Battery 201

Battery 201 (1944-1946) - Battery 201 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on Cape Elizabeth Military Reservation, Cumberland County, Maine. Battery construction was essentially completed in 1944 and transferred to the Coastal Artillery for conditional use without being armed. Deactivated in 1946.

World War II

Part of the Harbor Defense of Portland, Maine.

Originally built as an World War II concrete coastal gun battery for two 6" 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.

6" Gun at Fort Columbia Originally at Fort McAndrew, Battery 281, Argentia, NL, Canada

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.

6" Gun Crew

Battery 201 Armament (edit list)

Empl No	Caliber Type	Barrel Length	Model		Serial No	Manufacturer	Carriage	Service Dates	Notes
?	6" Rifle	?"	Unknown		?	Unknown	Shielded Barbette (SBC), M4, #63, Watertown	1944-1946	See note 1
?	6" Rifle	?"	Unknown		?	Unknown	Shielded Barbette (SBC), M4, #64, Watertown	1944-1946	See note 1
Source: 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: Exact assignment of the M4 carriages to specific emplacements could not be determined. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA

Current Status

Part of Two Lights State Park, Cumberland County, Maine. No period guns or mounts in place.

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Location: Two Lights State Park, Cumberland County, Maine. Maps & Images Lat: 43.55955 Long: -70.204901 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....'

Sources:

• U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Portland, Maine, (HDPB-AN-45), 11 Apr 1945, CDSG

Links:

• CDSG

Visited: No

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