Coastal Defenses and The Endicott Era

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

In a couple of places I mention the "casement." I am told that the appropriate term is "casemate." I am sorry for the error.

[@TheWonderer7]

Can you give both forms of measurement in future videos like you did here when converting tons and kilograms? In other videos you just use metric....

[@gaetanovindigni8824]

Thank you for reviewing our history. Your short, well written and delivered segments have become important and act as a springboard for more study.

[@atomicant4304]

This is why I sub. Great episode sir.

[@rebsredone450]

Thanks for the episode which I, as a military technology freak, really enjoyed. I‘d be happy to do pre-publication quality control as far as terminology and technology goes, although I am not a native speaker.

[@dougjb7848]

The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered Warships, especially battleships, mounted their secondary guns in casemates well into the 20th century despite pretty clear evidence that such mountings limited the angles and ranges the guns could engage, were often so close to waterline that in even mild weather the water coming in rendered the guns unserviceable, and created weak points in the armor scheme.

[@johnpotter8039]

This is well done! I have been a student of U.S coastal defenses since my early teens, when I first saw Endicott-Era batteries near the Golden Gate Bridge . I found the Coast Defense Study Group in the early 1980 and have participated in many of their annual expeditions. I most-enjoyed the 2001 tour of the fortified islands of Manila Bay, in wonderful ruin following the Japanese siege, the U.S. retaking and more than 100 years of typhoons, earthquakes and metal scrapping. During the trip, one member, an Australian, and I went in search of the car barn for the narrow-gauge electric railroad at Fort Mills, Corregidor Island. One of the group's maps, still labeled "Top Secret" from 1921, led us through rather thick shrubbery. I cherish the text from the published copy of his journal: "John Potter and I went looking for the car barn. John fell into a bomb crater and ripped his shirt off. We found the foundation slab and John found a rubber insulator dated 1910. Mission Accomplished." The program, which I like to call the first Strategic Defense Initiative, cost a total of $400 million in 1890s dollars, more than the Panama Canal, and about as much as The Manhattan Project.

[@davidbidewell9816]

I took my father to Ft Wordon in Washington state to show him the fortress knowing he had been in the US Army from Ft Leavenworth. As we toured the museum a sitting older fellow wearing a WW1 uniform greeted him by name- they both were stationed there together as 1st Lt Infantry/artillery- that then proceeded to give Me a tour. Thanks for Your history lesson- very valuable lesson!

[@defthammer]

I live on an island in Maine. During WWII, two 16" guns were installed on the eastern shore. The guns, as far as I know, were never fired in anger, but they were tested. The test blew out many windows in the homes on the island and that was that. The presence of the guns also explains why this island doesn't have squirrels.

[@mikestackhousemusic]

Battery Steele. There were two 16" MkIIM1s there. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_Steele

[@sfperalta]

My dad was stationed on Corregidor in the Philippines in 1941, serving in the 59th Coast Artillery, Battery Wheeler. His battery consisted of two 12-inch disappearing rifles, which as depicted in the video are marvels to behold in action. Sadly, the guns were designed before the era of arial warfare, and the guns were pointed out to sea, making them useless for the types of attacks used by the Japanese and the direction from which they attacked (Bataan peninsula). Even so, the defenders on Corregidor, including my dad, held out for 6 months, until dwindling ammunition and starvation forced their surrender, beginning 3 1/2 years of captivity and abuse by their conquerors. Luckily for me, he miraculously survived and returned to father four children (I'm the youngest). But he often told me about the guns at Battery Wheeler and other anecdotes of his war service, omitting the horror and emphasizing the everyday heroics of survival. He's been gone 30 years now, but in my heart he's always a hero.

[@MrWATCHthisWAY]

Another excellent History Lesson from the archives of American History long forgotten! Please keep up the great team work culminating these long forgotten snippets of history that our educational system felt the need of underplay or overemphasize their cruciality in our educational system growing up. 15-20 minutes is all it takes to provide us with the meat-and-potato’s of history that makes us remember what it is we need to remember! Thank you History Guy because you make learning fun again!! And we all like fun..... yes we do!!

[@THE-HammerMan]

I've been to a couple of these forts(parks, now) and they're an absolutely fascinating part of our nation's history. I've gotten inside the massive tunnel system guarding San Francisco, and the lesser known tunnels around San Diego at Point Loma(Cabrillo National Park). Fascinating. Thank you for filling in the gun and armament information that I'd forgotten or never known of! Wonderful piece, History Guy!

[@redram5150]

USS Vesuvius was a ship built to carry the Dynamite Gun. The guns proved useless against shipping. Compressed air is affected by other factors such as water content and temperature. It proved to be more of a hassle than its worth. However, they found one ideal use during the Spanish American War. On June 13, 1898, the Vesuvius closed in on Santiago, Cuba under covered of darkness. She then began shelling. The Cubans and Spaniards on land were extremely unnerved because they could see no flash from guns. Just a noise so loud it felt like it came straight down followed by an explosion. This mystery weapon did an amazing job of lowering morale, believing they had no way of knowing when they’d die until seconds before the noise,

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

A good example of the Endicott quad can be found at Ft De Soto Fl. The mortars are truly massive.

[@stubs1227]

Fort desoto is in st Petersburg

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

@@stubs1227 I know, just forgot to type it.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

@J R it is really an amazing fort. The style of the Ford is similar to some of the islands in Manila Bay before and up to world war II. I don't know what's left of them now. They were bombed pretty heavy by the Japanese.

[@julianmalcolm]

This fort is one of the only that still has its original guns in place

[@deadfreightwest5956]

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I remember picnicking at Fort Flagler and Fort Worden.

[@marcbenson1969]

Don't forget Fort Casey. The third fort in the Triangle of Death.

[@wrnchhead76]

I have been to all three. Loved them all.

[@bobbyvee9950]

@@marcbenson1969 I've been to Fort Casey many times!

