Fire Control Stations
— Modern Coastal Defenses —
This area along the crest of Prospect Hill was an integral part of the Narragansett Bay coastal defense system from 1916 to 1945. From here, military observers had an unobstructed view of the approaches to the Bay, as well as East and West passages and the mine fields laid out in each during times of war.Along this 400-foot path at an elevation of 125 feet are six in-ground stations designed as observation posts and orientated generally south towards Rhode Island Sound. When these posts were in use the surrounding landscape was entirely clear of trees so observers had an unobstructed view of the water to the east, west, and south. The posts were manned by two to four soldiers and accessible only by the ladder through an opening in the roof.
Sightings instruments were used to take bearings on targets, which were communicated by telephone to the plotting rooms of gun batteries at forts within the Bay. Combining this data with similar information from the other observation posts, the plotters were able to aim their guns for accurate fire upon approaching enemy ships.
As originally designed, positions 1, 2, and 3 functioned as Command Stations. Positions 4, 5 and 6 served as observation sites for the gun batteries at Fort Wetherill and Fort Getty on Conanicut Island, Fort Greble on Dutch Island, and Fort Adams in Newport.
Over the years the functions of the stations changed. For example, the structure before you served as the Fort Commander's Station for nearby Fort Getty in 1921, as the overall Harbor Defense Command Post in 1934, and as the seat of the Harbor Mine Command in 1943.
During World War II, only positions 1 and 6 were in active use. From here, personnel of the Harbor Mine Command, observing both the East and West Passages, were in direct communication with related facilities across the island at Fort Wetherill. During that war, the 243rd Coast Artillery Regiment of the Rhode Island National Guard manned the majority of the coastal defense site in the Narragansett Bay area.
| HM Number | HM12E0 |
|---|---|
| Tags | |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Monday, October 6th, 2014 at 6:17am PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 19T E 300192 N 4594871 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 41.48056667, -71.39316667 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 41° 28.834', W 71° 23.59' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 41° 28' 50.04" N, 71° 23' 35.40" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 401 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 43 Battery Ln, Jamestown RI 02835, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.
Comments 0 comments