Battery 206

Battery 206 (1943-1948) - Battery 206 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on East Point Military Reservation, Nahant, Essex County, Massachusetts. Battery construction started in 1942, was completed in 1943 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use in 1943 at a cost of approximately $ 250,000.00. Deactivated in 1948. East Point MR, Battery 206, Gun Emplacement #2 with Damaged Gun Block Apron. East Point MR, Battery 206, Entrance #1. East Point MR, Battery 206, Gun Pad #1 Remains with Fire Control Towers in Background. World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of Boston, Massachusetts. Battery 206 Gun Emplacements, Emp #1 Left, Emp #2 Right, Boston in the Background. Originally built as a World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" M1903A2 rapid fire guns mounted on M1 Shielded Barbette Carriages (SBC) placed on either side of an earth covered reinforced concrete magazine and support structure. Power was supplied by internal generators and commercial power. This particular battery was established at the edge of a rock cliff with the water directly below. Over the life of the battery, erosion took its toll on the cliff face and this resulted in the failure of the front of Gun Emplacement #2 gun block apron. The apron partially collapsed and later fell to the bottom of the cliff. During World War II Battery 206 was designated Tactical Battery #15 at location 131. 6" Gun at Fort Columbia Originally at Fort McAndrew, Battery 281, Argentia, NL, Canada These 6" World War II coastal gun batteries were designed to replace obsolete Endicott Period Batteries. Of the 87 planned only 45 were completed and many of those were not completed until late in the war (1944-1945). The 6" guns fired a 105 pound armor-piercing projectile with a range of over 15 miles at a rate of up to 5 rounds per minute. The gun crews were protected by a thick shield around the gun. Only six of these guns remain in the world, two at Fort Columbia in Battery 246, two at Fort Pickens in Battery 234, and two at Fort McAndrew in Battery 282 in Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. 6" Gun Crew Battery 206 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 6" Rifle 302.9" M1903 A2 35 Watervliet Shielded Barbette (SBC), M1, #107, Wellman 1943-1948 See note 1 2 6" Rifle 302.9" M1903 A2 3 Watervliet Shielded Barbette (SBC), M1, #108, Wellman 1943-1948 See note 1 Source: CDSG, Berhow, Mark A. ed, American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition, CDSG Press, McLean, VA, 2004, ISBN 0-9748167-0-1, pages 104-105 Note 1: Guns transferred from Watervliet 10 Nov 1943, carriages transferred from Wellman 2 Jun 1943. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA. Battery 206 East Point MR, Battery 206, Gun Emplacement #2 East Point MR, Battery 206, Gun Emplacement #1 In 1944 the war reserve and battle allowances of ammunition for the battery was: Battery Range Yards Weight Pounds Type Shell War Reserve Battle Allowance Battery 206 27,500 yds 90 105 HE AP 300 400 200 300 HE = High Explosive AP = Amour Piercing Current Status No period guns or mounts in place. Location: Nahant, Essex County, Massachusetts Maps & Images Lat: 42.417231 Long: -70.905917 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....' Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Boston, Massachusetts, (HDB-AN-45), 31 Jan 1945, CDSG Links: CDSG Visited: 23 May 2018, 9 Jun 2012