[@jamesjustus6568]

Spent a lot of time running around Forts Casey, Worden and Flagler having grown up on Whidbey Island. Visited Fort Whitman on Goat Island many times. It included a mine control station for protecting Skagit Bay and Saratoga Passage. We lived on Partridge Point, spent time exploring Ft. Ebey before it was developed into a state park. Ft. Ebey was not Endicott Period, however.

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

Visited Fort Worden several times, when i was a student teacher in Pt. Townsend. Fort Worden's barracks were in a good 1980's movie too. I was later a Civil War reenactment soldier a while in the east. We had several memorable engagements at brick coastal forts in Boston Harbor. (For crowds of onlookers.) Once, memorably we, both Union & Confederate soldiers arrived the night before on a WWII landing craft. We 'hit the beach.' The steel landing craft ring and ping when hit by waves I learned; as I imagined really approaching battle.

[@bigblue6917]

I knew about the disappearing guns but this is the first time I have seen film footage of them in use, which was fascinating and shows it be be a rather clever device. The dynamite guns I had seen before as the KZbin channel Drachinifel had produced a video on their use on a US Navy ship. In this case the guns were in a fixed position and the amount of pressure was varied to increase or decrease the range. There is an old coastal defence position near me which had something similar to the disappearing guns but this was a hidden searchlight. Used during WW1 the searchlight was placed in a pit and shone upwards onto a mirror which would deflect the light out over the river. The idea was that if fired on and damaged the mirror was easier to replace then the searchlight. It was positioned in such a way it could shine just above the river and illuminate any ships passing along it.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

The one in the film is a 14 inch disappearing gun at a fortification in Panama.

[@jonathonlaws3109]

Fort Stevens in Oregon had a disappearing gun that was fully "underground", Battery Mishler, there's now guided tours in the summer months. Its incredible

[@ChiefAUS]

Big Blue Where is this searchlight located at?

[@georgem7965]

@@jonathonlaws3109 Battery Mishler had its 360 degree 10" gun removed circa WW1 and was roofed over to be a harbor traffic control post during WW2.

[@jonathonlaws3109]

@@georgem7965 but you are still able to go in and see where the gun would have been and how cramped it was down there. Most forts in this area don't have any guns left, except for a few on display

[@blacksmith67]

Thank you yet again for a good dose of history that _deserves to be remembered._

[@markhuerta4948]

There are many of these structures still standing in Panamá at both océans, Atlántic and pacific. Huge structures abandoned in the jungle. Thank you for the images and descriptions.

[@geraldneville2733]

Thanks!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@vicromono4799]

I grew up vacationing at the Oregon coast and have fond memories of exploring the Battery Russel at Fort Stevens State Park. I past those experiences down to my kids who are now grown and carrying on the tradition. It's a fantastic place to experience tangible history. The guns have long since been removed and the vegetation has taken over a bit but it all ads to the mystique. The park has several miles of bike trails and some lead out to the ocean where a very old ship wreck (The Peter Iredale 9/26/1906) still sits over one hundred years later.

[@matthewjones12181]

One of the places you can visit an Endicott Fort is Fort Screven on Tybee Island. You get to tour it with the Tybee Island Lighthouse. Just up the road from Tybee is Fort Pulaski, where rifled cannon proved that masonry forts were outdated and useless against modern cannon.

[@ChiefAUS]

You forgot to mention that Fort Pulaski National Monument, and Tybee Island are in the Savannah, Georgia area.

[@DrawingRoomDraftingBoard]

That's Fort Pulaski at 2:36. Surprised THG didn't go into that more in detail; the significance of the siege and reduction of Fort Pulaski is generally understated.

[@tombrennan6312]

The destructive effect of black powder rifled cannon is exaggerated---smooth bore cannon have destroyed walls since the 15th Century; the increased range of the new rifled cannon was the game changer. What happened at Fort Pulaski was that the increased range of the rifled guns made vulnerable a front of the fort unprotected by an earthen glacis, as when the fort was built that front was considered out of range of the smooth bore guns of the time.

[@chriscase1392]

The rifled guns used at Fort Pulaski (Parrott guns) were of much smaller caliber than the rest of the smooth bore guns and mortars assembled to bring down the fort, (which BTW was designed by Robert E. Lee). Their range and accuracy proved vital. After deliberately reducing one corner of the pentagon-shaped fort, the shells were passing through the opening and exploding near Pulaski's powder room. The Confederate CO chose to surrender rather than have his entire garrison obliterated. In the short battle, no Confederates died. However, several Yanks died in ammo handling accidents, so technically the Rebs won. (sarc) Several unexploded Parrott gun shells are still embedded in the brick walls of Fort Pulaski.

[@RooftopsofAmerica]

A quick add-on for those visiting Washington, DC if you head south a bit down the Maryland side you'll find Fort Washington which was one of the fortifications for defending the capitol. Along with its counterpart on the Virginia side, Fort Hunt, it guarded that section of the Potomac River. It's a cool site with a fascinating history and still has the remnants of an Endicott system. Cheers!

[@FreeFallingAir]

FIRST, this should be remembered! Great video as always sir! I can't get enough of your content, by far one of the best on the tube!

[@edwin3928ohd]

It shall be remembered!

[@garyK.45ACP]

I would say they were a huge success! Just like the elephant rifle I keep behind the kitchen door. Not one single elephant has trampled my garden since I have had that rifle. Keeps the elephants away!

[@paulredinger5830]

Too late brother. The people before you used the elephant guns to wipe out the huge herds of elephants. The elephant gun could keep bison away too, but they were nearly wiped out decades before by elephant guns too. But if one shows up your protected. Like my 9mm. If armed criminals enter my house I’ll have a better chance to protect my family with having it then not having it. Bet it be difficult watching a couple pistol toting guys ravaging your partner while your tied to a chair, or worse. Bet you’d wish you’d had that elephant gun, or any for that matter then. Better to have it and not need it. Then need it and not have it. It’s common sense.

