Fort Tilden
Fort Tilden (1917-1974) - A late Endicott Period Coastal Fort originally established 19 Feb 1917 as Camp Rockaway Beach. Later named Fort Tilden after Samuel J. Tilden, governor of New York State and Presidential candidate in 1876. Decommissioned in 1974 and transfered to the National Park Service .
Fort Tilden History
Established as a part of the Harbor Defense of Southern New York.
World War I
Camp Rockaway Beach was established on 19 Feb 1917 by a cadre of 4 Army officers and 130 enlisted men on Rockaway Beach, but the site was not actually purchased from New York State until 1 May 1917. Construction on the post began that year under the supervision of U.S. Army Engineers and concentrated on the building of the coastal gun batteries themselves. A limited number of support facilities were built to facilitate the gun battery construction.
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Harris (2) | 2 | 16" | Long Range Barbette | 1921-1923-1924-1948 | $ 136,035 | Casemated during WWII |
| Battery Unnamed | 4 | 12" | Mortar | 1917-1919 | $ ? | At NAS Rockaway |
| Battery Kessler | 2 | 6" | Pedestal | 1917-1923-1923-1947 | $ ? | Buried, guns from Battery Burk, Fort Hamilton (1) |
| Battery Fergusson | 2 | 6" | Pedestal | 1917-1917-1917-1942 | $ ? | Guns from Battery Kinney, Fort Slocum (2) |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
Post World War I
World War II
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery 220 | 2 | 6" | Pedestal | 1941-1943-1944-1946 | $ 229,507 | Not Armed |
| Battery AMTB 18 - Norton Point | 4 | 3" | Fixed Pedestal | 1943-1943-1943-1946 | $ ? | Norton Point Guns & carriages from Fort Wadsworth, Battery Catlin |
| Battery AMTB 19 - Norton Point | 2 2 |
90mm 90mm |
Fixed Pedestal Mobile |
1943-1943-1943-1946 | $ ? | Norton Point |
| Battery AMTB 20 - Rockaway Point | 2 | 3" | Fixed Pedestal | 1943-1943-1943-1946 | $ 5,950 | Rockaway Point Guns & carriages from Fort Wadsworth, Battery Catlin |
| Battery AMTB 21 - Rockaway Point | 2 2 |
90mm 90mm |
Fixed Pedestal Mobile |
1943-1943-1943-1946 | $ 12,891 | Rockaway Point |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
Post World War II
Current Status
The portion of the Fort that contained the coastal gun batteries was declared surplus and is now a Baltimore County Park.
Now a part of Fort Tilden National park. No period guns or carriages in place.
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Location: Fort Tilden National Park, New York. Maps & Images Lat: 40.563889 Long: -73.891111 |
Sources:
- Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 585
- The History of Fort Tilden
- Wikipedia - Fort Tilden
- NorthAmericanForts.com
- Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library
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Fort Tilden Picture Gallery
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