Fort Hancock (2)
Fort Hancock (2) (1857-1972) - Established in 1857 as the Third System Fort at Sandy Hook and renamed Fort Hancock in G.O. 57, 30 Oct 1895, after Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock. Fort Hancock was declared surplus by the Defense Department in 1972.
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Fort Hancock (2) History
Part of the Harbor Defense of Southern New York. Established to provide protection to U.S. shipping and to guard an important shipping channel into New York Harbor.
The original Third System Fort at Sandy Hook (1857-1885) was never completed. A new Endicott Period fort was established in 1892 and named Fort Hancock in 1895.
Endicott Period
The Endicott Period began at Fort Hancock with the construction of two prototype batteries beginning in 1890. Battery Reynolds was a 12" sixteen mortar battery originally known as Sandy Hook Mortar Battery built between 1891-1894. Battery Potter was the first 12" disappearing gun battery built in the U.S., originally known as Gun Lift Battery 1 built between 1890-1894. Both of these batteries featured some sort of land side defense features which were not adopted in later batteries. The next round of batteries built at Fort Hancock built upon the lessons learned from the initial batteries and reflected a shift of disappearing gun technology from the steam powered powered gun lift to the newer Buffington-Croizer counterweight carriages. Battery Halleck was begun in 1896 as a seven gun battery built on top of the east wall of the old U.S. Civil War fort. It was later expanded to a nine gun battery serving as a prototype of the main gun line concept and in 1904 was administratively divided into four batteries (Battery Halleck, Battery Alexander (2), Battery Bloomfield and Battery Richardson). Battery Granger was built between 1896-1898 as the second 10" gun battery with the newer Buffington-Croizer counterweight carriages. After the completion of the main gun line, the remaining batteries built were separate batteries, 6" caliber and under.
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Dynamite (1) | 2 1 |
15" 8" |
Pneumatic | 1896-1902 | $ ? | USCG Shooting Range Mine Casemate 1921 |
| Battery Potter | 2 | 12" | Gun-lift | 1890-1894-1898-1907 | $ 357,100 | Advanced HECP #1 1943 |
| Battery McCook | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1891-1894-1898-1920 | $ 138,371 | HDCP 1943 |
| Battery Reynolds | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1891-1894-1898-1920 | $ 138,371 | |
| Battery Alexander (2) | 2 | 12" | Disappearing | 1898-1898-1899-1943 | $ 94,228 | |
| Battery Bloomfield | 2 | 12" | Disappearing | 1898-1899-1899-1943 | $ 94,228 | |
| Battery Richardson | 2 | 12" | Disappearing | 1902-1904-1904-1944 | $ 100,000 | |
| Battery Halleck | 3 | 10" | Disappearing | 1896-1899-1900-1942 | $ 73,843 | #1 removed 1918 |
| Battery Granger | 2 | 10" | Disappearing | 1896-1898-1898-1943 | $ 87,000 | |
| Battery Arrowsmith | 3 | 8" | Disappearing | 1905-1909-1909-1920 | $ 63,500 | Part destroyed |
| Battery Peck | 2 | 6" | Pedestal | 1901-1903-1903-1946 | $ 33,940 | Guns & Carriages relocated to Battery Gunnison in 1943 |
| Battery Gunnison | 2 | 6" | Disappearing | 1903-1905-1905-1943 | $ 45,000 | Rebuilt for Battery Peck guns |
| Battery Engle (1) | 1 | 5" | Balance Pillar | 1898-1917 | $ 4,700 | CRF built on emplacement |
| Battery Urmston | 6 | 3" | Masking Parapet Pedestal Mount |
1899-1903-1903-1944 | $ 25,400 | 2 guns replaced with M1903 |
| Battery Morris (1) | 4 | 3" | Pedestal | 1903-1904-1904-1946 | $ 23,000 | |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
The initial plan for post buildings to support the garrison was developed by Capt. Arthur Murray in 1896 and by 1899 the first phase of post construction was complete. The post included four 80 man barracks, 38 officers quarters, a 50 bed hospital, a bakery, bachelor officers quarters, guardhouse and support buildings. The post was aligned around a parade ground with the 38 officers quarters along the west side of the parade ground, all facing the bay. The four barracks buildings were aligned along the east side of the parade ground also facing the bay. At the north end of the parade ground was the bachelor officers quarters (BOQ) and the administration building
The post was first garrisoned in early 1898 as the Spanish-American War began. The permanent buildings on the post were not yet complete and many of the units were housed in tents. The garrison began to occupy the new quarters at the end of 1898 and the beginning of 1899. Initially designed as a four company post, it was expanded in 1907 to six companies and a new 218 man double barracks was constructed to house the enlarged garrison. The capacity of the original barracks were also expanded to 109 men by constructing a separate building for the mess hall in each and converting that space to quarters.
World War I
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Kingman | 2 | 12" | Casemated Barbette (CBC) | 1917-1921-1921-1946 | $ 297,933 | Casemated 1943 |
| Battery Mills | 2 | 12" | Casemated Barbette (CBC) | 1917-1921-1921-1946 | $ 297,933 | Casemated 1943 |
| Battery Railway | 2 | 12" | Railway Mortar | 1930-1941 | $ ? | From Fort Eustis - 1930 To Salvage - 1941 |
| Battery Railway | 2 | 8" | Railway | 1930-1941 | $ ? | From Fort Eustis - 1930 To Bermuda - 1941 |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
World War II
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery AMTB 7 - Hancock | 2 2 |
90 mm 90 mm |
Fixed Pedestal Mount Mobile |
1943-1943-1943-1946 | $ 8,124 | |
| Battery AMTB 8 - Peck | 2 2 |
90 mm 90 mm |
Fixed Pedestal Mount Mobile |
1943-1943-1943-1946 | $ 5,876 | On Battery Peck |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
Current Status
The historic fort is now managed as part of the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area, part of the National Park System.
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Location: Sandy Hook, New Jersey Maps & Images Lat: 40.463889 Long: -74.002778 |
Sources:
- Weaver, John R. II, A Legacy in Brick and Stone: America Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, Redoubt Press, McLean, 2001, First Printing, ISBN 1-57510-069-X, Page 117-119
- 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 516-518
Links:
Visited: 12 Aug 2010
Fort Hancock (2) Picture Gallery
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