetts)
| Fort Standish | |
|---|---|
| Part of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation | |
| Open to the public | yes |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1899 |
| Built by | United States Army |
| In use | 1904-1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Fort Standish was a coastal
Along with Fort Warren, Fort Andrews, Fort Banks, Fort Strong, and others, it was among the first modern defenses of Boston Harbor.[4] The fort was de-activated in 1947 and in 1962 became part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.
History
Construction and armament
Fort Standish was built 1899-1907. The gun batteries over its history through 1947 included:[1][5]
| Name | No. of guns | Gun type | Carriage type | Years active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burbeck | 2 | 10-inch gun M1900 |
disappearing M1901 | 1907-1942 |
| Morris | 2 | 10-inch gun M1900 |
disappearing M1901 | 1907-1942 |
| Terrill | 3 | 6-inch gun M1897 | disappearing M1898 | 1902-1943 |
| Whipple | 2 | 6-inch gun M1900 |
pedestal M1900 | 1904-1947 |
| Vincent | 4 | 3-inch gun M1898 |
masking parapet M1898 |
1904-1920 |
| Weir | 2 | 3-inch gun M1902 or M1903 | pedestal | 1904-1926 |
| Williams | 3 | 3-inch gun M1898 |
masking parapet M1898 | 1904-1946 |
| Antiaircraft | 2 | Unknown, possibly 75 mm gun M1897 |
AA pedestal | 1917-1923 |
| Antiaircraft | 2-3 | 3-inch gun M1917 |
AA pedestal | 1925-1946 |
| AMTB 943 | 4 | 90 mm gun |
2 fixed M3, 2 towed | 1943-1946 |
Batteries Burbeck and Morris were originally combined as Battery Burbeck, but were administratively separated in 1909.[1] The 10-inch guns were the fort's main armament against enemy battleships; the 6-inch guns could fire more rapidly against cruisers. The 3-inch rapid fire guns were intended to defend an underwater mine field against minesweepers. One source states the fort was first garrisoned in 1909, and at that time the 10-inch guns had not yet been mounted and Battery Williams' guns were not on site.[1]
World War I through World War II
After the
In 1920 Battery Vincent was disarmed as part of a general removal from service of its
Prior to the American entry into
Fort Standish's guns were scrapped and the fort abandoned in 1946-1947. The island was transferred to the state in 1958 and became part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area in 1962.[3]
See also
- 9th Coast Artillery (United States)
- 241st Coast Artillery (United States)
- Seacoast defense in the United States
- United States Army Coast Artillery Corps
- List of military installations in Massachusetts
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Fort Standish (1) - Fort Wiki Historic U.S. and Canadian Forts". Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ Heitman, Francis B. (1903). Historical Register And Dictionary Of The United States Army: 1789-1903, vol. 2. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. pp. 519, 547.
- ^ a b c "Boston Harbor II - Harbor Defenses of Boston". American Forts Network. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ Grigorieff, Paul. "Fort Standish". Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ a b Berhow, p. 205
- ^ Berhow, pp. 70-71, 88-89
Bibliography
- Berhow, Mark A., ed. (2015). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide (Third ed.). McLean, Virginia: CDSG Press. ISBN 978-0-9748167-3-9.
- Lewis, Emanuel Raymond (1979). Seacoast Fortifications of the United States. Annapolis: Leeward Publications. ISBN 978-0-929521-11-4.
External links
- List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
- FortWiki, lists most CONUS and Canadian forts
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