[@guytansbariva2295]

@@paulredinger5830 The Bison weren't wiped out by elephant guns, ie.470 Nitro Express, but by normal rifles they had at the time on the American plains. But your 9mm isn't the best home defense weapon. You need a 12 gauge with a combat pistol grip, if they're legal where you live. But nobody would get into my house anyway. Motion sensors, infrared cameras, window glass break alarms, driveway wired with automatic cameras and alarms. And I don't even live out on the boonies, semi-rural small neighborhood.

[@worldtraveler930]

My grandfather brought back a double rifle elephant gun from World War II and he also claimed it had the most excellent defense record of keeping elephants out of his garden and off his front porch so yeah pretty handy ant devices to have around!!! 🤠👍

[@garyK.45ACP]

@@worldtraveler930 I'm telling you, it works! My wife is a shooter and firearms enthusiast, or so she says. Sometimes I have to question her devotion. She will ask things like..."Why do you need 6 of the same gun?" Referring to 1911s. She thinks they are all the same?!?!?!? Or "Why do you need an elephant rifle?" Well...now she knows!

[@djcfrompt]

I grew spent two summers doing historical interpretation at Fort Flagler State Park, it's really amazing stuff. Fort Casey State Park across Admiralty Inlet still has two of the disappearing cannons emplaced and you can climb up on them - they're amazing pieces of engineering. Submerged harbor defense wasn't limited to mines - there were hydrophones and anti-submarine nets in use too. Battery Grattan at Ft. Flagler, which was originally a 6" disappearing installation, was converted in 1939 to a hydrophone listening post and maintained that way until control was transferred to the Harbor Entrance Control Post at Ft. Worden. It had soundproofing tiles added to make the hydrophone operators' jobs easier which are still in place today, making it a uniquely anechoic bunker.

[@viccrossman]

Fort Desoto at the entrance to Tampa Bay Florida is a wonderful example of this type of fortification that has been preserved and is open to visitors. Truly massive mortars and gun emplacements Thank you THG for making sure we do not forget!

[@jacobbabb4340]

Sadly some of the batteries are almost submerged in the sea.

[@Ayoosi]

I am a huge Endicott-era coastal defense fan! Niche interest, but it's nice seeing it get some love

[@mattkaustickomments]

Ayoosi check out fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island. S.C. Has an array of eras of design and a big portion is late 1890’s

[@Ayoosi]

@@mattkaustickomments Cool! If I ever get out east I will. I live near Seattle. We have 3 large forts and a series of smaller installations that can all be visited as campgrounds. I grew up running through the bunkers overlooking Admiralty Inlet

[@mattkaustickomments]

Ayoosi. I’ve never been to WA or OR but would love to someday. Hopefully I’ll find D.B. Cooper’s money when I get there. Fort Moultrie flanks the mouth of Charleston Harbor. Was in use from colonial period through Sub watching in WW2. What’s strange is each phase was pretty much built on top of or next to the earlier phases instead off tearing the old phase down. So you wind up with a Museum of fortification types.

[@thejudgmentalcat]

"Forgotten history" for sure...I never saw (or heard of) a disappearing gun till now!

[@gimp7298]

checkout Ft. Pickens Nat Park in Pensacola...….Civil War to WWII installations

[@morganrobinson8042]

i'm sure I saw some in old cartoons. Maybe a Popeye or a wartime Loony Tunes. Those are surprisingly valuable cultural time capsules.

[@nunyabussiness4054]

They are hard to spot what with all that disappearing and all.

[@andon_RT]

Well, I feel like that's the point, right?

[@wwiiinplastic4712]

@@gimp7298 I grew up in Gulf Breeze; know them well.

[@graycav56]

Thank you History Guy for another superb production. Many folks don’t realize that most of the defense budget is to deter, hopefully prevent conflict. The best weapons are those that are never used. We can always debate the actual costs of various programs and systems, but the idea of deterrence first is quite valid.

[@colinp2238]

I really enjoy anything that concerns artillery, probably as I served in 5 Regiment, Royal Artillery during the 70s.

[@Error-5478]

I'm American, but thank you for your service.

[@WildBillCox13]

Thanks for your service, m8.

[@BirdFinder]

Fort Constitution is open to visit, but is maintained as a "functional ruin" due to lack of funding. It is on a Coast Guard station, and you have to walk a painted blue walkway to reach it, as it is the only public portion of the station. It used to be open all the time, but someone was injured and now it is only open when the state can afford to have it manned (typically weekends between Memorial and Labor days). Fort Stark (also on New Castle island) has a museum showing where the coastal fortifications were in the area. Most of the state parks along the coast of NH were once part of the fortifications, and still have various bunkers, artillery mounts, etc. I spent a lot of time filming nesting cliff swallows at Fort Constitution this past summer. Love the channel!

[@jimrusswilloughby9903]

For a few years under my Dad's wing I lived in the housing of Ft Monroe, VA. Most interesting historical daily lessons.

[@PhantomLover007]

Being a Delawarean and a war history buff, I love the history of the coastal defenses of Delaware. Growing up in the 70s, I have visited the fortifications and guard towers on Lewes Beach and around Fort Miles many times

[@Twolegger]

The volunteers have worked very hard and done a great job with the site. With the completion of the artillery park, it’s a a unique gem.

[@chrisjensen8369]

Fascinating. I always enjoy your videos. In 1968 I was stationed at the Naval Radio Station, Lewes Delaware. We were the main USN troposcatter radio station for the 2 NECPA ships, USS Wright & USS Northampton. We were in a former coastal defense bunker under a very large sand dune on Cape Henlopen DE with a couple of very large (approx 50 feet diameter) dishes on top of the dune. The guns had been removed. I was told they were 10" rifles and were only fired once, for practice. Broke most of the windows in Rehobeth DE a couple of miles down the coast.

