Battery 217

Battery 217 (1943-1946) - Battery 217 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on Fort Terry, Plum Island, Suffolk County, New York. Battery construction started 18 May 1943, was completed on 31 Oct 1943 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 1 Jul 1944 at a cost of $ 249,478.00. Never armed. Deactivated in 1946. World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of Long Island Sound. Originally built as an World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" rapid fire M1 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. The M4 carriages were mounted in 1944 but the two 6" M1 guns were never delivered and the battery was never armed. 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 217 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 6" Rifle 310" T2-M1 ? Unknown Shielded Barbette (SBC), M4, #23, Wellman 1943-1946 See note 1 2 6" Rifle 310" T2-M1 ? Unknown Shielded Barbette (SBC), M4, #51, Wellman 1943-1946 See note 1 Source: RCW Form 1, Aug 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, 206 Note 1: CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Battery 217 Plan Current Status No period guns or mounts in place. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Plum Island, Suffolk County, New York. Maps & Images Lat: 41.189694 Long: -72.162889 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 53.33' Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Long Island Sound, (HDLIS-AN-45), 15 Feb 1945, CDSG Links: Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library Visited: No Battery 217 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!