Battery 213

Battery 213 (1943-1948) - Battery 213 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on Fort Burnside, Newport County, Rhode Island. Battery construction started 19 Feb 1942, was completed 30 Jun 1943 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 23 Dec 1943 at a cost of $ 239,623.00. Deactivated in 1948. Emplacement 1, magazine entrance in background Emplacement 2 World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of Narragansett Bay. Originally built as a World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" M1905 rapid fire guns mounted on M1 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 213 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 6" Rifle 310.9" M1905 18 Watervliet Shielded Barbette (SBC), M1, #62, York 1943-1948 See note 1 2 6" Rifle 310.9" M1905 25 Watervliet Shielded Barbette (SBC), M1, #63, York 1943-1948 See note 1 Source: RCW Form 1, Aug 1944, CDSG, 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 213 Plan 1 Battery 213 Plan 2 Current Status Part of Beavertail State Park, Beavertail Point, Newport County, Rhode Island. No period guns or mounts in place. Magazine and concrete gun pads remain. Location: Beavertail State Park, Beavertail Point, Newport County, Rhode Island. Maps & Images Lat: 41.453506 Long: -71.398435 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 61.33' Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Narragansett Bay, (HDNARB-AP-45), 1 Feb 1945, CDSG Links: Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library Visited: 29 May 2012 Picture Gallery Emplacement 2 magazine entrance Power Plant entrance