Trip Report: Going Coastal
First published in 2015. Reformatted 2025. For the first time, I participated in the annual conference and tours of the Coast Defense Study Group (CDSG). The program had me retracing my steps on Fort DuPont and Fort Miles, but this time I had much better access thanks to CDSG. The photos you see here are all new and different from those in my Destination Dover report. In addition to CDSG publications, John Stanton's Fort Wiki website was very helpful for understanding coastal batteries. Just a reminder PIN means Permanent Installation Number and ILC means Installation Location Code; I include these for Air Force properties when I know them.Wednesday, 29 April 2015
The flight from DEN to BWI was uneventful. I picked up a Nissan Versa Note as my rental vehicle. I stopped in Middletown, Delaware. This was conference headquarters for the first two nights.Thursday, 30 April 2015
The group ventured out of state for two visits. One of the long-time members was kind enough to let me ride with him, allowing good conversation about the conference and the CDSG. Fort Mifflin PA, 39-52-30, 75-12-47. Fort Mifflin was acquired in 1795, and was named for Major General Thomas Mifflin, Continental Army, first Governor of Pennsylvania. It was declared to be a national monument in 1915. It was still used by the Army, Navy, and Air Force into the early 1960s, and still has an Army National Guard presence.General view
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Building Fort Mott NJ, 39-36-14, 75-33-10. The fort was acquired in 1837, with additional land acquired in 1901. It was designated in 1897 for Major General Gershom Mott. It was declared surplus in late 1944.
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Fire control tower interior
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Fire control tower and magazine
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Magazine and fire control tower
Latrine Battery Arnold NJ, 36.6040, 75.5528. In use from 1899 to 1943; three 12-inch gun emplacements. It originally included the three 10-inch gun emplacements that were redesignated for Battery Harker in 1902. Named for Brigadier General Lewis G. Arnold, U.S. Volunteers.
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Interior Battery Edwards NJ, 39.6043, 75.5541. In use from 1902 to 1920; two 3-inch gun emplacements. Named for Captain Robert Edwards, 17th U.S. Infantry.
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General view Battery Gregg NJ, 39.6034, 75.5505. In use from 1901 to 1913; two 5-inch gun emplacements. Named for Captain John C. Gregg, 12th Infantry.
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Fire control station
Fire control station
Fire control station interior Battery Harker NJ, 39.6037, 75.5515. Separated from Battery Arnold in 1902, in use until 1941; three 10-inch gun emplacements. Named for Brigadier General Charles G. Harker, U.S. Volunteers.
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Interior Battery Krayenbuhl NJ, 39.6044, 75.5540. In use from 1900 to 1917; two 5-inch gun emplacements. Named for Captain Maurice G. Krayenbuhl, U.S. Volunteers.
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Fire control station With the Pennsylvania and New Jersey sites out of the way, we returned to Middletown for a second night.
Friday, 1 May 2015
From Middletown, the group checked out of the hotel and drove to Delaware City. From there, we boarded the Delafort for a short ferry to Pea Patch Island. Fort Delaware DE, 39-35-21, 75-34-03. The 178-acre property was acquired in 1813. It was declared surplus in 1945.General view
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Fire control station interior Battery Alburtis DE, 39.5896, 75.5669. In use from 1901 to 1920; two 3-inch guns. Named for 1st Lieutenant William Alburtis, 2d U.S. Infantry.
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General view Battery Allen DE, 39.5892, 75.5677. In use from 1901 to 1920; two 3-inch guns. Named for 1st Lieutenant Robert Allen, Jr., 1st U.S. Cavalry.
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General view Battery Dodd DE, 39.5883, 75.5680. In use from 1899 to 1917; two 4.72-inch guns. Named for Captain Albert Dodd, 17th U.S. Infantry.
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General view Battery Hentig DE, 39.5886, 75.5677. In use from 1901 to 1942; two 3-inch guns. Named for Captain Edmund C. Hentig, 6th U.S. Cavalry.
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General view Battery Torbert DE, 39.5893, 75.5672. In use from 1901 to 1940; three 12-inch guns. Named for Major General Alfred T.A. Torbert, U.S. Volunteers.
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Detail Once we were back on dry land, it was only a short drive to our next destination. Fort DuPont DE, 39-34-15, 75-35-10. The fort was first unofficially called Ten Gun Battery in 1863, acquired by the War Department in about 1871, and established in 1898. It was officially named on 13 July 1899, after Rear Admiral Samuel F. DuPont, USN. The fort continued to serve through WWII, and was declared excess on 4 May 1946. Much of the property is still in use by various government and military activities.
