Battery 519

Battery 519 (1944-1948) - Battery 519 was a reinforced concrete, World War II 12 inch coastal gun battery on Fort Miles, Delaware. Battery construction started on 15 Nov 1942, was completed on 31 Aug 1943 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 15 feb 1944 at a cost of $ 857,000.00. Deactivated in 1948. Fort Miles, Battery 519 Gun Emplacement #1 Fort Miles, Battery 519 Gun Emplacement #2 Fort Miles, Battery 519 View from the Observation Tower World War II Part of the Harbor Defense of the Delaware. Originally built as an World War II casemated concrete coastal gun battery with two 12" M1895M1 guns mounted on M1917 Barbette carriages. This battery was constructed in place of the 16" Battery 119 after that battery was cancelled in late 1942. The guns and carriages were formally transferred from Fort Saulsbury, Battery Haslet in July 1944 and that battery was closed. There are indications that the guns and mounts were physically moved and mounted in 1943 (RCW 1 May 1944) and that they were upgraded to 440 volt AC power equipment and power rammers by 1946. In 1948 the battery was declared surplus and the guns were sold as scrap. Battery 519 Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 12" Rifle 444" M1895MI 51 Watervliet Barbette, M1917, #23, Watertown 1944-1948 See note 1 2 12" Rifle 444" M1895MI 72 Watervliet Barbette, M1917, #24, Watertown 1944-1948 See note 1 Source: RCW Form 1, 1 May 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 154-155, 208. Note 1: Guns and carriages transferred from Fort Saulsbury, Battery Haslet, Jul 1944. CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA Battery 519 Plan Current Status Gun emplacement #1 has a 12" gun and carriage in place (not original), gun emplacement #2 is empty. This battery is slated to become one of largest coast artillery museums in the country. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Fort Miles, Delaware Maps & Images Lat: 38.7767975 Long: -75.0873175 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 64' Recent Blog Posts: Fort Miles in Delaware Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of The Delaware, (HDDEL-AN-45), 1 Jul 1945, CDSG Links: Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library Fort Miles - Battery 519 Fort Miles - Battery 519 Plotting Room Visited: 3 Aug 2010 Battery 519 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!