Battery Downes

Battery Downes (1907-1946) - Battery Downes is a reinforced concrete Endicott Period 3- inch gun battery on Fort Flagler, Washington. Named in G.O. 194, 27 Dec 1904, after 1st Lt. Edward Elbert Downes, who served in the 1st U.S. Infantry in the Philippines Operations and died there 23 Jun 1901. Battery construction started in 1904, completed in 1905 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 23 Apr 1907 at a cost of $ 12,000. Deactivated in 1918. Battery Downes Endicott Period Part of the Harbor Defense of Puget Sound. Originally built as an Endicott Period concrete coastal gun battery with two 3" M1903 guns mounted on M1903 pedestal mounts. This is a two story battery with the guns on the upper level and the magazines on the lower level. Each gun had its own magazine located in a central structure between the two guns, a storage area separated the batteries. No powder or shell hoists were provided. Battery Downes Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 3" Rifle 170" M1903 27 Watervliet Pedestal Mount, M1903, #78, Watertown 1907-1946 See Note 1 2 3" Rifle 170" M1903 16 Watervliet Pedestal Mount, M1903, #79, Watertown 1907-1946 See Note 1 Source: RCW Form 1,1 May 1933, 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 74-75, 216 Note 1: Guns and Carriages processed for salvage March 7, 1946 (CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA) Battery Downes Plan World War II Guns and Carriages were declared obsolete 18 Oct 1945 and processed for salvage 7 Mar 1946. Current Status A part of Fort Flagler State Park, Jefferson County, Washington. The Battery is accessible to the public and the rooms are clean and dry but empty. No guns or carriages are in place. Location: Fort Flagler State Park, Jefferson County, Washington. Maps & Images Lat: 48.099912 Long: -122.692245 Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps Topographic map from ACME Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth Wiki Mapping from WikiMapia Mapping from Bing Mapping from Bing Birdseye Sources: Coast Defense Study Group, Press, Digital Library, Forums Links: Battery Downes Photo Gallery Visited: 21 Sept 2009 Battery Downes Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better! Battery Downes Gun #1 Emplacement Battery Downes Gun #1 Emplacement Closeup Battery Downes Gun #2 Emplacement Battery Downes Gun #2 Emplacement Closeup Battery Downes Magazines Battery Downes Magazine #1 Battery Downes Store Room Battery Downes Magazine #2