Battery 226

Battery 226 (1943-1949) - Battery 226 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on Fort Story, Virginia. Battery construction started on 1 Sep 1942, was completed on 31 Oct 1943 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 12 Nov 1943 at a cost of $ 234,602.06. Deactivated in 1949. Fort Story, Battery 226 Gun Emplacement #2 Fort Story, Battery 226 Gun Emplacement #1 Fort Story, Battery 226 Toward Gun Emplacement #2 World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of Chesapeake Bay. Originally built as an World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" T2 rapid fire guns mounted on M4 Shielded Barbette Carriages (SBC) placed on either side of an earth covered reinforced concrete support structure. 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 226 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 6" Rifle 303" T2-M1 98 Watervliet Shielded Barbette, M4, #1, Wellman 1943-1949 See note 1 2 6" Rifle 303" T2-M1 8 Watervliet Shielded Barbette, M4, #2, Wellman 1943-1949 See note 2 Source: RCW Form 1, 29 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, 210 Note 1: Gun transferred from Aberdeen 25 Sep 1943, carriage transferred from Wellman 14 Jun 1943 Note 2: Gun transferred from Watervliet 2 ??? 1943, carriage transferred from Wellman 14 Jun 1943 Battery 226 Plan Current Status No period guns or mounts in place. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Fort Story, Virginia Maps & Images Lat: 36.919971 Long: -75.9985793 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 27' Sources: Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library Links: American Forts Network - Battery Visited: 21-27 Jul 2010 Battery 226 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!