Fort Worden

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, 1923 (University of Washington Archive)

Fort Worden disappearing gun firing, 1915 (University of Washington Archive)

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

Fort Worden Endicott Period Battery (edit list) Battery Click on Battery links below No. Caliber Type Mount Service Years Battery Cost Notes Battery Brannan 4 4 12" 12" Mortar Mortar 1899-1901-1902-1944 1899-1901-1902-1918 $ 81,051 Scrapped 1944 Shipped to Morgan 1918 Battery Powell (1) 4 4 12" 12" Mortar Mortar 1899-1901-1902-1942 1899-1901-1902-1918 $ 81,051 Scrapped 1942 Shipped to Morgan 1918 Battery Kinzie 2 12" Disappearing 1908-1910-1912-1944 $ 232,555 Battery Ash 2 12" Barbette 1898-1900-1902-1942 Included above Battery Quarles 3 10" Barbette 1898-1900-1902-1941 Included above Battery Randol 2 10" Barbette 1898-1900-1902-1918 Included above Battery Benson 2 10" Disappearing 1904-1907-1908-1943 $ 142,500 Battery Stoddard 4 6" Disappearing 1903-1906-1907-1917 $ 91,000 Battery Tolles 2 2 6" 6" Disappearing Disappearing 1903-1906-1907-1917 1903-1906-1907-1943 $ 104,500 Battery Vicars 2 5" Balanced Pillar 1900-1901-1902-1917 $ 11,000 Guns sent overseas Battery Putnam 2 3" Pedestal 1903-1907-1907-1946 $ 12,000 Battery Walker (2) 2 3" Pedestal 1903-1906-1907-1946 $ 12,000 Source: CDSG

On 4 Sep 1904 the headquarters of the Harbor Defense Command of Puget Sound was transferred from Fort Flagler to Fort Worden along with the 6th Artillery Band. Once work on the main batteries and army post had been completed, more troops were assigned there. By the fall of 1905, Fort Worden was fully staffed with four Coast Artillery companies, and the harbor defense system, costing approximately $7.5 million, was considered complete and operational. The initial armaments consisted of six Endicott Period gun emplacements: Batteries Ash, Powell, Brannon, Quarles, Randol, and Vicars.

Fort Worden Taft Period Battery Battery No. Caliber Type Mount Years Notes Battery Kinzie 2 12" Disappearing 1910-1944 Battery Benson 2 10" Disappearing 1907-1943 Battery Stoddard 4 6" Disappearing 1906-1918 Battery Tolles 4 6" Disappearing 1905-1918(2) 1905-1943(2) Battery Putnam 2 3" Pedestal 1907-1945 Battery Walker (2) 2 3" Pedestal 1907-1946 Source: CDSG

Between 1905 and 1910, six additional gun emplacements were added: Batteries Tolles, Stoddard, Benson, Putnam, Walker, and Kinzie. When completed, Fort Worden had 41 artillery pieces, completing its part of the "Triangle of Fire": two 12-inch disappearing guns, two 12-inch barbette guns, two 10-inch disappearing guns, five 10-inch barbette guns, eight 6-inch disappearing guns, two 5-inch pedestal guns, four 3-inch pedestal guns, and sixteen 12-inch mortars.¹

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

Fort Worden World War II Battery (edit list)

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 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.

Current Status

The fort is now Fort Worden State Park and is a National Historic Landmark.

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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 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation:

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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 out this link or the one below.

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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: 19 Jul 2008, Sep 2005

Picture Gallery

Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!

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  Fort Worden Housing
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  Fort Worden
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  Fort Worden Map