Battery Hawkins

Battery Hawkins (1914-1943) - Battery Hawkins was a reinforced concrete, Taft Period 3 inch coastal gun battery on Fort Kamehameha, Honolulu County, Hawaii. The Battery was named in G.O. 72, 1913, for Brigadier General Hamilton S. Hawkins, Commandant of Cadets at West Point (1888-1892) who served in the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865) and Spanish American War (1898). Battery construction started in December 1912, was completed in March 1914 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 6 Mar 1914 at a cost of $ 22,200. Deactivated in 1943. File:Battery Hawkins I.jpg Battery Hawkins Taft Period (1905-1915) Part of the Harbor Defense of Pearl Harbor. Originally built as a Taft Period concrete coastal gun battery with two 3" M1903 guns mounted on M1903 Barbette carriages. This was a two story battery with the guns located on the upper level and the magazines below. Shells were moved from the magazine level to the gun loading platform by hand. No shell or powder hoists were provided. Electrical power was furnished by the emplacement power plant. Battery Hawkins Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 3" Rifle 184" M1903 97 Watervliet Barbette, M1903, #57, Watertown 1914-1943 See note 1 2 3" Rifle 184" M1903 98 Watervliet Barbette, M1903, #58, Watertown 1914-1943 See note 1 Source: RCW Form 1, 31 Mar 1919, CDSG, Berhow, Mark A. ed, American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition, CDSG Press, McLean, VA, 2004, ISBN 0-9748167-0-1, pages 74-75 Note 1: CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Guns and Carriages were processed for salvage 7 Nov 1945 Battery Hawkins Plan 1919 World War I (1917-1918) The U.S. entry into World War I resulted in a widespread removal of large caliber coastal defense gun tubes for service in Europe. Many of the gun and mortar tubes removed were sent to arsenals for modification and mounting on mobile carriages, both wheeled and railroad. Most of the removed gun tubes never made it to Europe and were either remounted or remained at the arsenals until needed elsewhere. The guns of Battery Hawkins were not affected by the World War I redistribution or the following 1920 disarmament program. World War II (1941-1945) Battery Hawkins was a part of the Harbor Defenses of Pearl Harbor plan throughout World War II. When the war ended the battery was declared surplus. The guns and carriages were processed for salvage on 7 Nov 1945. Current Status Repurposed battery buildings now on Hickam Air Force Base, Honolulu, Hawaii. No period guns or mounts in place. Location: Hickam Air Force Base, Honolulu County, Hawaii Maps & Images Lat: 21.320081 Long: -157.9602778 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: Gun #1 = 20.842', Gun #2 = 20.879' (trunnion elevation) Sources: Grobmeier, Alvin H., Officers of the U.S. Army and Others in Honor of whom Coast Artillery Forts and Batteries in Hawaii Have Been Named, CDSG News, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Nov. 1992), pp. 66-67 Links: CDSG Visited: No