Battery Guenther

Battery Guenther (1918-1942) - A concrete mortar battery built at Fort Canby between Jun 1918 and May 1922 and transferred for service on 30 Jun 1922. Battery Guenther was named for Brig. Gen. Francis L. Guenther (Cullum 1833), a U.S. Civil War veteran who died on 5 Dec 1918. Battery Guenther Mortar Emplacement A-1 World War I (1917-1918) Part of the Harbor Defense of the Columbia. Battery Guenther was a concrete Taft Period mortar battery protecting the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean approaches. Originally armed with four, 12" M1890MI mortars on A.R.F., M1896MI Carriages, two in each of two mortar pits. Each pair of mortars required about 30 men to operate. All four of the mortars at Battery Guenther were originally from Battery Clark at Fort Stevens (1). Each of the mortars at Battery Guenther was test fired twice in Apr 1922 with shot weighing 1,046 pounds each. This battery was the last seacoast mortar battery built in the United States. Battery Guenther Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes A-1 12" Mortar 129.25" M1890MI 29 Builders Mortar, M1896MI, #124, Am. Hoist & D. Co. 1921-1942 From Battery Clark A-2 12" Mortar 129.25" M1890MI 35 Builders Mortar, M1896MI, #123, Am. Hoist & D. Co. 1921-1942 From Battery Clark B-1 12" Mortar 129.25" M1890MI 48 Watervliet Mortar, M1896MI, #119, Am. Hoist & D. Co. 1921-1942 From Battery Clark B-2 12" Mortar 129.25" M1890MI 34 Watervliet Mortar, M1896MI, #120, Am. Hoist & D. Co. 1921-1942 From Battery Clark Source: CDSG Battery Guenther Plan World War II (1941-1945) Battery Guenther was deactivated in 1942. The mortars and carriages were salvaged in 1943. Current Status The battery is not accessible to the public except for by permission of the Coast Guard. The battery is in excellent condition structurally but has been modified as a haunted house and has some Halloween-themed graffiti. Mortar emplacements A-2 and B-1 are overgrown. The rooms are dry with the exception of the oil room and truck and tool rooms in Mortar Pit B. There is some overgrowth in the mortar pits. All rooms are being used as storage and as such filled with clutter. Some of the rooms are not accessible. No period guns or carriages are in place. Location: Located at Fort Canby (Cape Disappointment State Park) on the property of the U.S. Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Pacific County, Washington. Maps & Images Lat: 46.28093 Long: -124.054667 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 29' GPS Locations: 46.28093, -124.05467 Battery Guenther Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of the Columbia, (CCA-AN-CR), 12 Aug 1946, CDSG Links: CDSG Fortification ID: WA0040 - Battery Guenther Visited: 26 Jun 2009 Picture Gallery Shell Hoist Mortar Pit B Shell Room Entrance