Battery Howe (1)
Battery Howe (1) (1893-1920) - Battery Howe is a concrete Endicott Period 12" mortar battery located on Fort Winfield Scott, California. Named 14 Feb 1902, General Order 16, after Col. Albion P. Howe, 4th U.S. Artillery, who served in the Mexican-American War and the U.S. Civil War. The Battery was begun in 1893, completed in 1895 and transferred to the Coastal Artillery for use 1 Jun 1900 at a total cost of $144,247.15. All mortars were removed by 1920.
Battery Howe (1) History
Part of the Harbor Defense of San Francisco.
Endicott Period
Originally built between 1893 and 1895 with sixteen 12" M1886 and M1886M rifled mortars on M1891 mortar carriages in a concrete battery with four mortar pits (A-D). Battery Howe was accepted for use in 1900. In 1902 mortar pits C and D were renamed Battery Wagner and pits A and B retained the Battery Howe name.
Each of the mortars was capable of firing a seven hundred pound shell eight miles.
| Empl No |
Caliber Type |
Barrel Length |
Model | Serial No |
Manufacturer | Carriage | Service Dates |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-1 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 43 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 22, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 | |
| A-2 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886 | 29 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 26, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 | |
| A-3 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 38 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 21, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 | |
| A-4 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 39 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 23, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 | |
| B-1 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 47 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 51, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 | |
| B-2 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 46 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 40, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 | |
| B-3 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 44 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 45, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 | |
| B-4 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 35 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 47, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 | |
| C-1 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886 | 8 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 34, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 & 2 | |
| C-2 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886 | 6 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 32, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 & 2 | |
| C-3 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886 | 7 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 33, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 & 2 | |
| C-4 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886 | 5 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 31, Builders | 1900-1920 | See note 1 & 2 | |
| D-1 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 40 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 51, Robert Poole | 1900-1920 | See note 1 & 2 | |
| D-2 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 42 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 40, Robert Poole | 1900-1920 | See note 1 & 2 | |
| D-3 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 36 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 45, Robert Poole | 1900-1920 | See note 1 & 2 | |
| D-4 | 12" Mortar | 129" | M1886M | 53 | Builders | Mortar M1891, 47, Robert Poole | 1900-1920 | See note 1 & 2 | |
| Source: RCW Form 1, 1 Mar 1920, RCB 31 Dec 1903, RCB 31 Dec 1909, CDSG Note 1: Mortars and carriages were ordered scrapped in accordance with Ordnance Dept. Instructions, 26 May 1920. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Note 2: Re-designated part of Battery Wagner (1) 1906. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA | |||||||||
Current Status
No guns or carriages are in place. Only mortar pit A is visible today the other three are buried.
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Location: Fort Winfield Scott, California Maps & Images Lat: 37.802222 Long: -122.471944 |
Sources:
- Coast Defense Study Group, Press, Digital Library, Forums
- Angelfire
- California Military Museum
- National Park Service
- Kent, Matthew W., Harbor Defenses of San Francisco - A Field Guide 1890 to 1950, Copyright 2009, Blurb, ISBN 978-1-61584-163-9, page 22-24
Links:
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