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Fire control tower, repurposed as guard tower
Fire control tower, repurposed as guard tower
Fire control tower, repurposed as guard tower Battery Clermont Best, 39.5720, 75.5820 and Battery Rodney DE, 39.5714, 75.5815. This 12-inch mortar battery was named Battery Rodney in 1902 after Caesar Rodney, major general of the Delaware Militia and signer of the Declaration of Independence. The battery originally had 16 mortars, four in each of four bays. In 1906 the battery was administratively split in in half, with half named Battery Best after Major Clermont L. Best, Artillery Corps. In 1914 and 1918, half the mortars were removed, to relieve crowding in the mortar bays. The remaining mortars and carriages were scrapped during WWII.
Battery Clermont Best - Mortar bay
Battery Clermont Best - Mortar bay
Battery Clermont Best - Mortar bay
Battery Clermont Best - Mortar bay
Battery Clermont Best - Mortar bay
Battery Clermont Best - Mortar bay
Battery Clermont Best - Data booth
Battery Clermont Best - Data booth
Battery Clermont Best - Generator entrance
Battery Clermont Best - Generator entrance
Battery Rodney - Mortar bay
Battery Rodney - Mortar bay
Battery Rodney - Mortar bay
Battery Rodney - Mortar bay
Battery Rodney - Data booth
Battery Rodney - Data booth Battery Gibson DE, 39.5682, 75.5784. Two 8-inch rifle positions flanked by the guns of Battery Read in the same structure. In use from 1899 to 1917. Named for Colonel James Gibson, 4th Rifle Regiment.
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General view Battery Read DE, 39.5682, 75.5784. Two 12-inch gun positions, one on either side of Battery Gibson's guns in the same structure. In use from 1899 to 1918. Named for Senator George Read, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
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General view Battery Samuel Elder DE, 39.5712, 75.5787. In use from 1904 to 1942; two 3-inch guns. Named for Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Samuel S. Elder, U.S. Army.
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General view I settled into lodging in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This was conference headquarters for the next two days.
Saturday, 2 May 2015
After the first night Rehoboth Beach, we hit the road for more exploring. Fort Saulsbury DE, 38-56-05, 75-19-52. The property was acquired in 1917 and declared surplus in 1946. It was used as a prisoner of war facility from 1943 to 1945. The fort was named for the Honorable Willard Saulsbury, Attorney General and U.S. Senator.Water system building
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Entrance gate Battery Hall DE, 38-56-06, 75-19-50. In use from 1920 to 1944; two 12-inch guns. Named for Colonel David Hall, Continental Army.
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Interior Battery Haslet DE, 38-55-58, 75-19-53. In use from 1920 to 1943; two 12-inch guns. Named for Colonel John Haslet, Continental Army.
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Fort Miles DE, 38-46-15, 75-05-15. A portion of land was set aside as U.S. Fort Reservation in 1873, and a 6-inch gun battery was operational during WWI. The installation came into its own for WWII. Established as Cape Henlopen Military Reservation in 1938, it was renamed Fort Miles on 7 August 1941 for General Nelson Miles. Fort Miles had a number of gun batteries, listed separately below. It also had a number of fire control towers supporting the batteries. Most of the fort was declared excess by the Army in 1961, and it was discontinued as a Department of the Army installation on 27 February 1970.
Battery 222 Hunter DE, 38.7883, 75.0888. Construction on this 6-inch gun battery started 15 April 1942 and completed 29 October 1943. It was named for Colonel Charles H. Hunter on 17 September 1942, and was deactivated in 1947. Navy use began as early as 1949, and the land was formally acquired by the Navy in 1964. The Naval Radio Station was activated here June 1963, though this was short-lived as the radio station relocated to Battery 519 in 1964. Navy use ended in 1981 when the land was returned to the State of Delaware.Interior Battery 519 DE, 38.7768, 75.0871. Though originally intended for 16-inch guns, this battery was built for two 12-inch guns instead. Construction began 15 November 1942 and completed 31 August 1943. The battery was deactivated in 1948. In the late 1950s, the top of the battery was home to BA-34R, a TPS-1D radar installation in the Baltimore defense area. In 1964 the Naval Radio Station relocated here from Battery 222 Hunter. The land remained under Army control for many years (until either 1980 or 1991) as part of the First Army Recreation Area.
