Battery Kinzie

 (1912-1944) - Battery Kinzie is a concrete Endicott Period Battery located on Fort Worden, Jefferson County, Washington. Named in G.O. 245, 13 Dec 1909, for Brigadier General David Hunter Kinzie, a U.S. Civil War veteran who died in 1904. The Battery was begun in Jun 1908, completed in 1910 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 10 Jan 1912 at a total cost of $207,832.50. The guns were dismounted in 1944 toward the end of World War II.

Endicott Period (1890-1910)
Designed to protect both the Straight of Juan De Fuca and the Admiralty Inlet to Puget Sound. Built with two 12" M1895MI guns on M1901 disappearing carriages in a concrete battery at a cost of $207,832.50. The 12" guns could fire a thousand pound shell 10 miles. This is a very large two story battery with 15 rooms, a battery control station and two long external corridors. The guns are mounted on the upper level with the magazines and utility rooms below. It was different from most batteries because air spaces were left between rooms to ventilate them and to isolate them from the shock of the 12" guns firing. Two back delivery, Taylor-Raymond, electric motor driven shell hoists were provided to move the thousand pound projectiles from the magazine level to the gun loading platform level. Also provided were two A-12 electric motor driven powder hoists used to raise the almost 300 pounds of powder required for each shot. Electrical power was provided from an internal power plant, from the central power plant or from commercial power.

Battery Kinzie is not located on Artillery Hill as are most of the batteries, it is located at water level, alongside Battery Vicars. This was the last large battery built for Puget Sound defense.



Current Status
Part of the Fort Worden State Park Conference Center. The Battery is accessible to the public and the rooms are clean and dry but empty. The remains of the shell and powder hoists can be seen and you can still see, in some rooms, the overhead tracks used to move the shells.

Sources:

Links: 
 * Seacoast Defense Photos
 * Battery Kinzie Virtual Tour
 * Battery Kinzie Virtual Tour