Fort Worden: Difference between revisions
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Local Lazer tag groups have been trekking out to the fort annually to spend the day in one of the batteries playing lazer tag. Most of the gear used is commercial but some of the members of the group have modded their gear or have built home made gear. The event takes place at the end of the summer. for more info on the games please check the link below. | |||
'''Sources:''' | '''Sources:''' | ||
Revision as of 10:27, 26 July 2008
Fort Worden (1897-1953) - Named after Rear Admiral John L. Worden, commander of the USS Monitor during the U.S. Civil War. Construction began in 1897 and the fort was closed in 1953.
Fort Worden, Fort Flagler and Fort Casey, once guarded the entrance to Puget Sound. These posts, established in the late 1890s, became the first line of a fortification system designed to prevent a hostile fleet from reaching the Bremerton Naval Yard and the cities of Seattle, Tacoma and Everett. The property was purchased as a state park in 1955.
Early Years
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World War I
The complement at Fort Worden was greatly expanded as soldiers arrived for training prior to being sent to European battlefields. To keep up with the demand, construction of new barracks and buildings continued throughout the war. Thirty-six of the fort's 41 artillery pieces were dismantled and shipped to European battlefields. After World War I, the fort's staffing was reduced to 50 officers and 884 enlisted men. Aircraft and balloons began to claim an important role in Puget Sound's defensive strategy, diminishing the role of coastal artillery. In the 1920s, a balloon hangar was built at Fort Worden at a cost of $85,000. During this time, some of the batteries were modernized and made "bomb-proof."¹
World War II
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Tolles-B | 2 | 6" | Barbette | 1936-1937-1937-1945 | $ ? | From Willapa Bay |
| Battery AMTB - Point Wilson | 2 | 90 mm | AMTB Fixed Pedestal | 1943-1944-1944-1946 | $ 26,142 | Broken up |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
Fort Worden remained the headquarters of the Harbor Defense Command and it was jointly operated by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy. The fort was home to the 14th Coast Artillery Regiment of the U.S. Army, the 248th Regiment of the Washington National Guard, the 2nd Amphibious Engineers, and miscellaneous U.S. Navy personnel. The Army operated radar sites and coordinated Canadian and U.S. defense activities in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. The Navy, responsible for the detection and identification of all vessels entering and leaving Puget Sound, monitored new underwater sonar and sensing devices. Most of the gun emplacements were modified for anti-aircraft guns, which replaced the outdated coastal artillery pieces. Fort Worden personnel also manned batteries and fire control towers at the Cape George Military Reservation, six miles southwest of Port Townsend on the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the entrance to Discovery Bay.¹
Post World War II
The Coast Artillery units at Fort Worden were disbanded and the gun batteries were dismantled. It remained active as an administrative unit until 30 Jun 1953, when the Harbor Defense Command was deactivated and the fort officially closed, ending fifty-one years of military jurisdiction. On 1 Jul 1957, the State of Washington purchased Fort Worden for $127,533 for use as a diagnostic and treatment center for troubled youths.¹ The fort is now Fort Worden State Park and is a National Historic Landmark.
Batteries
- Battery Ash (1900 - 1942), located on Artillery Hill. Contained two barbette guns. It was named after Brevet Lt. Col Ash who died on May 8, 1864 at Todd's Tavern, Virginia, U.S. Civil War.
- Battery Powell (1901 - 1943), located next to Battery Brannan. Also contained eight 12 inch mortars. Named after Major Powell who died on April 6, 1862 at the Battle of Shiloh, U.S. Civil War.
- Battery Brannan (1901 - 1943), located on Artillery Hill. It had two plotting rooms for eight 12 inch mortars, in 1906 command was split and removed one plotting room, in 1918 half the mortars were removed from each pit. It was named for Brevet Maj. General Brannan who served in the Mexican War and U.S. Civil War
- Battery Quarles (1900 - 1941), located on Artillery Hill. It contained 3 10 inch barbette guns. It was named for Captain Quarles who died on August 30, 1847 at the Battle of Churubusco, Mexico
- Battery Randol (1900 - 1918), located on Artillery Hill. It contained two 10 inch barbette guns. It was named for Brevet Brigadier General Randon, a Civil War hero.
- Battery Vicars (1902 - 1917), located on Point Wilson. Contained two 5 inch guns.
- Battery Tolles (1905 - 1943), located along the beach bluff below Artillery Hill. Contained four 6 inch guns.
- Battery Stoddard (1906 - 1917), located on the bluff facing Admiralty Inlet. Contained four 6 inch guns.
- Battery Benson (1907 - 1943), located on Artillery Hill. It contained two 10 inch disappearing guns. It was named after Captain Benson who died on August 11, 1862 from wounds received in action. Battery Benson has a tunnel that runs to buildings (now in ruins)on the hill peak, two barrancas buildings used for command and plotting, a barracks, a 2 million gallon water reservoir, the switchboard, and signal station.
- Battery Putnam (1907 - 1945), located on the bluff facing Admiralty Inlet. Contained two 3 inch guns.
- Battery Walker (1907 - 1946), located on the bluff facing the Straight of Juan de Fuca. Contained two 3 *Battery Kinzie (1910 - 1944), located on Point Wilson, contained two 12 inch disappearing guns.
- Battery Tolles B (1937 - 1946);
- AMTB Battery Point Wilson (1943 - 1946), of which one gunblock is now in the surf.
(after¹)
The 1982 movie, "An Officer and a Gentleman", starring Richard Gere, Debra Winger and Lou Gossett was filmed on location at Fort Worden and the surrounding Port Townsend area.
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Location: Wilson point two miles from Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Maps & Images Lat: 48.133659 Long: -122.765973 |
Local Lazer tag groups have been trekking out to the fort annually to spend the day in one of the batteries playing lazer tag. Most of the gear used is commercial but some of the members of the group have modded their gear or have built home made gear. The event takes place at the end of the summer. for more info on the games please check the link below.
Sources:
- Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 839
- Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 191-192
- Coastal Defense Study Group
- ¹Wikipedia
Links:
- Fort Worden State Park
- Personal Story
- Photo Gallery
- Fort Panoramas
- NorthAmericanForts.com
- Friends of Fort Worden State Park
- Fort Worden Lazer tag
Visited: Sep 2005
Picture Gallery
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Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better! |
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Fort Worden Housing -
Fort Worden -
Fort Worden Map
