Battery Murphy (1)

'  (1900-1945) - Battery Murphy was constructed between April of 1899 and June of 1900 at Fort Columbia, Pacific County, Washington. The battery was transferred for service on June 29, 1900 for a total cost of $58,623.82. Battery Murphy is named after Captain William L. Murphy, who was killed in the Philippines 13 Aug 1900, during the Spanish-American War. The Battery was deactivated in 1945.

History
Battery Murphy was the longest active Endicott Period battery at Fort Columbia, providing 45 years of continuous active military service in the Harbor Defense Project. The battery was in three wars before finally being deactivated on 24 Aug 1945. The battery was armed with two 6-inch disappearing rifles. Though the guns never fired at an enemy, it fired thousands of shells in practice drills throughout its service.



Current Status
The battery is in excellent shape and open to the public. There is a project to restore the Hodges shell hoists and wiring the battery with lights, though none of these projects seem to be started yet. No period guns or carriages are in place.

Sources:

Links: 
 * Coast Defense Study Group
 * Coast Defense Study Group