[@mkendallpk4321]

I have been both to Forts Hancock and Mott. Fort Mott is on the Delaware River. Both had disappearing guns. Unfortunately all that is left is the forts . No guns to be seen anywhere. This the first time I saw how they worked. Thank you History Guy.

[@davidhart7313]

You are my favorite, Straightforward, and linear like I need to learn from. Too many history Guys try to be funny or sarcastic and that sidetracks me from what I'm already straining to understand. I went to Ft DeSoto in St Petersburg FL recently and saw a preserved Endicott era fortification there. You answered so many questions I had at the time and some I didn't think to even imagine. Thank You!

[@mattblom3990]

Do the in-depth history of Fort Stevens and the shelling of it by the Japanese sub. A Canadian here, who grew up visiting Fort Stevens many times.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qojbZ5qrm6qBidU

[@BAZZAROU812]

I've been there several times over the years.. Pretty impressive.. I was wondering if he would mention fort Stevens.. 👍

[@jamesdaughton8017]

Again, a very good watch

[@BAZZAROU812]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel What kind of costal defense did Canada have..?

[@jorda.2412]

@@BAZZAROU812 the royal English navy

[@majscrap2629]

I toured the forts and old defenses in the San Francisco bay. They were extensive. There are two encasements where two 16" naval guns were to be mounted during WWII. The barrels were delivered but never mounted. Supposedly those barrels are stored in the desert in Nevada to be used as spares for battleships. Some of the old works are in very good shape and are well worth the tour.

[@Idahoguy10157]

If that’s what happened they went to the Hawthorne Naval ammunition Depot. Now an army depot. My guess is they were eventually sold for scrap. After WW2 the navy had only four battleships to keep spare barrels for.

[@allen_p]

In Galveston, Texas. Fort San Jacinto, formerly a United States coastal-defense fortification on the eastern end of Galveston Island, was constructed by the United States government in 1898. The site was first reserved for public purposes by an act of the Republic of Texas on December 9, 1836. After construction was completed in 1901, Fort San Jacinto, named in honor of the Texan victory over Mexican troops, became the first headquarters for Galveston's harbor defenses. It contained three gun batteries and a direction-finder control station. A seventeen-foot-high seawall fronting the Gulf of Mexico was constructed at the military reservation between 1918 and 1926. The guns of San Jacinto were manned by both the 265th Coast Artillery and the Twentieth Coast Artillery. After the end of World War II the reservation was maintained by the United States Coast Guard as an electronic repair shop. In 1986 it was used by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, who were dredging silt from the Galveston Ship Channel.

[@brianmoore7819]

As a teenager my favorite summer days were spent in exploration of the battery tunnels surrounding Ft. Pickens in Pensacola. Taking a boat out to a small island in the bay there was a battery position that was still operational during the second world war. Pickens was updated many times throughout the years. Disappearing guns were it's primary defense at one time. Great memories!

[@butchs.4239]

Same here. Battery Worth, Battery Cooper, Battery Langdon, and Battery 234 were frequent stops whenever I was out at Fort Pickens. Always wanted to explore Battery Pensacola but figured it was fenced off for good reason.

[@brianmoore7819]

Last time I was at the battery was in '05. The observation cupola was accessable and main tunnel through into the ammunition rooms up to a point which you would hit shin deep water. Access for about 50 feet into the corridors. Ammunition racks and track rails on ceiling for moving munitions. Great place! I have been to those batteries as well and they contain many of the same features. The bay area and coastal fortifications are a treasure to see if people know what and where to look.

[@13thBear]

I was aware the Army had a coast artillery branch, separate from the field artillery branch, but I never knew any details about "coast artillery." Thanks for this historical coverage of a lesser known period!

[@ryandavis7593]

I remember reading about this in eighth grade. I had chucked the class history book in favor of another written in 1900-01 called These Last One Hundred Years. The book at the time was just 84 years old and is still in my library. Clearly the standard curriculum was not good enough for me and did not cover the more obscure things that picked my interest. My history teacher left me well enough alone knowing what she had to offer was not going to do me any good. I made a rare A. I was not a good student in the traditional sense but my insatiable curiosity has served me well. I love your channel as it is the kind of information I enjoy. As I often say to my son, “You are Awful”. Awfully good at what you do, so keep up the awful work.

[@johnhorun2530]

Loved this video. I used to work at Ft Totten in Queens, NY. I would give history tours about the coastal defenses that still remain at the fort and the Endicott Batteries were my favorite spot to hang out. The guns were removed before WWI and I'd always wished I could see them in person. I bet they were a sight to see.

[@rickeys]

My family lived in Ft. Totten from 1968-1981. Played in the Old Fort and explored the entire post. In 1987 Jack Fein offered me his job, saying I was the only person who knew almost about Totten as he did. Today I run the Ft. Totten website and Facebook group.

[@224Nisqually]

Thanks for helping me understand this period of building coastal defense. I regularly visit forts designed to protect Puget Sound and the Columbia River entrance from foreign navies. These are now State Parks in Washington. Records presented at Fort Warden, show that the Army gunnery crews trained annually, firing at towed targets (in daylight and during mild summer weather) and had some success at actually hitting the targets. The marksmanship exhibited by both American navy "coastal gunboats" and the Spanish navy in Cuban waters was dismal. Into WWII, there are numerous instances when American marksmanship was outclassed by Japanese Navy gunners.

[@redram5150]

The main reason why the USA doesn’t have more forts along the Atlantic coastline is due to the last half century or so Wallops Island near Chincoteague Island off the Virginia coast has been the first line of defense for the eastern seaboard. It’s a military missile installation, a backup facility for landing space shuttles (when we still used them), and if you get a chance to see the shore of the island; guarded by a series of motorized Gatling guns, one placed every hundred or so feet and each thirty feet in the air, on their own reinforced post. I’ve been there on marine biology treks. It’s quite a sight.

