Battery 247

 (1944-1947) - A World War II reinforced concrete gun battery built at Fort Canby between 9 Feb 1943 and 31 Aug 1944 at a cost of $243,397. Transferred to the Cast Artillery for service 28 Oct 1944. Deactivation started in July 1945 and troops were withdrawn by October 1947.

World War II (1941-1945)
One of three like batteries that provided a "triangle of fire" protection for the mouth of the Columbia River. Battery 245 at Fort Stevens, Battery 246 at Fort Columbia and Battery 247 at Fort Canby made up the three points of the triangle.

Armament consisted of two rapid fire 6", Model T2, 309.9" long rifled guns each mounted in a separate shielded M4 Barbette carriage. Between the two guns was a reinforced concrete bunker housing the ammunition and control mechanisms.

Target and fire control information was provided from a series of coastal observation stations by telephone land lines to a plotting room within the battery structure. Also providing fire control information to the plotting room was the nearby Fort Canby SCR-296A Radar Site. The radar site could provide precise range and azimuth for a single target. Correcting adjustments could be made by the observation stations observing the splashes of near misses and occasionally the splashes could also be observed on the radar.



Current Status
Battery 247 is located on McKenzie Head in Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco, Washington. The battery is open to the public and in reasonable condition. No guns or carriages are in place. Follow the signs to McKenzie Head and park in the small lot at the base of the trail. It's a short climb from the parking lot to the battery above. Parking is limited.

See Also:
 * Fort Canby SCR-296A Radar Site
 * Fort Canby

Sources:
 * , page 48

Links: