Battery 208 (1944-1948) - Battery 208 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on Fourth Cliff Military Reservation, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Battery construction started 8 Sep 1942, was completed 1 Oct 1943 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 9 Nov 1944 at a cost of $ 334,000.00. Deactivated in 1948.
Battery 208 Gun Emplacement #2, Now an RV Campsite
Battery 208 Gun Emplacement #1, Now a Pavilion
Fourth Cliff Military Reservation with Battery 208 in the Center of the Picture
Originally built as a World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" T2-M1 rapid fire guns mounted on M4 Shielded Barbette Carriages (SBC) placed on either side of an earth covered reinforced concrete magazine and support structure. Power was supplied by internal generators and commercial power.
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.
Source: RCW Form 1, 15 Feb 1945, 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 Note 1: CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA
Battery 208 Plan
Current Status
Located on Fourth Cliff Military Reservation known as Fourth Cliff Family Recreation Area operated by Hanscom AFB. No period guns or mounts in place, generators may still be in place.
