Battery 116

Battery 116 (1944-1948) - Battery 116 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 16 inch coastal gun battery on Highlands Military Reservation, Monmouth County, New Jersey. The battery was named Battery Isaac N. Lewis in G.O. 49, 1 Oct 1942, after Colonel Isaac N. Lewis (Cullum 3031), inventor of the lightweight Lewis aircraft machine gun, who died 9 Nov 1931. Battery construction started on 1 Jun 1942, was completed on 26 Jun 1943 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 16 Feb 1944 at a cost of $ 1,552,492.63. Deactivated in 1948. Also known as Battery Lewis. Highlands Military Reservation, Battery 116 (Battery Lewis) Gun Emplacement #1 Rear Entrance Highlands Military Reservation, Battery 116 (Battery Lewis) Gun Emplacement #2 Highlands Military Reservation, Battery 116 (Battery Lewis) Gun Emplacement #1 World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of Southern New York. Designed to protect shipping and the Atlantic approaches to New York Harbor. Originally built as a World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two casemated 16" MarkII-M1 guns mounted on M4 Barbette carriages. Battery 116 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 16" Rifle 816" MarkII-M1 70 Bethlehem Barbette, M4, #29, Wellman 1944-1948 See note 1 2 16" Rifle 816" MarkII-M1 46 Midvale Barbette, M4, #44, Mesta 1944-1948 See note 1 Source: RCW Form 1, 9 Sep 1944, Coast Defense Study Group, Berhow, Mark A. ed, American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition, CDSG Press, McLean, VA, 2004, ISBN 0-9748167-0-1, pages 176-177, 208 Note 1: CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Battery 116 (Battery Lewis) Plan Current Status Part of Hartshorne Woods Park, Middletown, New Jersey. No period guns or mounts in place. The casemates are visible and you can walk through them but the internal rooms of the battery have no public access. Location: Hartshorne Woods Park, Middletown, New Jersey. Maps & Images Lat: 40.389271 Long: -73.989154 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 220.7' Recent Blog Posts: Fort Hancock on Sandy Hook NJ Sources: Links: Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library Visited: 13 Aug 2010