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, controlled underwater minefields, and other coastal defenses of a particular harbor or river. Harbor Defense Commands, along with the similar Coast Artillery Corps, were disestablished in 1950.
These commands originated as Artillery Districts, to control groups of forts constructed under the Endicott Program beginning in 1895.[3] A 1909 reference shows that districts could include (depending on size) a Battle Command (later Fort Command), Fire Command, Mine Command, and Battery Commands.[4][5] Mine planter vessels were also attached to these commands to plant and maintain controlled minefields. In 1913 the districts were redesignated as Coast Defense Commands, called "Coast Defenses of..." the area protected.[3][6] At this time Coast Artillery Districts became regional commands, each controlling several Coast Defense Commands.[7] Several of these commands were disarmed and disestablished between World War I and World War II, although minefield defenses may have been retained (references are unclear). Some of the disarmed commands were rearmed in World War II with "Panama mounts", circular concrete platforms for towed 155 mm guns. Some of these rearmed commands and other hastily-armed areas were designated as "Temporary Harbor Defenses". In 1925 the Coast Defense Commands were redesignated as Harbor Defense Commands, called "Harbor Defenses of..." the area protected.[8][9] 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.
The major Harbor Defense Commands in the Continental United States (CONUS) were:[6][10][11][12]
The major Harbor Defense Commands in US territories were:[10][11]
| Name | Territory | Forts | Years active in coast defense | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | Hawaii | Fort Ruger, Fort DeRussy, Fort Armstrong | 1910-1946 | Coast Defenses of Oahu divided into Honolulu and Pearl Harbor in March 1921 |
| Pearl Harbor | Hawaii | Fort Barrette, Fort Weaver, Fort Kamehameha | 1914-1948 | Coast Defenses of Oahu divided into Honolulu and Pearl Harbor in March 1921 |
| 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 | Atlantic side |
| Balboa | Panama Canal Zone | Fort Kobbe, Fort Amador, Fort Grant | 1912-1948 | Pacific side |
| 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, Fort Charles W. Bundy | 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:[9][10][11]
| Name | Territory | Forts | Years active in coast defense | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentia and St. John's | Newfoundland | Fort McAndrew, Fort Pepperrell | 1941–1946 | Total of 22 battery sites across the country |
| Bermuda | Bermuda | Fort Victoria, Scaur Hill Fort, Tudor Hill | 1941–1946 | |
| Trinidad | Trinidad | Fort Read, Chacachacare Island | 1941–1946 | Only Panama mounts completed |
- Kaufmann, J. E. (2007). Fortress America. Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780306812941. 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.
- Rinaldi, pp. 165-166
- Confusingly, circa 1914-1924 several groups of National Guard coast artillery companies were designated as "Coast Defense Commands" (CDC), such as the 8th CDC and 13th CDC in the New York National Guard. National Guard coast artillery regiment histories at the CDSG
- Berhow, p. 430
- Stanton, pp. 477-481
- Berhow, pp. 200-231
- 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 Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010. (entry for Fort Baldwin mentions garrisoned by CD Portland in WWI)
- Stanton, p. 479
- Stanton, p. 480-481
- Berhow, Mark A, ed. (2015). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide (Third ed.). McLean, Virginia: CDSG Press. ISBN 978-0-9748167-3-9.
- Conn, Stetson; Engelman, Rose C.; Fairchild, Byron (2000) [1964]. Guarding the United States and Its Outposts. United States Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-14102019-2-8. Archived from the original on 2007-12-25. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- 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.
- A Short History of US fort construction at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
- List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website