Battery 221 (1944-1948) - Battery 221 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on Fort Miles, Delaware. Named Battery Herring in G.O. 46, 17 Sep 1942, for Lt. Colonel Ralph E. Herring, U.S. Coast Artillery Corps, US Army. Battery construction started on 15 Jan 1942, was completed on 31 Aug 1943 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 4 Mar 1944 at a cost of $ 181,300. Deactivated in 1948.
Originally built as a 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 6" guns were proof fired on 16 Sep 1943. Deactivated in 1948.
The Battery Herring support structure was taken over by the United States Navy in 1962 and the sand and earth cover of the battery was removed. The Navy operated the facility until 30 Sep 1981.
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 1,1 May 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, 208 Note 1: CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA
Battery 221 Plan
Current Status
No period guns or mounts in place. Sand and earth cover removed by Navy and concrete structure fully exposed. Not open to the public and fenced off.