[@mj99a]

i live in san francisco about which the golden gate national park service states: "The Endicott Board deemed San Francisco Harbor second only to New York’s in strategic importance. As a result, an extensive series of forts, batteries, and guns were proposed for the harbor entrance, occupying both shores of the Golden Gate." we have loads of remnants of the forts and batteries including a "nike" missle launch site (SF88) at fort barry in the marin headlands. great vid!!

[@GiordanoBruno42]

You are more educational than the whole of the history channel. I commend you for telling history in a straightforward and unembellished manner :) It's reassuring to see that the new American young 'uns aren't going to have to rely on cable "history" channels the way their parents did. I would love to see you make a video on the topic of the luddites and mechanisation. I don't think it's been a more relevant topic since the luddites were around.

[@kazparzyxzpenualt8111]

Hi, I'm new to your presentations and want you to know how much I do enjoy watching these as I catch up with your series. I just viewed the Endicott Fort's! I agree this period of U.S.military history remains obscure to almost everyone. I wanted to pass along a mention of the Portsmouth N.H. fortifications. I visited the area a few years ago and was facinated by the remnants of the former protections there. One annecdote I feel you might slip in near the end of your discussion is this curious event I found in my own research that I expected to hear from you in just the next sentence as you wrapped things up. While you mentioned repurposed artillery early on and exceptional innovation brought to bear throughout the era, one of the "repurpose" installations near Portsmouth towards the end of active service was an attempt to use a very large naval cannon from a retired battleship. Once in place a single test fire was made. And although not fired in anger, resulted in thousands of windows shattering up and down the coast! I doubt if that inadvertent collateral damage contributed to the decommissioning of the forts around Portmouth but it probably helped in some way. Air Defence had taken up the role from everyrhing I've gathered. Cheers, and thanks again for your spirited and engaging videos! K.Z.

[@phillipallen3259]

I've been to Fort Casey a few times. It's astounding how big the guns really are! I also had a great uncle who served in one of the forts on the west coast during WW2 his time at the fort cost him most of his hearing. No guessing why.

[@johncipriano3627]

I really did enjoy today’s video on Military fortifications and some of the measures that went into them , it’s a chapter in history that has been forgotten but was SO needed in a time that then were used in.

[@hesstwentyone]

I once had the honor of examining a commission for a major of the US Army Coastal Artillery Corps personally signed by Theodore Roosevelt. It's my understanding he was the last president to personally sign each and every officer's commission. Thank you very much for such interesting 'lessons'.

[@fire304]

Thank you, a wonderful episode! I grew up in Rhode Island where we are blessed to have all six different "period" fortifications as Parks open to the public. I spent many hours playing at Ft Whetheril (Endicott) and Beaver Tail Park (WWII). Would love to see you do complimentary episodes on the other distinct classes of US castles. Thank you!

[@colbeausabre8842]

fire304. Conanicut Island was a great place for a military minded boy! I was part of the "Summer Crowd". It's a tragedy how they destroyed Fort Getty on Beaver Head.

[@whyjnot420]

There is one of these former batteries in Jamestown, Rhode Island called Fort Wetheril, and is one of the ones that is now a state park. Parts of it were somewhat buried after its last use directly following the end of WW2, but one could sill crawl around in between the main walls in little corridors that must have served as both a layer of defense and secondary access passageways, you could even get on what I can only describe as a reinforced ceiling that was actually under a good deal of more concrete and earth in a little space that was maybe 18 inches tall. Roaming around this place in these old corridors and finding areas you couldn't access through the main passages which had been covered with earth or locked up with steel shutters, trying to figure out what places did what, as well as the abovegound remains set on top of some great cliffs has made this one of my absolute favorite palaces that I have ever been to. In the year I spend living in Rhode Island, once I found this place, hardly a week or two would go by where I didn't round up a couple of friends, a coleman lantern, and go down there. Truly a special place amogst all of the special places I have been. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wetherill (and as a bonus, you did not need to pay a toll for the bridge into Newport, since this is Jamestown :D)

[@worddunlap]

Ft DeSoto in Pinellas County Florida still has some of the Civil War, Spanish American war artifacts.

[@Carlton_Wilson]

There are great causeways for gun emplacements leading out into the gulf that are still there underwater. The guns are gone, but the machinations used to rotate/elevate them are still there. My sons and I have explored them. They had Tampa Bay dialed in back then. Any enemy ship would have had no chance of entering. No way.

[@defthammer]

My old home town...and Ft DeSoto was a perennial favorite place to visit.

[@worddunlap]

@@Carlton_Wilson Yes the shipping channel is clearly visible from the bulk of the park and former military reservation. On a side note nazi U-boat crews had 'toured' the area around Miami. Strange world?

[@Carlton_Wilson]

Excellent acoustics to be found inside the old storage areas of the remaining gun pit, for any guitar players out there. You have to find the right spot to avoid The Lesley Effect, but the place works like a P.A. system. I bet it was unbearably loud when firing the artillery.

[@workingguy-OU812]

@@Carlton_Wilson Do you believe that is from water rising, or just hard emplacements built on sand bases then sinking over time?

[@brianjordan2192]

Fort Stevens and fort Columbia across the river are good places to visit. Actually being in one of those mortar pits, and strolling around the disappearing mounts gives one a great perspective on pre ww 2 coastal defense tech.

[@armyrailguy5397]

Very interesting. Well done as always. I belong to the last of the US Army railway units. Our pride and joy is one of the railway cannons used in coastal defense during WWII. It’s now proudly on display at Ft Lee, VA. I also live near Ft Fisher and Ft Caswell, NC. They are some of the often over looked, small Endicott era forts that are open to the public. This episode renewed my interest to go tour them again. Once again, thank you for the history lesson. Well done.

[@robertmentzer388]

I had an older friend who remembers during WW 2 that in Virginia Beach that the government gave out rifles a 44 40 for the Costal Defense / Homeland Defense, said that it would go through an engine and stop it. And that Oceana Base, the planes could take off from there but had to land in Norfolk then drive them down the road back to Oceana because the runway was not long enough to land. Now Oceana Base is a Master Jet Base.