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BA-34R Nike radar support structure
BA-34R Nike radar support structure
BA-34R Nike radar support structure
Top of battery
Top of battery
Top of battery
Top of battery Battery 519 Plotting Room DE, 38-46-42, 75-05-55. The below-ground plotting room received inputs from fire control towers and determined the firing solution for the nearby gun battery. In use from 1943 to 1948.
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Interior Fort Miles Mine Casemate DE, 38-47-09, 75-05-58. The below-ground casemate was used to control the command-detonated mines in the harbor during WWII.
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Interior Departing Fort Miles, we detoured in the town of Lewes to see a fire control tower. Fort Miles Fire Control Tower 13 DE, 38-46-46, 75-07-11. One of several towers (on and off the post) used during WWII to take azimuth readings of potential targets in the harbor. This tower is 92' tall.
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General view Rehoboth Beach was home for a second night.
Sunday, 3 May 2015
We started our day by returning to Fort Miles. Battery 118 Smith DE, 38-46-13, 75-05-10. Construction on this 16-inch gun battery started 24 March 1941 and completed 31 October 1942. It was named for Major General William R. Smith, U.S. Army. It was transferred to the Coast Artillery for use on 21 December 1943, and was deactivated in 1948. It became in integral part of Naval Station Lewes in 1962, with the battery called the Auxiliary Service Building. Navy use ended in 1996 with the closure of the Naval Reserve Training Center and return of the land to the State of Delaware.Central entrance
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Interior Battery 118 Smith Plotting Room DE, 38-46-06, 75-05-14. The below-ground plotting room received inputs from fire control towers and determined the firing solution for the nearby gun battery. In use from 1943 to 1948.
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Interior Battery 221 Herring DE, 38-45-55, 75-04-58. Construction on this 6-inch gun battery started 15 January 1942 and completed 31 August 1943. On 17 September 1942 it was named for Lieutenant Colonel Ralph E. Herring, Coast Artillery Corps, U.S. Army. It was deactivated in 1948. The battery structure was taken over by the Navy in 1962 as part of Naval Station Lewes, and a Terminal Equipment Building was constructed adjacent to the front of the battery (since removed). Navy operations ended 30 September 1981.
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Interior Fort Miles Harbor Defense Command Post DE, 38-46-30, 75-06-03. The below-ground command post coordinated harbor defense during WWII.
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General view Battery 20 DE, 38-46-49, 75-05-39. A series of four horseshoe-shaped earthen berms sheltered 8-inch guns on railway carriages. This was a temporary battery used early in WWII. Portions of the berms were constructed with concrete-filled sandbags, some of which were still visible.
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Detail Fire Control Towers 5 and 6 DE, 38-44-54, 75-04-52. This property for two towers was acquired 1 June 1943. Tower 5 stood 58' tall and Tower 6 stood 75' tall. Leases were terminated in 1954 and 1959.
FC Tower 5 - General view
FC Tower 5 - General view
FC Tower 5 - General view
FC Tower 6 - General view
FC Tower 6 - General view
FC Tower 6 - General view Fire Control Tower 12 DE.
FC Tower 12 - General view
FC Tower 12 - General view
FC Tower 12 - General view I returned to Rehoboth Beach for a third night.
Monday, 4 May 2015
I checked out of the hotel in Rehoboth Beach and set out on my own adventure. Fire Control Towers 3 and 4 DE, 38-40-46, 75-04-16. This property for two towers was acquired 1 June 1942, and was transferred to the Navy on 3 November 1952. Tower 4 stood 67' tall. Disposal date unknown.FC Tower 3 - General view
FC Tower 3 - General view
FC Tower 3 - General view
FC Tower 4 - General view
FC Tower 4 - General view
FC Tower 4 - General view Fire Control Tower 2 DE, 38-35-19, 75-03-40. This property for a single 57' tower was acquired on 7 April 1943, and was transferred to the Navy on 3 November 1952. Disposal date unknown.
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General view Bethany Beach Fire Control Station #1 DE, 38-30-21, 75-03-14. This property for a single 49' tower was acquired on 10 July 1943 and used until probably 1948.
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General view Cape Charles Seaward Extension Shore Station Receiver VA, 37-20-48, 75-54-10. From the late 1950s until approximately 1965, this facility received high frequency radio communications from Naval radar picket ships. A companion transmitter site (not visited) was located several miles away.
