Battery 5

Battery 5 (1943-1946) - Battery 5 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 3 inch coastal gun battery on Fort Miles, Sussex County, Delaware. Battery construction started 15 May 1942, was completed 31 Aug 1942 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 11 Dec 1943 at a cost of $ 11,400.00. Deactivated in 1946. World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of the Delaware. Originally built as an World War II concrete coastal gun battery with four 3" M1903 guns mounted on M1903 Barbette carriages. Each gun and carriage was mounted on an octagonal concrete firing platform. A single concrete magazine serviced all four emplacements. Two of these guns and mounts came from Battery Turnbull, Fort Wadsworth and two of them came from Battery Hentig, Fort Delaware. One of the first operational gun batteries on Fort Miles. Battery 5 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 3" Rifle 175" M1903 87 Watervliet Barbette, M1903, #95, Watertown 1943-1946 See note 1 2 3" Rifle 175" M1903 54 Watervliet Barbette, M1903, #52, Watertown 1943-1946 See note 1 3 3" Rifle 175" M1903 42 Watervliet Barbette, M1903, #42, American & British 1943-1946 See note 2 4 3" Rifle 175" M1903 41 Watervliet Barbette, M1903, #41, American & British 1943-1946 See note 2 Source: RCW Form 1, 1 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 74-75, 208 Note 1: Guns and carriages transferred from Battery Hentig, Fort Delaware. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Note 2: Guns and carriages transferred from Battery Turnbull, Fort Wadsworth 23 May 1942. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Battery 5 Plan Current Status On Cape Henlopen State Park. No period guns or mounts in place. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Cape Henlopen State Park, Sussex County, Delaware Maps & Images Lat: 38.794525 Long: -75.090201 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 26' Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of The Delaware, (HDDEL-AN-45), 1 Jul 1945, CDSG Links: Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library Visited: 3 Aug 2010 Battery 5 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!