Battery 232

Battery 232 (1944-1946) - Battery 232 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on Salt Ponds Military Reservation near Fort Taylor (2), Florida. Battery 232 was transferred to the Coast Artillery for use in 1944. Deactivated in 1946. Battery 232 Gun Emplacement #1 Battery 232 Center Entrance Battery 232 and Fire Control Tower, Armed, 1945, U.S. Navy Photo from Monroe County Library , World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of Key West. Originally built as a World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" M1 rapid fire guns mounted on M3 Shielded Barbette Carriages (SBC) placed on either side of an earth covered reinforced concrete support structure. 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 232 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 6" Rifle 302.9" T2-M1 9 Watervliet Shielded Barbette, M3, #10, Watertown 1944-1946 Gun transferred from Watervliet 1944. Gun transferred back to Watervliet 1947. (Full dates cut off) CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA See note 1 2 6" Rifle 302.9" T2-M1 99 Watervliet Shielded Barbette, M3, #11, Watertown 1944-1946 Gun transferred from Watertown 27 Jan 1944. Gun transferred to Watervliet 22 Aug 1947. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA See note 1 Source: CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA, Coast Defense Study Group, 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, 211 Note 1: Both carriages transferred from Watervliet 22 Jan 1943 CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Battery 232 Fire Control Stations. Current Status Part of the Key West Airport property, no public access, viewable from Government Road in Key West. Used as a storage facility. No period guns or mounts in place. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Salt Ponds MR near Fort Taylor, Key West, Florida Maps & Images Lat: 24.5565307 Long: -81.7699528 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 4' See Also: Fort Taylor (2) Salt Ponds Military Reservation Salt Ponds WWII Radar Site Sources: Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library Links: Visited: 30 Dec 2009 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better! Battery 232 Gun Emplacement #2 Entrance