Harbor Defense Command
A Harbor Defense Command was a military organization of the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps designated in 1925 from predecessor organizations dating from circa 1895.[1][2] It consisted of the forts, submarine minefields, and other coastal defenses of a particular harbor or river. Harbor Defense Commands were disestablished in 1950 along with the Coast Artillery Corps.
History
These commands originated as Coast Artillery Districts, to control groups of forts constructed under the Endicott Program beginning in 1895. A 1909 reference shows that districts could include (depending on size) a Battle Command (later Fort Command), Fire Command, Mine Command, and Battery Commands.[3][4] In 1913 the districts were redesignated as Coast Defense Commands, called "Coast Defenses of..." the area protected.[5][6] At this time Coast Artillery Districts became regional commands, each controlling several Coast Defense Commands. Several of these commands were disarmed and disestablished between World War I and World War II; some of these were rearmed in World War II with "Panama mounts", circular concrete platforms for towed 155 mm guns. In 1925 the Coast Defense Commands were redesignated as Harbor Defense Commands, called "Harbor Defenses of..." the area protected.[7][8] After World War II all of these commands were disarmed within a few years, and they and the Coast Artillery Corps were disestablished in 1950.
Harbor Defense Command areas
The major Harbor Defense Commands in the Continental United States (CONUS) were:[6][9][10][11]
The major Harbor Defense Commands in US territories were:[9][10]
| Name | Territory | Forts | Years active in coast defense | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | Hawaii | Fort Ruger, Fort DeRussy | 1910-1946 | Coast Defenses of Oahu divided into Honolulu and Pearl Harbor in the 1920s |
| Pearl Harbor | Hawaii | Fort Barrette, Fort Weaver, Fort Kamehameha | 1914-1948 | Coast Defenses of Oahu divided into Honolulu and Pearl Harbor in the 1920s |
| Kaneohe Bay and the North Shore | Hawaii | Fort Hase | 1940-1946 | |
| Manila and Subic Bays | Philippines | Fort Mills, Fort Drum, Fort Frank, Fort Hughes, Fort Wint | 1910-1942 | |
| Cristobal | Panama Canal Zone | Fort Randolph, Fort De Lesseps, Fort Sherman | 1912-1948 | |
| Balboa | Panama Canal Zone | Fort Kobbe, Fort Amador, Fort Grant | 1912-1948 | |
| Sitka | Alaska | Fort Babcock, Fort Peirce, Fort Rousseau | 1944-1950 | |
| Seward | Alaska | Fort McGilvray, Fort Bulkley | 1941-1945 | Only Panama mounts completed |
| Kodiak | Alaska | Fort J.H. Smith, Fort Tidball, Fort Abercrombie | 1944-1950 | |
| Dutch Harbor | Alaska | Fort Learnard, Fort Schwatka | 1944-1950 | |
| Vieques Sound | Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands | Fort Segarra | 1944-1948 | Protected the approaches to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station |
| San Juan | Puerto Rico | Fort Amezquita, Fort Mascaro, Fort Brooke | 1941-1948 | |
The Harbor Defense Commands established as a result of the 1940 Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United Kingdom were:[8][9][10]
| Name | Territory | Forts | Years active in coast defense | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentia and St. John's | Newfoundland | Fort McAndrew | 1941-1946 | |
| Bermuda | Bermuda | United States Army Bermuda Garrison, Fort Victoria, Scaur Hill Fort | 1941-1946 | |
| Trinidad | Trinidad | Fort Read, Chacachacare Island | 1941-1946 | Only Panama mounts completed |
See also
- Seacoast defense in the United States
- List of coastal fortifications of the United States
- List of forts in the United States
References
- ↑ Kaufmann, J. E. (2007). Fortress America. Da Capo Press. ASIN B00A4JNS2Y. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
Harbor Defense Command was the name given after 1925 to the coastal...
- ↑ Berhow, p. 432
- ↑ Berhow, p. 421
- ↑ Hines, Frank T.; Ward, Franklin W. (1996). The Service of Coast Artillery. CDSG Press. pp. 75–78.
- ↑ Coast Artillery Organization: A Brief Overview at the Coast Defense Study Group website
- 1 2 Rinaldi, pp. 165-166
- ↑ Berhow, p. 430
- 1 2 Stanton, pp. 477-481
- 1 2 3 Berhow, pp. 200-231
- 1 2 3 List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
- ↑ These are arranged in the traditional order of US Army reports, starting in Maine and working clockwise around the US.
- ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. (entry for Fort Baldwin mentions garrisoned by CD Portland in WWI)
- ↑ National Archives and Records Administration, RG 392 index
- Berhow, Mark A., Ed. (2015). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide, Third Edition. McLean, Virginia: CDSG Press. ISBN 978-0-9748167-3-9.
- Lewis, Emanuel Raymond (1979). Seacoast Fortifications of the United States. Annapolis: Leeward Publications. ISBN 978-0-929521-11-4.
- Rinaldi, Richard A. (2004). The U. S. Army in World War I: Orders of Battle. General Data LLC. ISBN 0-9720296-4-8.
- Stanton, Shelby L. (1991). World War II Order of Battle. Galahad Books. pp. 477–481. ISBN 0-88365-775-9.
- United States Seacoast Defense Construction 1781-1948: a Brief History at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
- List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
- Conn, Stetson; Engelman, Rose C.; Fairchild, Byron (2000). Guarding the United States and Its Outposts. United States Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-14102019-2-8.