Battery Guenther: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:58, 17 December 2013

Battery Guenther (1918-1942) - A concrete mortar battery built at Fort Canby between Jun 1918 and May 1922 and transferred for service 30 Jun 1922. Battery Guenther was named for Brig. Gen. Francis L. Guenther (Cullum 1833), a U.S. Civil War veteran who died 5 Dec 1918.

World War I (1917-1918)

Part of the Harbor Defense of the Columbia. Battery Guenther was a concrete Taft Period mortar battery protecting the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean approaches.

Originally armed with four, 12" M1890MI mortars on A.R.F., M1896MI Carriages, two in each of two mortar pits. Each pair of mortars required about 30 men to operate. All four of the mortars at Battery Guenther were originally from Battery Clark at Fort Stevens (1).

Each of the mortars at Battery Guenther were test fired twice in Apr 1922 with shot weighing 1,046 pounds each. This battery was the last seacoast mortar battery built in the United States.

**Battery Guenther Armament** (edit list)
Empl No	Caliber Type	Barrel Length	Model	Serial No	Manufacturer	Carriage	Service Dates	Notes
A-1	12" Mortar	129.25"	M1890MI	29	Builders	Mortar, M1896MI, #124, Am. Hoist & D. Co.	1921-1942	From Battery Clark
A-2	12" Mortar	129.25"	M1890MI	35	Builders	Mortar, M1896MI, #123, Am. Hoist & D. Co.	1921-1942	From Battery Clark
B-1	12" Mortar	129.25"	M1890MI	48	Watervliet	Mortar, M1896MI, #119, Am. Hoist & D. Co.	1921-1942	From Battery Clark
B-2	12" Mortar	129.25"	M1890MI	34	Watervliet	Mortar, M1896MI, #120, Am. Hoist & D. Co.	1921-1942	From Battery Clark
Source: CDSG

World War II (1941-1945)

Battery Guenther was deactivated in 1942. The mortars and carriages were salvaged in 1943.

Current Status

The battery is not accessible to the public except for by permission of the Coast Guard. The battery is in excellent condition structurally but has been modified as a haunted house and has some Halloween themed graffiti. Mortar emplacements A-2 and B-1 are overgrown. The rooms are dry with the exception of the oil room and truck and tool rooms in Mortar Pit B. There is some overgrowth in the mortar pits. All rooms are being used as storage and as such filled with clutter. Some of the rooms are not accessible. No period guns or carriages are in place.

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Location: Battery located at Fort Canby (Cape Disappointment State Park) on the property of the U.S. Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Pacific County, Washington.

Maps & Images

Lat: 46.28093 Long: -124.054667

Multi Maps from ACME
Maps from Bing
Maps from Google
Elevation: 29'

Recent Blog Posts:

Battery Guenther Visit Blog Post

Sources:

U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of the Columbia, (CCA-AN-CR), 12 Aug 1946, CDSG

Links:

CDSG

Visited: 26 Jun 2009

Battery Guenther Picture Gallery

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

Shell Hoist
Mortar Pit B Shell Room Entrance

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-'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (1918-1942) - A concrete mortar battery built at [[Fort Canby]] between Jun 1918 and May 1922 and transferred for service 30 Jun 1922. Battery Guenther was named for Brig. Gen. [[Francis L. Guenther]] a [[U.S. Civil War]] veteran who died 5 Dec 1918.
+'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (1918-1942) - A concrete mortar battery built at [[Fort Canby]] between Jun 1918 and May 1922 and transferred for service 30 Jun 1922. Battery Guenther was named for Brig. Gen. [[Francis L. Guenther]] {{Cullum|1833}}, a [[U.S. Civil War]] veteran who died 5 Dec 1918.
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 [[Image:Battery Guenther - Front.JPG|300px|thumb|left|Battery Guenther]]