Battery 215

Battery 215 (1943-1946) - Battery 215 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on Fort H.G. Wright, Fishers Island, Suffolk County, New York. Battery construction started 10 Jan 1942, was completed 1 Nov 1942 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 13 Dec 1943 at a cost of $ 228,769.00. Deactivated in 1946. World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of Long Island Sound. Originally built as an World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" M1903A2 rapid fire guns mounted on M1 Shielded Barbette Carriages (SBC) placed on either side of an earth covered reinforced concrete support structure. The guns and carriages were mounted in 1943. 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 215 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 6" Rifle 310.9" M1903 A2 16 Watervliet Shielded Barbette (SBC), M1, #19, Watertown 1943-1946 See note 1 2 6" Rifle 310.9" M1903 A2 28 Watervliet Shielded Barbette (SBC), M1, #20, Watertown 1943-1946 See note 1 Source: RCW Form 1, Aug 1944, 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, 205 Note 1: CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Battery 215 Plan Current Status No period guns or mounts in place. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Fishers Island, Suffolk County, New York. Maps & Images Lat: 41.250798 Long: -72.036238 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 17.33' Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Long Island Sound, (HDLIS-AN-45), 15 Feb 1945, CDSG Links: Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library Visited: No Battery 215 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!