[@tomjustis7237]

A small point of interest: Fort Point, nearly identical to Fort Sumter, was built on the southern tip of the Golden Gate to protect San Francisco Bay. When plans were made many years later to build the Golden Gate Bridge, the location and style of the supports would have required the destruction of the iconic old fort. The designers, wanting to preserve history, changed the southern support system so an arch would go over Fort Point, providing adequate support for the bridge while preserving the fort. I wonder how many would go to so much trouble today.

[@johnweaver561]

When building the Verranzano Narrows Bridge in NYC they took no such care. Fort Lafayette was leveled and a bridge pier put on its foundation! Fort Point is completely different in shape from Fort Sumter, and has one more tier of casemates. Sumter had two tiers of casemates while Point has three. The style of the architecture is, however, very similar.

[@tomjustis7237]

@@johnweaver561 Truly sad about Fort Lafayette. It would have been a historical treasure today. I was fortunate enough to visit Fort Point back in the early 90s while on a business trip to SF. There was an educational plaque detailing the similarities between Fort Point and Fort Sumter, but it has been MANY years, so I guess my memory failed me and I overstated the "nearly identical" aspect. Thanks for the correction, my friend. You obviously know your history! :-)

[@johnweaver561]

@@tomjustis7237 I've always been troubled by that plaque, and have talked to NPS about it. I've done in-service training for the rangers at Fort Pike (as well as Alcatraz) and they understand, but getting anything that's posted changed is a real challenge. I've been told there is a ton of "red tape" to go through - and I expect that someone has to admit that it is wrong! LOL About 30 years ago I walked into the Visitor Center at Fort Barrancas. They had a display board showing the forts of the Third System. As I recall, there were about ten forts shown (there are actually 42), three of which were Western stockades! I told the ranger-historian there that the display was incorrect, and got the "yeah, sure" response. When I got back home I copied the 1851 Totten Report and mailed it to the historian along with a map that I had generated that showed the Third System forts. The historian managed to get the display board changed - it took a few years - and he and I became fast friends! We maintain that friendship to this day, even though he's been retired a couple of years. My wife and I get together with him and his wife whenever we get to Pensacola.

[@vetchb.s.c.1612]

This is not forgotten history for me. I grew up about 30 miles from Fort Casey in Washington State. It is one of the only Fort/Parks that still mounts the disappearing guns. Most of the obsolete guns were melted down for scrap during WWII. The guns that are there were recovered from the Philippines. I would highly recommend a visit of you are ever in the Seattle area.

[@ryanclarke2161]

Dear history guy, your channel is great and I have enjoyed from the moment I discovered it quite a while ago. Please keep up the non politicised and very interesting shows. Always a pleasure to watch your latest works.

[@arthurgreenleaf2529]

I grew up playing in one of these fort complexes, Fort H G Wright as a child, after it's decommissioning. My grand father and mother were natives of Fishers Island with a total of fiver generations living there. My brother and I explored the fort as boys. Later my wife and I started our family and purchased a home on "Officers Row" at Ft Wright. We moved from Fishers Island, NY where the fort is located to the mainland in 1978. So many family memories revolve around the fort and Fishers.

[@snafu6548]

Always love your work! Thanks! Fort Cassy State park in Washington State, has two of the 10" disappearing guns mounted and on display. One extended, and one retracted. An interesting note is that these two rifles were part of a US fort in the Philippines captured by the Japanese during the war. Before withdrawing, the breaches were removed and dumped at sea to prevent further use. These two rifles were sold back to the US shortly before the Philippines chose to ban the sale of large WWII artifacts to aid their own tourist industry.

[@Tinhat47]

Excellent! My great-grandfather served with the Army’s coastal artillery at Fort Eustis, Va., in the early 1920s.

[@Pledgeman]

Worked around Fort Stevens in Oregon and trained at Camp Rilea on the north coast for many years. Even had an Uncle stationed at Fort Stevens back in WWII. If you have never been there, it is well worth the visit along with Battery Russell (one of the Endicott Gun sites.)

[@Bbuffalofan1]

This is such an interesting piece of history! I love US history and military history, yet haven’t seen a video on this period before.

[@ridethecurve55]

I so look forward to each new history learning you give, Sir. I imagine having you over for dinner and my sophomore college daughter being at the table, as she is a very interested and curious student of history. She is majoring in music Ed. at U of Eau Claire, WI as top clarinetist at the school, with history definitely in her wheelhouse.

[@MarkBentleyinAustin]

My grandfather trained in coastal artillery at Galveston before being formed into a trench mortar battalion and deployed to France in 1918. There were 3 forts that guarded the Port of Houston, and at least 2 of these were upgraded during the 2nd world war, but of course never used. In 1918 they were trained on the disappearing guns, but with sleeves that let them fire smaller and less costly rounds for training. One of these forts, Fort Travis, is preserved as a park and historic site on the Bolivar Peninsula, a short ferry ride from Galveston.

[@korbell1089]

Thank you for this because as a young Air Defense Artiillery sergeant in the mid 80's I was told that we could trace our lineage back to the coastal artillery batteries and have been fascinated by them since. or all the ADA and artillery men and women today, may Saint Barbara watch over you.

[@stephentosterud9375]

Your best one yet! That time period is near and dear to my life. I have a friend John Weaver who has a book written on that time period. " fortifications in Brick and Stone" in its second addition.

[@barryhopesgthope686]

I was stationed a Ft. Story, VA. It was a coastal artillery fort and later had Nike Zesus batteries hidden in the dunes.

[@nghtwtchmn129]

Likewise, Everglades National Park once had a Nike missile battery.

[@johnd2058]

The New York State Palisades Park had a Nike battery too. By my time, the pad had become a party spot and the storage tunnels below were being used by satanists. We think. Basically, decent stoners wouldn't go down there.