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Electric substation
Electric substation Fort John Custis/Cape Charles AFS VA, PIN 2175, ILC DBFH, 37-08-03, 75-57-20. The coast defense fort was acquired in 1940, and named on 1 October 1942 for Captain John Parke Custis, U.S. Army. In 1950, the Army transferred most of the property to the Air Force, and it served as a long-range radar station until about 1980. Some Air Force buildings remain, as does the 6-inch Battery 228, but my request for access to those areas was denied. Battery 122 Winslow VA, 37.1309, 75.9616. This 16-inch gun battery was designated in 1942, for Brigadier General E. Eveleth Winslow, U.S. Army. It was operational from 1943 to 1948, with two casemated guns. I was delighted to find a 16-inch gun and some projectiles on display in one of the casemates.
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General view Langley Missile Site VA, PIN 2168, ILC SRJZ, 37-05-56, 76-28-42. The BOMARC missile complex was built on part of the former Oyster Point Back-up Ammunition Storage Depot. As early as 1942, Langley Field used part of the depot for ammunition storage, and in 1950 the entire depot was transferred to Langley AFB control. In 1959, the ammunition storage function ended and a BOMARC missile site was built. The missile site operated until about 1972.
Facility 710 - Assembly and maintenance shop
Facility 710 - Assembly and maintenance shop
Facility 710 - Assembly and maintenance shop
Facility 710 - Assembly and maintenance shop
Facility 720 - Heat and power building
Facility 731
Facility 741
Facility 751
Facility 751
Propellant fuel facility (R)
Propellant fuel facility (L)
Propellant fuel facility
Propellant acid facility
Propellant acid facility
Warehouse
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Gate leading to launcher area I made it to Williamsburg, Virginia, for the night.
Tuesday, 5 May 2015
After a night in Williamsburg, I headed out to see two forts. Fort Hunt VA, 38-42-55, 77-03-10. The property was acquired in 1863. The fort was designated in 1899, in honor of Brevet Major General Henry J. Hunt, U.S. Army. It was abandoned in 1931. The Army reused the fort as a Prisoner of War camp during WWII.General view
Building Battery Mount Vernon VA, 38.7150, 77.0519. In use from 1900 to 1917; three 8-inch guns. Named for the nearby home of President George Washington.
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Fire control station
Fire control station
Fire control station Battery Porter VA, 38.7149, 77.0508. In use from 1902 to 1917; one 5-inch gun. Named for 1st Lieutenant James E. Porter, 7th U.S. Cavalry.
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General view Battery Robinson VA, 38.7155, 77.0473. In use from 1902 to 1917; one 5-inch gun. Named for 1st Lieutenant Levi H. Robinson, 14th U.S. Infantry.
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General view Battery Sater VA, 38.7154, 77.0481. In use from 1904 to 1920; three 3-inch guns. Named for 1st Lieutenant William A. Sater, 18th U.S. Infantry.
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General view Fort Washington MD, 38-42-51, 77-01-36. Acquired in 1808, this was initially Fort Warburton. It was renamed in 1813, after General George Washington, first President of the U.S. It was disposed of in 1940, reacquired in 1941, and last used in 1946.
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Building Battery Andrew Humphreys MD, 38.7075, 77.0290. In use from 1899 to 1928; two 10-inch guns. Known as Battery "D" until 1900 when it was named for Major General Andrew A. Humphreys, Chief of U.S. Army Engineers.
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Detail Battery Decatur MD, 38.7132, 77.0327. In use from 1899 to 1918; two 10-inch guns. Known as Battery "B" until 1900 when it was named for Commodore Stephen Decatur, U.S. Navy.
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Fire control station Battery Emory MD, 38.7095, 77.0320. In use from 1899 to 1929; two 10-inch guns. Known as Battery "C" until 1900 when it was named for Major General William H. Emory, U.S. Volunteers.
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Fire control station
Fire control station Battery Joseph Smith MD, 38.7055, 77.0293. In use from 1903 to 1920; two 3-inch guns. Named for 2d Lieutenant Joseph P. Smith, 5th U.S. Infantry.
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General view Battery Meigs MD, 38.7097, 77.0257. In use from 1902 to 1913; eight 12-inch mortars. Named for Brevet Major General Montgomery C. Meigs, U.S. Army.
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Mortar bay
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Interior Battery White MD, 38.7119, 77.0356. In use from 1899 to 1921; two 4-inch guns. Named for Major William J.H. White, U.S. Army.
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General view I stopped for the night in La Plata, Maryland.
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
From La Plata I had a two-hour drive north to the airport. I turned in the rental at BWI, after driving a mere 698 miles on this 8-day adventure. By dinner time I was home in Denver. Updated January 26, 2025If you like what you find here, please consider making a monetary contribution. Domain name registration, web hosting, and travel cost plenty. You won't find any ads here to annoy you.