Battery Kinzie

Battery Kinzie (1912-1944) - Battery Kinzie is a concrete Endicott Period Battery located on Fort Worden, Jefferson County, Washington. Named in G.O. 245, 13 Dec 1909, for Brigadier General David Hunter Kinzie, a U.S. Civil War veteran who died in 1904. The Battery was begun in June 1908, completed in 1910, and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use on 10 Jan 1912 at a total cost of $207,832.50. The guns were dismounted in 1944 toward the end of World War II.

Fort Worden, Battery Kinzie Front View	Fort Worden, Battery Kinzie Gun Position #1
Fort Worden, Battery Kinzie BC Station

Endicott Period (1890-1910)

Part of the Harbor Defense of Puget Sound. Designed to protect both the Straight of Juan De Fuca and the Admiralty Inlet to Puget Sound.

Built with two 12" M1895MI guns on M1901 disappearing carriages in a concrete battery at a cost of $207,832.50. The 12" guns could fire a thousand-pound shell 10 miles. This is a very large two-story battery with 15 rooms, a battery control station, and two long external corridors. The guns are mounted on the upper level with the magazines and utility rooms below. It was different from most batteries because air spaces were left between rooms to ventilate them and isolate them from the shock of the 12" guns firing. Two back delivery, Taylor-Raymond, electric motor-driven shell hoists were provided to move the thousand-pound projectiles from the magazine level to the gun loading platform level. Also provided were two A-12 electric motor-driven powder hoists used to raise the almost 300 pounds of powder required for each shot. Electrical power was provided from an internal power plant, the central power plant, or commercial power.

Battery Kinzie is not located on Artillery Hill as are most of the batteries, it is located at water level, alongside Battery Vicars. This was the last large battery built for Puget Sound's defense.

**Battery Kinzie Armament** (edit list)
Empl No	Caliber Type	Barrel Length	Model	Serial No	Manufacturer	Carriage	Service Dates	Notes
1	12" Rifle	442.56"	M1895MI	60	Watervliet	Disappearing, M1901, #21, Alliance	1912-1944	See Note 1
2	12" Rifle	442.56"	M1895MI	73	Watervliet	Disappearing, M1901, #20, Alliance	1912-1944	See Note 1
Source: RCW Form 1, Mar 1923, 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 150-151, 217 Note 1: Guns transferred to [Watervliet]] 12 Aug 1944, carriages ordered salvaged 9 Mar 1944. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA

Current Status

Part of the Fort Worden State Park Conference Center. The Battery is accessible to the public and the rooms are clean and dry but empty. The remains of the shell and powder hoists can be seen and you can still see, in some rooms, the overhead tracks used to move the shells.

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Location: Point Wilson, Fort Worden State Park Conference Center,
Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Washington

Maps & Images

Lat: 48.142566 Long: -122.760844