[@Vampirebear13]

Thank you for your service Sgt. Hope.

[@barryhopesgthope686]

@@Vampirebear13 Thank you.

[@barryhopesgthope686]

@@johnd2058 We were a bulk issue POL company, we used the bunkers for storage of our fuel bladders, pumps and fuel separaters.

[@peterszar]

I enjoy all the videos from this man, but this is one of the more interesting, to me anyway. So many times have I'd seen video snippets of those disappearing guns and they intrigued me. Well not anymore, thanks "History Guy", another excellent video.

[@thefunkosaurus]

Fascinating, as always, THG!! It resonates somewhat with me, as my Grandmother grew up with these improvements (b1885), and my Father(b1917) fought in the Philippines in WW2.

[@shawnmalone9711]

God bless your dad!

[@joeneary1]

Living here near Baltimore it is sad to see how much of our local history is forgotten. The VA hospital located at Fort Howard had pictures lining the hallways of these guns, wonder what ever happened to all those old photos once they closed the hospital?? Shame. Thanks for this episode !!

[@TermiteUSA]

Well Baltimore has lost a lot of its old soul too. Here in the rest of Maryland we celebrate our heritage everyday!

[@mycroft1905]

Fascinating topic; impressive artefacts. i) The fixed fortification conundrum: if the fortification is so strong as to deter assault, its tactical effectiveness remains in doubt, as it is never put to the test. (So can the same be said about nuclear deterrent at the strategic level?) ii) Disappearing gun carriages were considered to have too slow a rate of fire to effectively engage fast moving targets like warships, so were not employed for long nor distributed widely by the British (except in out-of-the-way places like Australia and New Zealand, where arguably the technology was dumped). iii) The development of steam propulsion, permitting navigation largely independent of wind and current, particularly useful inshore; the development of naval artillery, rapidly improving weight of fire, rate of fire, penetration, accuracy and range; the continual development of protective armour; this culminated in the development of protected then armoured cruisers that enabled power projection to threaten distant shores and ports (critical nodes of trade and wealth), stimulating a wave of coastal fortification construction across the globe in the latter quarter of the 19th century. Malta is a case in point (the polygonal forts and batteries). iv) It is interesting to note that ordnance and fire control technologies employed in coastal fortifications tended to lag behind the cutting edge technologies employed in the warships they were designed to defend against. Often, the guns and supporting systems were obsolete by the time they were installed.

[@jonathonlaws3109]

This is an excellant video! An in depth video of the coast Artillery of the Pacific Northwest would be awesome and well appreciated by many!

[@BCaldwell]

I live about 30 miles from one of these coastal defense forts (Fort Desoto Fl) Ive been there a hundred times. Thanks for explaining the engineering so well..... Great video!!!

[@gregtaylor9331]

As a scout in the 1970s we used to camp at Sandy Hook (Fort Hancock) on the bay side at a massive turret opening of one of the huge gun mounts. (My recollection was that the opening was some 30 ft high and probably 60 ft wide, made of concrete) There were two turrets about 1/4 mile apart connected by a tunnel. The gun itself was no longer in place. On a more recent trip to the area, on the ocean side (with my son, as part of a scout event) I asked about the location and was told that the turrets had both been reclaimed by the bay.

[@dinoperedetout7464]

Two suggestions for future content. Firstly, the Black Donnelly’s of Lucan, Ontario, Canada and the slaughter that befell their family on the Roman Line Road. Second, the Battle of Cul De Sac in St Lucia (15 December 1778) as well as the British fortifications there from a later era. I would be happy to send you my copy of the map of the Battle Of Cul de Sac via electronic means. Love your work and you are especially kind and flattering to we Canadians. Your thoughtfulness is sincerely appreciated.

[@dinoperedetout7464]

I just remembered a third possibility...U-161 sailing into Castries Harbour and sinking RMS LADY NELSON and heavily damaging SS UMTATA. They recovered one of the screws from LADY NELSON a couple of years ago and apparently plans are underway to restore, Mount and display it. The dead from the crews are buried at CWGC Choc Bay.

[@refinch]

John Endecott was my 9th great grandfather. Thanks for this!

[@alanbower1193]

That was very interesting. Thank you. Always interested in military history.

[@bigsteve6200]

While on Westpac in Subic Bay. I got to visit the Gun installations on Grande Island. 6" guns pointed to the sea. All a Burnt Umber. Standing silent. I need to find those photos. Excellent video. Semper Fi

[@Nutzkie2001]

Living just 90 minutes from San Francisco, I've always felt blessed to have a virtual evolutionary timeline of coastal fortifications within driving distance of my house. To run down the list, we've got a Civil War era fort (Fort Point), at the south end of the bridge, Rodman batteries (early Endicott-style designs built with brick parapets and muzzle-loading guns) to the north across the channel, every type of Endicott battery mentioned here ranging from three to sixteen inch guns, and a few late-era Endicotts that had integrated anti-aircraft defenses as part of their design.

[@samschellhase8831]

I love these comments, too. Everyone’s talking about their favorite forts from the era, places that mean a lot of us as individuals but that most people aren’t even aware exist. It’s great

[@jamesgreen5298]

I've visited the endicott type Fort Screven. The museum attendant at Fort Screven told me that although the town of Tybee Island had removed the dunes to build the road between the island and the city of Savannah, Georgia, they would not remove the fort's emplacements because the reinforced concrete would be far too troublesome and costly to even attempt removing.

[@danielgroenendyk7133]

While stationed at Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines in 1980 - 1981, I was able to explore Corregidor Island in Manila Bay as well as Grande Island in Subic Bay. Both islands had these types of mortars and rifled cannons that disappeared in concrete encasements. I have pictures of them from that time. They were manufactured around the 1905 - 1907 time period. Some had shrapnel scrapes from incoming Japanese shells. I remember them very well. Great video about coastal defenses.

