![]() Three 63 man barracks and a mess hall were built within the confines of the old fort. Most of the mine support structure was located at Fort Constitution except for the explosive storage facility at Fort Dearborn.Įmergency construction before the start of the war in 1941 raised the personnel capacity of Fort Constitution from 2 officers and 54 enlisted personnel to 16 officers and 243 enlisted personnel. Arming and firing the mines was done in the respective mine casemates. ![]() Control of the minefields came from the two mine casemates under a group command. Ship tracks were plotted in the plotting room in mine casemate #1. The hydrophones and magnetic loop detectors were positioned in front of the mine groups to detect approaching ships. ![]() The mine casemate #2 at Fort Foster controlled mine groups 1 to 7 while mine casemate #1 at Fort Constitution controlled mine groups 8 to 14. The Portsmouth Harbor Mine Fields were made up of fourteen groups of 19 mines each. The mine field defenses included three 3" gun batteries, two 90mm AMTB batteries and four portable searchlights. Many of the defenses of Portsmouth were focused on protecting the minefields from small fast minesweepers and motor torpedo boats. A reinforce concrete mine observation station (M1) was built on top of Battery Farnsworth and accepted for service 13 March 1943 at a cost of $ 4,061.ĭuring World War II Portsmouth Harbor was protected by a series of underwater defenses that included controlled underwater mines, underwater hydrophones, underwater magnetic loop detectors and an underwater anti-torpedo boat nets across the harbor channel. Battery Hackleman (1), the last remaining gun battery on Fort Constitution was deactivated in 1945. Wright and they were replaced by 3 inch guns and mounts from Battery Hays at Fort Stark. In 1942 the 3 inch guns and mounts of Battery Hackleman (1) were shipped to Battery Hackleman (2) at Fort H.G. Mine Observation Station (M1) in Battery Farnsworth. The report also shows four, 100-pounder Parrott guns still mounted in the old casemated fort.įort Constitution (2) Endicott Period Battery (edit list) Battery The Report of Completed Batteries shows the post garrisoned and the 8-inch gun battery completed, but unnamed. A mining casemate was built into the left flank of the unnamed 8-inch gun battery in 1901.Īn additional purchase of 8.75 acres of land in 1902 expanded the post to 11.4 acres. These batteries were separate from the old fort walls and each was self-contained with gun emplacements and magazines protected by reinforced concrete. During the first year of the war, the fort was armed with only 25 pieces of ordnance.Īfter 1867 the fort was placed in caretaker status and remained that way until construction began on the Endicott Period gun batteries in 1897.Ĭonstruction on the two Endicott Period gun batteries slated for Fort Constitution began in 1897 and was completed in 1904. Civil War made the Third System forts obsolete overnight and the upgrade of Fort Constitution was never completed. Advances in rifled armament during the U.S. Civil War construction was begun on a massive three-tiered Third System casemated fort. The existing Castle Fort or Fort Castle was refurbished and garrisoned with an artillery company.ĭuring the U.S. ![]() The First System fortifications were initially established on the site of the previous fortifications on 3.35 acres of land acquired from the State of New Hampshire in 17. After the British departure, the fort served intermittently as a signal station and lighthouse for the duration of the war. The British held the fort until they departed in August 1775. The Patriot raids netted 16 cannons and 97 barrels of gunpowder but the arrival of a British warship with Royal Marines on board halted the attacks. Captain John Langdon and Major John Sullivan led the attack, captured the fort and removed the guns and stores. The fort was garrisoned during the colonial era with a small number of men (4-5) supplement by others as needed.Īt the outset of the Revolutionary War the British garrison at the fort, under British Captain John Cochran, was overcome by 400 members of the "Sons of Liberty" in two raids on 15. Stone walls, elevated gun platforms, and a blockhouse are constructed by 1705. In 1692 the fortification was named Fort William and Mary and further fortified with a breastwork of 19 guns during King William's War. Part of the Harbor Defense of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.įortifications on Fort Point on Great Island began in 1631 and were known as "The Castle", mounting four guns in an earthen redoubt. Fort William and Mary Pictorial Plan circa 1705.
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