I wrote earlier this year about visiting Fort Casey, an old army Coast Artillery fort near my childhood home that is now a state park. Pictures from that visit can be seen here. Now, thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can see old training film footage of identical batteries of coast artillery in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbIxuM61hAU&w=448&h=252&hd=1]
Coast Artillery Part One
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poAApHtjE-A&w=448&h=252&hd=1]
Coast Artillery Part Two
The batteries at virtually all coast artillery posts were of nearly identical design for each size weapon. That is to say, a 10” disappearing gun at Ft. MacArthur looked just like one at Ft. Casey, or any other fort. If the narrator hadn’t identified where each battery was, I would have sworn the footage was shot at Ft. Casey.
When Becky and I were first dating, she was an intern for the park sevice at the old Admiralty Head lighthouse. They had a video there with silent footage of the 10″ers being fired at Ft. Casey. I was able to watch it a couple of times.
I’ve a book in my library, Fort Casey- The History of Fort Casey and the Defense of the Pacific Northwest by Terry Buchanan. Good read with ample pictures.
I can’t find it at Amazon or eBay. You’re welcome to ship it to me if you like!
I liked the ones out on Goat Island.
We had great fun shooting Jay with bb guns there.
Sadly, we never put his eye out.
Hah! I seem to remember you both walking away with a few welts, too. Remember that shoulder mount rocket launcher we built? When the projectile bounced of the steel pot you had on, Art, and went skittering off who knew where…
Here’s the web address to the author’s site: http://www.serenityridgepress.com/
I’m a little surprised we never burned Goat Island down to the waterline…
Not for lack of trying.
Some around San Francisco
Fort Winfield Scott, Bty. Chamberlain
http://www.militarymuseum.org/BtyChamberlin.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ST7Z-OT2PU
Angel Island Artillery
http://www.web4homes.com/rendezvous/artillery.htm
Joe, Sorry you went to the spam bucket. Any more than two links in a comment and you get sent to time out.
I’d seen that gun drill vid, and in fact almost linked it in this post. I’m amazed how much information there is on coastal fortifications on the web.
No problem, Brad. Part of the learning curve. At least they got through.
By the way, your site has dandruff.
Ah coastal artillery, ADA began as coastal guns. Many ADA units trace their history to coastal units. The 44th, 43rd and 52nd Regiments fought in WWI as rail & coastal units.
Yeah Goat Island saw some excitement, and that was just getting ashore there. We rented a boat after you two left and took it out there. When the tide went out the boat sat on the rocks and bent the prop and caused a leak. Let me tell you it was tough turning it in to the navy’s marina…
That rotten old dock… Only step where the nail pattern gauranteed a cross timber, never on the planking. It was pretty well gone last time I went past it, and that was at least 15+ yrs. ago.
That dock always scared the crap out of me, and then the flimsy planks up to the trail!
That’s why we started pulling up on the beach and climbing up.