[@MrHandy1]

As always a lucid and informative discourse. Thanks Lance.

[@avnrulz]

I was stationed at Ft. Story, VA, and the old coastal gun emplacement was still there, no cannons/guns of course.

[@petebowling1668]

Battery Ketchum was one of them I can't remember the name of the other two

[@jameshickman5299]

I've always been fascinated by the disappearing guns of the Endicott forts. I've seen film of a mortar quad firing in practice. If you can dig up more film of the disappearing guns, or the mortar pits, I would love to see it. I just discovered your KZbin channel, and have been binge watching segments with naval themes. They're excellently presented, and consistently fascinating. Well done!

[@Poverty-PonyTony]

You forget the fort on Corregidor Island in the Philippines. They fired a round every 3 seconds for 2 months straight

[@kutter_ttl6786]

It's not in the continental U.S. so it really wouldn't be included here.

[@inisipisTV]

He did include it in the end, bur he didn't just named it. Most of the big guns in Corregidor are facing towards the sea so most of them are quite useless. The one your talking about are modern field artillery brought to the island that fires on Bataan and Cavite.

[@w6krg]

I've always been fascinated by the fortifications of this era having crawled around several of them. Thanks for this episode!

[@RC-om9nh]

An era-appropriate response to your statement about the usefulness of the defenses: "speak softly and carry a big stick"

[@odysseusrex5908]

Some of these old forts exist in Galveston, Texas. My grandmother told me they were built during WWII. I never did understand how the guns were mounted given the shape of what remains. Now I do. Very interesting.

[@kevinpride6543]

My father joined the US National Guard in 1937 ( under age). He was assigned to Coastal Defense Artillery ( anti-aircraft). He described the giant cannons in casements and the disappearing guns of that era. I got to visit Ft. Worden at Port Townsend, WA. that protected Puget Sound. I explored the bunkers, revetments, tunnels, etc. very interesting!

[@michaelfuller2153]

I recall my Dad commenting on "disapearing guns" at some fort we visited when I was a kid...likely Ft. Morgan on Mobile Bay. Thanks for the history! 😊

[@armymedic4583]

Mr. History Guy, I think you should do an entire episode on Ft Hancock(Sandy Hook, NJ) and include more with the fortifications. Possibly something on the Rodman Cannon which is still housed there. Another good episode would be about the Navesink twin lights, the use of the fresnel lens, marconi telegraph. Possibly even Sandy Hook Light. There is a whole ton of history from that very small part of NJ. Such as all the Nike missile bases located in the area due to it being the highest point on the eastern seaboard overlooking NY harbor. Keep up the great work.

[@_cmr_0]

If my memory serves me correctly I believe that one of the Endicott Era fortifications, Fort MacArthur, participated in the “Battle of Los Angeles”. I also think they used to have a reenactment ceremony there every year to commemorate the event

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Fort MacArthur was a later fortification of the Taft era, established in 1917, but it did include disappearing guns and 12 inch mortars. Although the fort hosts an annual fundraising event commemorating the battle of Los Angeles, the fort's web page does not indicate that the fort was engaged that night. Certainly its large batteries were not used.

[@_cmr_0]

The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered Interesting, thank you for the insight and for replying! I enjoy your videos very much and I hope you keep making them!

[@_cmr_0]

Dog Ma I’ve always attributed it to either a weather balloon or just ear nerves

[@domdalbello1607]

Fort Mac's website: ftmac.org Fundraiser event: www.theairraid.com

[@_cmr_0]

Dog Ma whoops, typo. I meant war nerves 😂

[@StrixvariaCraig]

Great one THG ! Ft Mott State Park in New Jersey is a great place to see a Fort from this era as well !

[@ianendangan7462]

We do have those coastal batteries in Corregidor in the Philippines and I believe that of all US fortifications that these batteries are the only one used extensively during the war.

[@v.s.6056]

Living in New Bedford we got 3 forts to visit in the area of Southern New England ...Ft. Phoenix, Ft. Rodman, &Ft.Adams

[@athopi]

Very cool! Thanks! I grew up near Ft. Macon, NC. It was a Star Fort, designed by then army Lt. Robert E. Lee to protect the inlet and Morehead City. It's a State park now and a neat afternoon visit if you're in the area and also, there are some nice beaches surrounding it. Safer to swim on the ocean side as there can be some severe rip currents at the others, but the views and shell collecting are nice.

[@spd6147]

Here in Washington state we have several coastal battery stations, all parks now. Great work on this subject.

[@michaelwier1222]

As a kid I remember visiting Fort Casey in Washington State. The disappearing carriages were used there. Thank you for the video.

[@SarasotaRainBarrels]

Have you ever considered doing a video series on all fifty states, using one video per state? I think everyone would enjoy it and it would make a great playlist people could share. Five stars for the History Guy!

[@tpotstout]

When I was stationed at Great Lakes in the early 80s I remember seeing a plaque in remembrance of two seaman recruits who died when German bombs fell from seaplanes that had been refueled by submarines stationed off the coast of Nova Scottia the planes were to target industry in Chicago but dropped early because of fuel darkness navigation issues. I want to know more are you interested?

[@nancyfreire4119]

World war 2 was a war when women helped out when men went to war. They built ships took care of there kids nurses and so on. Without the women the war I believe would of been longer. Go Rosey the Ribitor. 🇺🇸🙋‍♀️🤗🎀

[@peterszar]

Great Lakes, when I was there in '69, I had boot camp and "A" School. There was a liquor store or should I say a package store where we'd buy booze. We'd go to a train trestle close by and party. The good old days, ha ha.

[@WildBillCox13]

I was there for the same purpose, not long after you. We had two 24" snowfalls in two consecutive days early that January. "Snow detail!"

[@MendTheWorld]

Nancy Freire Was Rosey a frog?

[@hooks4638]

Thank you for this! An extremely overlooked topic.