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Battery 247 (1944-1947) - A World War II reinforced concrete gun battery built at Fort Canby between 9 Feb 1943 and 31 Aug 1944 at a cost of $243,397. Transfered to service 28 Oct 1944. Deactivation started in July 1945 and troops were withdrawn by Oct 1947.
Battery 247 South EntranceBattery 247 Gun #1 Mount
Armament consisted of two rapid fire 6", Model T2, 309.9" long rifled guns each mounted in a separate shielded M4 Barbette carriage. Between the two guns was a reinforced concrete bunker housing the ammunition and control mechanisms.
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.
Battery 247 is located on McKenzie Head in Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco, Washington. The battery is open to the public and in reasonable condition. No guns or carriages are in place. Follow the signs to McKenzie Head and park in the small lot at the base of the trail. It's a short climb from the parking lot to the battery above. Parking is limited.
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Location:Fort Canby, McKenzie Head, Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington
Lucero, Donella J. and Hobbs, Nancy L., The Long Beach Peninsula: Where the Columbia Meets the Pacific, Arcadia Publishing, North Beach Peninsula, 2004, 159 pages, ISBN 0738524573, page 48
U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of the Columbia, (CCA-AN-CR), 12 Aug 1946, CDSG
