Battery 219 (1944-1949) - Battery 219 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 6 inch coastal gun battery on Highlands Military Reservation, New Jersey. Battery construction started on 8 Jul 1942, was completed on 24 Apr 1943 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 16 Feb 1944 at a cost of $ 198,858.67. Deactivated in 1949.
Highlands Military Reservation, Battery 219 Gun Emplacement #1
Highlands Military Reservation, Battery 219 Gun Emplacement #2
Originally built as a World War II concrete coastal gun battery with two 6" M1903-A2 rapid fire guns mounted on M1 Shielded Barbette Carriages (SBC) placed on either side of an earth covered reinforced concrete support structure. Both guns were mounted in Battery 219 on 9 May 1943.
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.
Source: RCW Form 1, 15 Jun 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, 208 Note 1: Guns transferred from Watervliet 28 Feb 1943, carriages transferred from Watertown 20-23 Feb 1943. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA
Battery 219 Plan
Current Status
Part of Hartshorne Woods Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey. No period guns or mounts in place. The battery and gun pads are visible but the internal rooms of the battery are blocked to public access.
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Location: Hartshorne Woods Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey
